Using the new Motorola Droid Android phone can be confusing at times, and trying to use voice dialing can be even more confusing. Luckily, there is more than one way to use voice dial on the Droid phone. They include using the Google Voice Search application and the Voice Dialer application.
How To Use The Google Voice Search Application
Using the Google Voice Search application is simple and easy, even for those who are not as technologically advanced. As long as these steps are followed, it is impossible to go wrong when using this voice search application for the Droid phone.
- In order to start the Google Voice Search application, you will need to find the magnifying glass that is at your Droid’s home screen. Since the Droid phone has a touch screen, all you need to do is press this button. The magnifying glass will take you to the Google Search bar.
- After you have gone to the Google Search bar, try to find the microphone icon. Press this icon using the touch screen.
- From here you will be asked to speak. In order to use the voice search application correctly you will have to say “Call”, then the name of your contact.
- If you speak clearly and the application understands you, it will begin to call the contact you asked for. Be sure to speak clearly because if you do not, you will be misunderstood and left feeling frustrated.
How To Use the Voice Dialer Application
The Voice Dialer Application has already been stored on your Droid phone. It is safe to say that this is the original application for voice dialing. Because of this, it has been built specifically to match your Droid phone. This application is easier to use than the Google Voice Search application.
1. Unfortunately, it is not on the home page of your phone, and you will need to search for it. It will be under the “Applications” menu.
2. After you have opened your Droid’s Voice Dialer Application, you will need to say “Call” and the name of your contact.
This is slightly different from the Google Voice Search application. After you speak your commands you will be shown a list of contacts that were similar to the contact that you named. This application will save you more time than you would save if you were using the Google Voice Search Application. Instead of calling the contact it thought you said, the Droid’s Voice Dialer application gives you a list.
My Droid X2 doesn’t understand the difference between the command “call” and “send message”. Everytime I try to make a call it thinks I am trying to send a message. Voice recognition command on this phone is the worst I have ever had. Even changing the Blue Tooth doesn’t improve the result. I’m fed up.
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This application is for mobiles so
user can use it any time anywhere! Also it works on both VoIP and Telephony.
What is the purpose of voice dial if you have to go through all of that to do the dialing? It needs to interact with the bluetooth headset to be anywhere near useful.i.e. initiate the voice command prompt using the button on the headset and answer using the button on the head set. I have used it on several phones for the last couple of years with the Motorola H700 and H720. Most recently the Droid 2 and the H720. The Droid 2 version is not as good as ones I have used in the past. I just upgraded(?) to a Droid Charge and the voice dial is TOTALLY USELESS. It is wrong about 90% of the time. NO EXAGGERATION.
Actually i wonder if VOICE dialing tells something about the purpose of this function.
For me, VOICE means no hands.
Let’s see where NO HANDS suits this “VOICE” dial:
1. In order to start the Google Voice Search application, you will
need to find…. all you need to do is press
this button – Sorry, but both SEARCHING and PRESSING actually require my HANDS to do it, so this is NOT HANDS FREE. NO VOICE DIALING either. 2. …Press this icon… – PRESSING again, so again NOT HANDS FREE. NO VOICE DIALING either. 3. From here you will be asked to speak… Finally some VOICE DIAL action!4. If you speak clearly and the application understands you… If if if if… maybe I have an accent? Maybe i’m no english speaker? Maybe it just doesn’t understand me…. then AGAIN NOT HANDS FREE. NO VOICE DIALING either.
So, as i see, only 25% of this voice dialing is in fact hands free and voice dialing. No wonder the detection part is also crappy. Since, you see, it relies 75% on screen touches, so why not open a list to allow the user to… touch the screen again?
This kind of “voice dialing” is totally illogical, dumb and useless.
Old Windows Mobile device knew that:
1. voice dial with only pressing the button on handsfree bt device. no unlocking, searching or watching a screen
2. people have different accents, voices, or languages so record voice tags for each wanted dial number
3. after identifying the dial number, confirm by speaking the name, so the user actually knows the phone is dialing what he wants.
Easy, simple, used, approved, logical and great. Why the hell is not implemented?!?!?
For Droid Bionic, simply go to “Applications settings” and set “Double tap home launch” setting to “Voice Commands”. Now all you need to do is double tap the Home icon at the bottom of the device and automatically launches the voice dialing feature, along with other voice command choices. Yes, the accuracy is not always 100%, but in those cases the feature will narrow down your choices in a step or two.
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I’m having the same problems as Larry (and everyone else it seems). Droid Bionic with Plantronics Voyager+. Voice search blows me away with the accuracy – absolutely incredible beyond my wildest imagination. Voice dialing? Well, picture Stevie Wonder throwing darts at a target. Stevie does better than the voice dial app.
Andy must work for HTC. Sounds like he reflects their attitude.
If you live in a State where you cannot even look at your phone when your are driving, you have to use your head set for voice dial. It is extremely frustrating when the phone dials incorrectly. Road noise mixes in with your voice command and it is very easy to have it dial the wrong number. It usually rings at least once before I can get it stopped and then people call me back wondering why I showed up on their caller ID. Every other phone I have ever had asked for confirmation before dialing. Seems like somebody is just being hardheaded at HTC?
