[tyson.clarke]

Ok...I realize I'm in a minority here, but Voice Actions on JB is driving me nuts.

I love Butter, so quick and fast. I love my Gnex on screen buttons and particularly the multi-task.

The JB camera app software is bananas. I took 700+ pictures in a month with it!!


But I feel like the direction of voice operation is taking a drastic turn in a crazy direction here.

With GB and ICS Voice Search, it was fast, fast, fast. GB wasn't as pretty as ICS, but it was just as fast.

Now it's pretty - the animations are great, Google Now has a long way to go with being at a reliable speed (I've tried about 15 different JB Roms, the best that I have found is Pure AOSP), but it's also a great idea.

But I feel like these folks are missing the point - talking to your phone is stupid - Unless the functionality is actually faster than you can do with your fingers on the screen. Then, it's just plain awesome.

I feel like Voice Actions never got the respect it deserved, I think I'm the only person that will miss the disappearance of the dedicated Search button also - which with a long press initiated Voice Search.

It used to be, with my Razr, Bionic, Charge or D'inc - I could have my phone in my pocket, and be making a call to a business I didn't know the number to; texting someone, googling a definition; googling a math equation; or (my personal favorite) watching a Youtube video within about 3 seconds of pulling it out of my pocket.

Now, I don't have the search button (which I guess I'll just have to live with), but the turnaround time after I give my command is SIGNIFICANTLY slower. If it works at all...

I feel like Google is trying to get 'as good as' Siri....but guess what?! Siri sucks! It's slow! It's unreliable! Siri is a stupid gimmick - ask any iphone user - they don't use it because it's unreliable, slow and stupid. Worst of all, Siri is a feeble attempt at trying to mimic empathy - empathy comes from living things, and it makes sense when it comes from living things. When it comes from an object - it's just funny. Therefore - a gimmick.

ICS Voice Search didn't have the pretty animations for searches, but the content was basically the same. It only got noticed more because google finally tooted their own horn about it, which they should have done a better job of with the release of the Droid 2. Almost a year before Siri even came on the scene.

I recently loaded a decent Miui Rom that let me download ICS apps (Chrome), but was still running GB Voice Search which was great (Video didn't work though

Is anyone else on board with me? Am I insane? Just trying to get my phone out, get done what I need to, and get on with life as fast as I can - which I thought was the point of having a smart phone....

T

Here's a vid I did a while ago on the differences - which only demo's the call feature - but is clearly faster none the less...excuse my inane dribble....

[funkylogik]

totally agree mate. i dont have JB yet but a lot of people in the s3 forum seem to think Now is just a voice assistant.
for a start i have a very broad Glasgow accent and no voice rec' is ever gona understand me lol, (my north of scotland relatives can barely understand me)
for another thing, without having tried it, i see Now as so much more than a siri-style gimmick.
im looking forward to my phone (google) using everything its learned from me to enhance my life a lil bit
EDIT: sorry its late, just realised i totaly misread your point lol to the point of mine being opposite oh well...
global s3, UK. Ask me anything and ill reply even if its just an intelligent (or crazy) guess

[RoscoeDpG]

im sure its going to get much much better, but like siri, hardly used

[robzon]

I actually use voice search a lot, mostly at home, where accuracy is great due to quiet environment and mostly because I'm too lazy to type stuff in ;-)
I just wish apps could integrate with voice commands with some kind of API, so after installing, say, Netflix, I could say "play latest supernatural episode" or something. That would be sweet!

[Emicfate]

You need to change your search habit and stop treating it like an assistant. Instead of long pressing for search you now swipe up to activate google now say Google wait and then say what you want. It searches the same way.

[thinksInCode]

It works well enough but there are things about it that annoy me. Like when I set a reminder, say, "Wake me up in an hour" - it does this just fine, but it doesn't remove the one time alarm afterwards! What a pain.

[Mac58]

Actually it is your ROM. I am uploading video response now showing that these features work on my GN running JB

Edit: here it goes

[praytorain]

I actually use it all if the time. Not to talk to my phone, but to access facts, scores, directions,images,and regular searches all at blazing speeds. Plus it is as simple as with ICS or GB, I have the Galaxy Nexus with BAMF rom and I put the search soft button on the bottom of the screen with the long press set to voice search...I love it! Super quick,accurate,and useful. I am not into the whole gimic thing of talking to my phone asking it to tell me a joke.

