How to activate voice controls on your Android device, and make Google searches or open apps with your voice

There are a variety of reasons why you might need to use voice controls on your Android device. Maybe you're driving and need to keep your hands on the road, or have tremors that make it difficult to use a touch screen.

In any case, your Android phone or tablet offers a few different voice control features, which make it easier to navigate your device.

Here's how to activate voice controls on an Android device in two ways.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Samsung Galaxy S10 (From $859.99 at Walmart)

How to activate voice controls on your Android device using the Google app

There are two major ways to turn on voice controls on an Android device. 

First, we can use the Google app. This will let you make Google searches with your voice.

1. Download the Google app and launch it, then tap the three little dots in the bottom-right corner.

2. Tap "Settings" and then tap "Voice."

3. Tap "Voice Match" and then toggle the switch by "Hey Google" to the right.

You can now make searches by saying "Hey, Google" or "OK Google" (depending on your device) followed by commands. For example, try saying "OK Google, search for Business Insider."

How to activate voice controls on your Android device using the Voice Access app

Secondly, we can use the Voice Access app. This will let you navigate your phone's menus and many of your apps with voice controls.

For even more control over your phone, consider getting the Voice Access app from the Play Store. Once it is installed, follow the steps to set up your advanced voice controls:

1. Download the Voice Access app. 

2. Open the Settings app — not the Voice Access app — and tap "Accessibility."

3. Scroll down and tap "Voice Access." On the next page, toggle it on.

You can now use the same "Hey, Google" or "OK Google" commands. You can use these to open apps. For example, try saying, "OK Google, open Spotify."

You'll also see that when you talk to your phone, anything on the screen that can be interacted with will have a number appear next to it. You can say which number you'd like to "tap" on that part of the screen with your voice.

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