Updated Touchless Controls or Updated Google Now?

[jephanie]

This afternoon, I was in the car and used the touchless control and asked the X to text the Misses. It initiated the command but didn't catch the text message detail itself. Instead of it sitting there wanting me to tap it to insert the text, it verbally prompted me about what I wanted to say. I stated the messaged and then it verbally asked me if I wanted to send the message. I said 'yes' and it sent the message. I didn't have to touch the phone once.

This seems like an update that eliminated the previous need to actually touch the X to send the message after it was composed. This is also much more conversational verbal interaction that I experienced prior to today.

Anyone else have an opportunity to notice this? I wasn't sure if this was a Google Now thing or if it was a Moto update to the Touchless Controls. Either way, it improved an already excellent concept.

I LOVE the Moto X (in case no one caught on to that by now).

 

[chiefandrews]

Hi there. I just received my Moto X today. I tried to text as you described. It did the exact same thing. The touchless controls, along with active notifications, is one of the top features I was interested in.

My main phone (until today) was a Nexus 4. A few weeks ago I installed Utter! It is a really impressive voice control app. It is still in beta. It can do a little more than Moto touchless, such as turn on and off bluetooth and wifi, report battery status, email, twitter, facebook status update, set volume, and read the clipboard. Lots of stuff. When it comes to texting, it does the same as you described, however, it will read your message so you can hear it instead of having to look at it. It would be great if the Moto does that. Does anyone know if the Moto can do that? What else can the touchless controls do?

EDIT: I also wonder if I install Utter! on the Moto X if Utter! can utilize the X8 core? I will have to do some testing. I did a quick google search and found a post on the XDA forum. Nobody seemed to know the answer.

 

[Kamron Erani]

Hi there. I just received my Moto X today. I tried to text as you described. It did the exact same thing. The touchless controls, along with active notifications, is one of the top features I was interested in.

My main phone (until today) was a Nexus 4. A few weeks ago I installed Utter! It is a really impressive voice control app. It is still in beta. It can do a little more than Moto touchless, such as turn on and off bluetooth and wifi, report battery status, email, twitter, facebook status update, set volume, and read the clipboard. Lots of stuff. When it comes to texting, it does the same as you described, however, it will read your message so you can hear it instead of having to look at it. It would be great if the Moto does that. Does anyone know if the Moto can do that? What else can the touchless controls do?

EDIT: I also wonder if I install Utter! on the Moto X if Utter! can utilize the X8 core? I will have to do some testing. I did a quick google search and found a post on the XDA forum. Nobody seemed to know the answer.

Utter! is a great app, in regards to touchless control, all that really does is punch in what you said to google now, so all these features revolve around google not motorola, except "find my phone". At the rate google now has been moving I wouldn't be surprised if we see these features in the future.

 

[clankfu]

It was an update to Google Now.

 

[limdoug]

Same for me, but the bad thing is that it will only text through the stock messaging app. I use google voice and it doesn't seem to want to send a message through that. I've set google voice as my default messaging app as well and still no luck.

 

[JoeNM84]

I really wish I could send a message by Hangouts instead of SMS touchless. I use the the Hangouts app for both, but touchless controls only work with sending a text message. Most of my "texts" these days aren't SMS/MMS, but with Google Hangouts.

 

[Chase Lilly]

I have sent messages in this way in my car recently and for some reason when I say “Yes” to confirm I want the message sent it does send the message but also does a Google search for “Yes”. A little annoying but at least I can send the text handsfree now.
This is a feature I thought Android had had for a while though. So this is new? I just came over from Apple and assumed Android had the feature before Siri did.

 

[Ben_on_fire]

I really wish I could send a message by Hangouts instead of SMS touchless. I use the the Hangouts app for both, but touchless controls only work with sending a text message. Most of my "texts" these days aren't SMS/MMS, but with Google Hangouts.

I feel the same, seems like it would be a simple thing to do since both touchless control and hangouts are google products... I am a heavy texter and I prefer hangouts since its layout is nicer than messager and links to gmail as well but if I select hangouts to receive my texts why cant I set it to be the default message app across the phone and touchless control?