A
Android Central Question
First for clarity, I'm talking about the Google App for Android and not Chrome. In appearance, this app looks like a web search bar, but in actuality, it basically functions like Google Assistant, as far as I can tell. (And that alone is confusing enough.)
I can tap the mic and say "navigate to Fort Knox" or "call my mother" or "text Santa Claus." I can also say, "send a text" and it will offer the SPOKEN response: "Who do you want to text?" And so on. It will even read the text aloud before sending it. Great! I love this and use it.
But... I HATE HATE HATE IT when it reads the result of a web search. HEY GOOGLE, I CAN READ, but not when you are blathering on and on.
So, I begin the quest to turn this annoying feature off. After a lot of tinkering and reading, I'm here to confirm that this is not possible without unwanted consequences (hoping to be proven wrong). Read on...
In the Google App for Android (not Chrome), you can choose 1 of 2 settings for SPOKEN RESULTS:
1. All voice searches
2. Hands free searches only
If you choose "All voice searches" then everything is read aloud by Google. Web searches are read aloud (which i hate) and requests to call or text someone, etc., use speech to interact with you (which I love).
If you choose, "hands free searches only," NOTHING is read aloud by Google, INCLUDING, for example, "OK Google... send a text." It will respond only on screen with the printed phrase: "Who do you want to text." But here's the thing, "Send a text" is not a search. So what does "SEARCH" even mean in the above options. Shouldn't option 2 be, "Google won't talk to you, AT ALL."
The only thing I can figure is that I don't know what "hands free" means. I searched my phone settings (Galaxy S9) and all it had was "one-handed mode."
The careful choice of words and industry nomenclature seems to be more and more of a lost art. The internet is full of people chasing their tails over trying to get Google to SHUT THE EF UP.
As I understand, Google gives you 2 choices for using it's AI voice:
1. On
2. Off
Further, the Google App is really Google Assistant.
If true, why not just say so, Google?
What am I missing?
I can tap the mic and say "navigate to Fort Knox" or "call my mother" or "text Santa Claus." I can also say, "send a text" and it will offer the SPOKEN response: "Who do you want to text?" And so on. It will even read the text aloud before sending it. Great! I love this and use it.
But... I HATE HATE HATE IT when it reads the result of a web search. HEY GOOGLE, I CAN READ, but not when you are blathering on and on.
So, I begin the quest to turn this annoying feature off. After a lot of tinkering and reading, I'm here to confirm that this is not possible without unwanted consequences (hoping to be proven wrong). Read on...
In the Google App for Android (not Chrome), you can choose 1 of 2 settings for SPOKEN RESULTS:
1. All voice searches
2. Hands free searches only
If you choose "All voice searches" then everything is read aloud by Google. Web searches are read aloud (which i hate) and requests to call or text someone, etc., use speech to interact with you (which I love).
If you choose, "hands free searches only," NOTHING is read aloud by Google, INCLUDING, for example, "OK Google... send a text." It will respond only on screen with the printed phrase: "Who do you want to text." But here's the thing, "Send a text" is not a search. So what does "SEARCH" even mean in the above options. Shouldn't option 2 be, "Google won't talk to you, AT ALL."
The only thing I can figure is that I don't know what "hands free" means. I searched my phone settings (Galaxy S9) and all it had was "one-handed mode."
The careful choice of words and industry nomenclature seems to be more and more of a lost art. The internet is full of people chasing their tails over trying to get Google to SHUT THE EF UP.
As I understand, Google gives you 2 choices for using it's AI voice:
1. On
2. Off
Further, the Google App is really Google Assistant.
If true, why not just say so, Google?
What am I missing?