"I have trouble typing on my phone. How do I use my voice to send a text message?"
— Helen M., Tampa, FL
First, open your text messaging app and start a new message. Tap the text box where you would type. On most phones, you will see a small microphone icon on the keyboard. Tap that microphone and start speaking clearly. Your words will appear as text.
When you are done, tap the microphone again to stop. Then just hit send. If you make a mistake, you can tap the microphone and say "correct that" or just edit the text by hand. It takes a little practice, but soon it will feel natural.
— Pat
"Can I use my voice to search the internet instead of typing?"
— Robert L., Portland, OR
Yes, you can! On a phone or tablet, open your web browser (like Chrome or Safari). Look for a microphone icon in the search bar or on the keyboard. Tap it and say what you want to search for, like "weather today" or "how to bake a pie."
On a computer, you can use the microphone in the search bar on Google or Bing. Or you can say "Hey Google" or "Hey Cortana" if your computer has voice assistant turned on. Just speak clearly and the results will show up.
— Pat
"I have an iPhone. How do I use voice typing for emails?"
— Martha S., Austin, TX
On an iPhone, when you are typing an email, tap the microphone icon on the keyboard (usually near the space bar). It is called Dictation. Speak your email naturally. Say "comma" or "period" to add punctuation, or just pause and it will add some automatically.
To turn on Dictation, go to Settings > General > Keyboard and make sure "Enable Dictation" is on. It is free and works offline for short messages. Remember to tap the microphone again when you are done speaking.
— Pat
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"Can I control my computer with my voice? I want to open programs without clicking."
— George W., Chicago, IL
Yes, you can use voice commands on a computer. On Windows, say "Hey Cortana" or click the microphone in the taskbar. Then say "Open Word" or "Open my email." On a Mac, enable Siri by going to System Preferences > Siri, then say "Open Safari" or "Open my calendar."
There is also free software like Windows Speech Recognition (on Windows) or built-in Mac dictation. You can say "click File" or "scroll down" to control menus. It takes some training, but it can save your hands from a lot of clicking.
— Pat
"I am worried about privacy when using voice typing. Is my voice recorded?"
— Dorothy K., Phoenix, AZ
That is a good question. When you use voice typing, your words are sent to the company's servers to be turned into text. Companies like Apple and Google say they do not keep your recordings unless you agree. You can check your privacy settings.
On iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Speech & Dictation to see options. On Android, go to Settings > Google > Account Services > Search, Assistant & Voice. You can delete your voice history. If you are very concerned, you can use voice typing only for short, non-private messages.
— Pat