[trlovejoy]

I find it useful if typing is a hassle at the moment, like something quick at a stoplight or if I am a passenger on a bumpy road.

Also don't forget you can press and hold the home button and the search option pops up. Not as easy as what you describe, but still pretty direct.

[Flip]

I love it, mines works flawless with my gnex n gs3 no complaints here n I use mines a lot

[cheidt76]

I actually use voice search a lot, mostly at home, where accuracy is great due to quiet environment and mostly because I'm too lazy to type stuff in ;-)
I just wish apps could integrate with voice commands with some kind of API, so after installing, say, Netflix, I could say "play latest supernatural episode" or something. That would be sweet!

I use it a lot too, but it would be so much more useful if it worked in-app as well. $20 says this will be where Google Now heads in the near future...

[pseudoelf]

It is much improved for me on my VZW GNex from ICS. On ICS voice actions didn't launch reliably. I had to touch the search icon on the home screen a couple of times. Now I can launch it quickly from most screens like I did when I had a search button. It seems to be more accurate now too. I am all "stock" aside from being rooted to allow the JB leak.

[geckx7]

I couldn't agree more. my sensation w/ ics work perfect with voice commands. And after using my lumia 710 i was really hoping google would take voice search to the next level instead of falling down the stairs. (head shake) BTW voice commands via BT on windows phones are amazing.

[yfan]

There's definitely something with that phrase, "Hey honey, how are you?" I am using a vanilla version too - the OTA on my Galaxy Nexus, but here are my results:

• If I use the contact's first name only with "HEY honey...", it will not work, instead giving a "All People" dialog
• If I use the contact's full name, it will work flawlessly.
• If I use only the first name but replace 'hey' with 'hi', (i.e. "HI honey...") it will also work flawlessly.

[slider999]

Worst thing: You can only activate the voice search with your headset when the screen is unlocked... if i have to unlock it then i can also push the voice search button on the device too :S

[vladtdr]

yes, you are the only one

[cpaixao]

Hi! On JB, Voice Actions works only if you set US english as default Language for phone and voice search. Are you sure you're set this way?

[ihacki]

I, too, can't stand JB voice search. Thanks to the stupid single-button double-click triple-function earphones control, often annoyingly lands on a cold, uncaring voice "Speak now!", just pisses me off.

Now I wish I could afford an iPhone. Siri, I want to marry you!

[cyanogen-man]

I still blame sir I and apples thermal neclear whoring in the larceny office!!! Long pressing for a. Voice sear h most likely pattented I have a legacy phone buttons search button yay but I'm gonna upgrade in January any suggestions I'm all ears (at&t) I got unlimited data still not gonna give it up

INSPIRE AOKP ICE COLD SANDWICH ROM

[tyson.clarke]

It used to work in app...with a long press of search button...



Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Android Central Forums

[impulse101]

Yes you are the only one. I hate the old voice actions the new ones in JB are so much better

[tyson.clarke]

Yep...it works...I just think the programming is slower than ics

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Android Central Forums

[ScottPV]

My only gripe, I ask it to "dial 888-123-4567) and it starts dialing before I finish. 888-1234?

[Grahaman27]

Yes, Ever since Jelly bean I have not used my voice commands NEAR as much. Its not as fast, not as pretty, and honestly not as easy. On ICS it didnt take up the whole screen... now its like you are opening a new app...

I would feel a little bit better if sending texts part was a little different... JB cant interpret names as well, and when you say something like "text josh hey ill be there soon" and then you want to change it to say "hey Ill be there in 30," it takes you out of the app and puts you in messaging with a blank message. VERY ANNOYING.

[darkcloud2973]

What ROM are you using? I was using Voice Search to call businesses I didn't know the number to all the time, but it suddenly stopped working on my phone. Now it just does a google search instead. Not sure if it's the rom I'm on or something to do with the recent Google Now update. Also, as an aside: I really hate that when you tell it to call a name in your address book, it still returns a google search at the bottom. The other day I said "Call Mom" and while it still made the call, directly under the call card was the search result "How to tell your mom you have started your period". Really, wtf?