JustSpeak: Controlling Android By Voice
Table of Contents
1 JustSpeak: Controlling Android By Voice
JustSpeak is an Android Accessibility Service that enables voice control of your Android device. Once enabled, you can activate on-screen controls, launch installed applications, and trigger other commonly used Android actions using spoken commands.
1.1 Starting JustSpeak
Once installed, you can start JustSpeak under Settings->Accessibility on your Android device — you only need to do this once, i.e., JustSpeak will be automatically restarted when you reboot your phone.
JustSpeak is an Accessibility Service i.e., once started, it uses Acessibility APIs on the platform to augment Android's user interface. JustSpeak augments the Android user interface with voice-input control; other Accessibility Services like TalkBack provide spoken feedback. Note that JustSpeak can be used either by itself, or in conjunction with other platform Accessibility Services such as TalkBack.
1.2 Initiating Voice Commands
Once started, JustSpeak registers itself as an Assistant on your device; you can initiate voice commands by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. Note that this is the same gesture that activates Google Now on devices running the stock version of Android. When using JustSpeak, you can get to Google Now by saying Google. Successful invocation of voice-control produces an auditory icon, indicating that your device is ready to listen. The auditory tone, along with an optional vibration (if available) you hear is your cue to start speaking; JustSpeak displays a visual overlay on the right-edge of the screen to indicate that it is listening. the recognized utterance is displayed visually, — additionally, it is spoken out if TalkBack is active. JustSpeak supports two types of voice control commands as described below.
1.3 Global Voice Commands
JustSpeak supports a set of global commands — these are global in that they are available on any screen. Global commands include:
| Command | Utterance | Action |
| Open | Open <Installed Application> | Launch Application |
| Recent | Recent | Recent Applications |
| Quick Settings | Quick Settings | Launch Quick Settings |
| Toggle WiFi | Switch WiFi (On/Off) | Toggle WiFi |
| Toggle Bluetooth | Switch Bluetooth (On/Off) | Toggle Bluetooth |
| Toggle Tethering | Switch Tethering (On/Off) | Toggle Tethering |
| Home | Go Home | Return to home screen |
| Back | Go Back | Return to previous screen |
| Notifications | Open Notifications | Pull down notifications shade |
List Of Synonyms For Open:
- open
- go to
- show
- display
In addition, JustSpeak provides the following spoken aliases as a means of triggering commonly used applications:
| Utterance | Action |
| Browser | Launch default Web browser |
| Web | Launch default Web Browser |
| OK Google Now | Launch Google Now |
| Search | Launch Voice Search |
| Voice Search | Launch Voice Search |
1.4 Local Voice Commands
In addition to the global voice commands that are available on any screen, JustSpeak lets you activate on-screen controls in a variety of ways.
| Command | Utterance | Action |
| Activate | Click <control name> | Activate control by its on-screen name |
| Toggle | Turn on/off <toggle> | Toggle on/off switch |
| Scroll | Scroll Up/Down | Scroll e.g., Lists. |
- touch
- click on
- press
- activate
- open
- push
- tap
1.5 Chaining Commands
Note that you can issue a sequence of commands via a single utterance by using simple connectives such as then or and when speaking; as an example, you can say:
Quick Settings then WiFi
to open "Quick Settings" and then click the "WiFi" item that appears within quick settings. This is an example of chaining together a global command followed by a local command that becomes available after the global command has executed successfully. Similarly, you can say:
Open GMail, then compose
to launch GMail, and immediately start composing a new message.
1.6 Alternative Means Of Triggering JustSpeak
We are continuing to experiment with alternative ways of initiating voice control. Toward this end, JustSpeak enables you to configure an NFC tag that can then be tapped to initiate voice control; see JustSpeak->Settings for configuring an NFC tag. On Android 4.3 and above, you can also trigger JustSpeak by long-pressing both volume buttons at the same time.
