[blackwasp]

Voice typing was earlier a chore. I don't know whether it solved a problem or created new ones. The output was so full of errors! But things have changed and you MUST try the latest versions today. The technology sure has evolved & become highly intelligent. It makes typing a breeze on mobile - those long WhatsApp messages, an urgent reply to an office mail, etc. all without bothering to fire up your laptop or using the small phone keyboard. Another advantage is that talking is a lot faster than typing in most situations.

Gboard (which many consider to be the best smartphone keyboard) now gives you the option of downloading an ~80 MB file. Advantage? Internet connection no longer needed, and faster voice-to-text conversion. Do note, it takes some time to get used to this, but once you get it right, you will make voice typing your go-to method for typing out messages on your smartphones.

1. Gboard is our pick for Android. Designed by Google, this virtual keyboard app has multilingual language support, GIF and emoji support, predictive next word and voice dictation amongst others. It also features translation in the keyboard itself. Multiple Indian languages are supported. While the Android app has the full functionality, the iOS version has features missing which are expected to come at a later date.


2. Dictation in iOS - Dictation is built into the iOS operating system. Punctuation and formatting are supported and you can use commands like begin and end a quote, start a new paragraph, begin a new line, capitalise the next word, etc. On iPhone 6s or later, and the iPad, one can use dictation without being connected to the Internet. Not all languages are supported, but I have tried it for English and it is pretty accurate. The system learns your style and over time adjusts as per your dictation.


PS - this post was compiled using the dictation on my iPhone .

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Software section. Thanks for sharing!

Okay, I have to admit that I H-A-T-E typing on smartphones. That virtual keyboard just isn't for me. It's precisely why I have https://web.whatsapp.com/ always open on my computer.

I had to recently re-download Gboard & it prompted me to download an 85 MB local file for voice typing. Oh my God, it has changed my life!

1. All my whatsapp messages are now typed using voice and it has a 99% accuracy rate (which is pretty much the same if I had to type it out myself).

2. This weekend, I took the Creta diesel for a long drive. All my observations were typed into a document; was so easy to dictate while I was driving. I remember using it when testing the Harrier in 2019 & the tech just wasn't there then. Of course, you can't be careless and have to carefully speak out words, but it's a game-changer. Best part is, the technology will only improve with time + as more people use it (just like Google Maps).

Note: On Team-BHP, you still need to properly proof-read your posts before posting. Any poorly typed messages will attract severe Moderator action.

[Rajeevraj]

I am fairly aware the the voice to text technology has really improved a tremendous amount and works very well for most voice functions and across Indian accents. The Alexa's and google voice and the Siri's of the world have worked flawlessly when ever I have used it.

But somehow I seem to have a block against using voice on a regular basis. Still end up typing or going through the clicks to do what I want. I keep thinking, voice works so well, I should use it , but I don't. Probably the inherent way the brain has got used to do some things. Matter of consciously overcoming.

One challenge I see is privacy, with typing you are generally free to type what you want even with people around, with voice that becomes a concern, and it is not a time bound thing like a phone call where you can step away for the call.

[narayans80]

Except for the rare occasion of using in a car. No intention of using it otherwise. Would rather call up or text. I do pair with a computer and get the typing done that way.

[ast.ggn]

I have to sheepishly admit that even though that mic symbol is present on Gboard for quite some time now, I never bothered to check what it is. Until my daughter sent me a text from her whatsapp voice typed few weeks back.

Voice recognition works really well and even gets punctuations correct most of the time. It is a good feature for people who have to type a lot.

Drawback: Privacy concerns as others have pointed out, I cannot think of using it in my office and public places.

[puneetakhouri]

Voice recognition keyboards do work well. But the problems I face are with fillers. While speaking we think on the fly, and the fillers like aa..mm, etc mess up the voice keyboard.

So right now it still remains a toy for me.

[sacrust]

Not only in Smartphones but with the last update , Office 365 has added the feature to dictate. This is now available in word. powerpoint & outlook etc, where you can dictate and the same will be converted into text. Dictation lets you use speech-to-text to author content in Office with a microphone and reliable internet connection and you can use your voice to quickly create documents, emails, notes, presentations, or even slide notes.
I have tried it and its accuracy is good (UK English).

[Thermodynamics]

I'm still old school. Growing up from a generation that used type-writers, there is nothing satisfying like physical buttons as we can type eyes closed. Coming to mobile phones, I too hate one finger typing, but never tried voice commands. After reading comments here, may be I should give it a try.

However my daughter uses voice commands left and right to browse YouTube, WhatsApp, Siri etc., While this is very useful as a technology, I am concerned about their lexical development.

[aniketvu]

I tend to use voice to text primarily via google assistant. Very convenient to add reminders or tasks on the go. You can even get it to start navigation without touching the phone. It works quite well most of the time. What I have noticed is that you need a decent internet connection for it to work well else you end up with some funny outputs.

[Cyborg]

Besides of the believed security concerns about using voice/microphone, I feel over time it will definitely ruin your language, grammar and writing skills.

I feel parents should strongly discourage this usage among children and encourage writing/typing skills for overall growth. It does not take genius to use the voice or microphone, developing writing/typing skills takes time and practice.

Cheers

[jassi_jeeper]

I am a lawyer and I use my phone voice typing a lot to dictate letters. I also have a voice to text paid software by the name Dragon for my computer. But phone typing is so much more accurate and convenient in the sense that your phone is always with you and is very handy. I simply dictate the letter on Google notes and email it to me to be edited letter on Microsoft Word.
I have been using it for quite some time now and now I am completely dependent on it.

[yogeshbala]

I am a lawyer working for a corporate. I am absolutely happy that it is so very easy to type using voice typing. Earlier, using a smartphone was a craze for me and so was typing in a smartphone. But as time progressed and with the increase in workload I feel comfortable to give dictation rather than typing. There are some pros and cons to it. But for me, at least the pros outweigh the cons.

[GTO]

Just a note, guys. For those who want Google's voice typing on Desktop, it's available in Google Docs (open it in Chrome).

[ValarMorghulis]

Tried this to send a few texts to missus and it went all well...
Tried this to capture the minutes of a meeting today and all hell broke loose... the discussion with different voices and people speaking wasn't captured at all...

[theautoman]

I have not used the voice typing on my smartphone mainly because I feel that I have to speak in a fake pseudo American accent (rather my best imitation of an american accent) for the device to understand me correctly. I don't think my regular accent has strong vernacular influence of any sort but still the smart devices fails to pick up the words I'm trying to type.

Since people here are speaking so highly of Gboard, I am going to try it for a week, i'll come back and share my experience in a weeks time.