Nothing is EVER perfect including the guy right above me. I have to agree with the people who think it is ridiculous that Google voice dialer works the way it does. My old blackberry did it way better. Notification options are way better on blackberry too. The android is a beautiful toy but the blackberry is a purpose built communication tool.
You all complain far too much. Nothing is every perfect. Get over it.
I just picked up an HTC Thunderbolt on Friday for a trip out of town. I’ve spent most of my time since researching apps that make attempts at various workarounds for bluetooth issues, voice dialer issues, power issues, volume button issues, Skype video issues, network switching issues…
I won’t even elaborate beyond mentioning the promised Gingerbread OS that has failed to appear.
I have barely had the phone 48 hours.
The non-confirmed voice dialing is ludicrous and the voice recognition software is an embarrassment. My not-so-smart-phone that I “upgraded” from did a better job. I’m forced to conclude that the citizens of Google’s smartphone empire have been duped. The Emperor has no clothes. To add insult to injury the Emperor is also morbidly obese, mentally handicapped, and emits the foul overpowering reek of the chronically unwashed.
I find it hard to believe that “Gingerbread” will address the myriad issues plaguing Google Android. The fact is that we keep buying these overpriced toys that are perpetually in beta. Cell communication is a mature technology that has proven itself worthy of widespread adoption by people serious about the ability to communicate while in transit. Smartphones in their current incarnation are a fad to be taken as seriously as the any other fad from adolescence. Problem is many of us are supposed to be fully grown adults.
That seals it for me. I do use the ‘Droid as something more than a mini-screened video player or app marketplace — as in a phone. I have 23 more months on my contract, and after that I’m gone from ‘Droid. A voice dialer without audio verification is useless as far as I’m concerned.
I contacted tech support and was amazed at the incompetence of the first couple techs I spoke to. They kept telling me that I must speak clearly and that the Droid gives a list of names if it is not sure what I said. They also suggested I use the Google app. IDIOTS!!! I kept telling them that you cannot look at your phone while driving or you will get a ticket in my State. I got the feeling that they did not ever use a Droid themselves and they could not comprehend the problem and seemed to just be reading from a script. IDIOTS!!! It was very frustrating. I finally spoke to someone who understood but he simply said that there are no plans to change the system that he knows of.
I switched to an HTC Thunderbolt from a Windows phone and despite the many improvements on the new phone I am amazed that Android doesn’t ask for confirmation before dialing on bluetooth. This is a big problem and I don’t know why it hasn’t been addressed. Does anyone have a solution?
I totally agree, I have an HTC incredible and the VOICE DIALER works less than 10% of the time. I speak directly into the phone mic and am not using a blue tooth device. It is very dangerous since you cannot use the phone in handsfree mode!
How do we get them to fix this ? Is it google’s software or Moto ?
BTW,
The google voice search app work great!
I am very unhappy with the voice dialer. Who made the decision to not have the dialer confirm who you are wanting to dial? I have (on numerous occasions) been driving and did a voice dial thru my Bluetooth only to have it call someone else. I have made many unintended calls. Cant they have an option to require confirmation like my LG did? This is very frustrating because I have many contacts that are similar sounding names.
David K’s comments exactly reflect my experiences. The great thing about my Verizon LG Voyager was the 80 to 85% accuracy of the voice dial. So far I have NEVER gotten a correct hit using Voice Dialer app. I have a Moto Droid 2.2.
Does anyone have any hints? Thanks.
I agree with the 8/20/10 post of Dave K. Voice dialer misunderstands my words and without asking for confirmation, it starts dialing the wrong number. Also since recent Droid 2.2 update, the voice dialer widget is gone, can’t voice dial unless using Bluetooth. Anyone know how I can get the Voice Dialer widget /short cut back on my home screen?
I have been forced by my company to have the Droid, and boy do I miss my Blackberry. I could voice dial from my contacts list without looking at anything but the road. The Droid gives a visual list to chose from. Not good at 60MPH, and to that end is useless.
My Blackberry also never made phantom phone calls. Once tucked into the case, it was locked. This Droid has to be consciously locked which can be irksome when a hectic day causes thoughts to be elsewhere, or you’re driving.
I also am not fond of the perpetually greasy touch screen face that I must continually clean. This is the reason I will not have an Iphone, or any other touch screen. I feel like my finger is in a cold, greasy frying pan.
This is probably a great toy for a teener, but all of these silly apps are not for me or my business. If it were left to me, I would Blackberry.
There seems to be a HUGE disparity between Voice Dialer and Voice Search as far as voice recognition goes. The Voice Search gets my words almost 99% of the time. Voice Dialer (which comes up when I hit my blue tooth headset button) seems to have a mind (or lack thereof) of its own!
I was excited to be able to voice dial over bluetooth, but I wish the software driving Voice Dialer would be the same as Voice Search. Is there a way to have Android use Voice Search instead of Voice Dialer to interact with me over my bluetooth headset?
I’m using a Moto Droid with 2.2 and an old Moto H500 Bluetooth Handsfree Headset.
The google voice app is NOT intuitive at all. Just seeing your inbox doesn’t elude to instruction for being able to actually dial/call out with it.
Part of the reason Droid won’t make to the masses is this very reason, an assumption on the user’s level of understanding.
And I am technical, imagine your mom.