Voice search offline

[quarky_uk]

Reading the manual on page 34 (UK edition), it says:

"You can use Voice Actions with Google search to get directions, send messages, and perform a number of other common tasks.

You can initiate a Voice Search or Voice Action in several ways:

* Touch the microphone icon in the Google Chrome omnibox.
* Touch the microphone icon on the Home screen or Google Now screen and speak.
* Touch the search bar on the Home screen and say "Google".
* When you're viewing the Google Now screen, you don't have to touch anything. Just say "Google".

Next, speak the terms to search for or the Voice Action to perform"


Skip forward to page 41, and it says:

"*Download offline speech recognition. Check to select one or more additional languages for speech recognition when you don't have a network connection."


So, it looks like I should be able to do voice actions when offline right? Has anyone got this to work? When I click on the microphone on Google Now, I get "can't reach Google at the moment" immediately. Doing it from Chrome prompts me for speech, but then gives me the same message.

If I look settings for Google Now, English (US) is downloaded (22mb).

What am I missing?

 

[dpridgen]

You need to go into Settings->Language & Input->Voice Search and select Download offline speech recognition. On mine, it says english is already installed.

 

[quarky_uk]

Thanks, as I said though, that (well, English (US) anyway) is already there!

EDIT: Found "English (UK)" too and installed it, but that hasn't changed anything

 

[Jeremy8000]

I am having this same issue. The offline language pack is installed (actually came preinstalled).

When I try to dictate a draft email offline, it gives me the error:

"No network available
Please try again when you are connected to the network."​

When I try to use a Google Now voice command, it gives me the error:

"Can't reach Google at the moment."​

Can anyone confirm that, with WiFi turned off, they are getting these to work without issue? Or has anyone else had this issue but been able to resolve it?

 

[quarky_uk]

Where are you based Jeremy?

 

[s_duran3]

Thanks this really helped

 

[Chocoburger]

I have the same problem. Voice does not work when offline, and yes I have English US downloaded and placed under the Installed tab for offline speech recognition setting.

 

[quarky_uk]

So can anyone confirm that this actually works for them with Wi-Fi turned off?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

 

[barquentine]

Same issue here. USA and UK English installed for offline use, but when not WiFi connected voice recognition doesn't work.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

 

[Jeremy8000]

Where are you based Jeremy?

I'm in the US.

 

[luckywabbit]

Figured it out...

Looks like Google Now by itself requires Internet access since it assumes you are looking up data online (even though you can set Reminders, and whatever else you can do offline).

Voice recognition in itself would technically still process locally (I assume), based on the fact that if you go to any other app that does not require an Internet connection, and try using voice input, it would work.

 

[Chocoburger]

Ah, good find! I just tested it with Google Play Music, however, I learned some not-so-good-news. This indeed does work when using the default keyboard, but it does not work with SwiftKey 3, still needs an internet connection. Hopefully they fix/patch it.

 

[luckywabbit]

Actually, SwiftKey 3 uses something else. I found out recently that you need to have the keyboard open, then swipe the notification bar open, and switch keyboard to Google voice input, then you get the right input. Try it out.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[AndroidCentralSean]

The 3rd party keyboard such as SwiftKey and Swype use their own voice recognition that requires an internet connection. Swype for example, belonging to Nuance, uses Dragon technology for its speech recognition.

I wish Google and the 3rd parties would allow you to choose your own keyboard and voice typing engine separately.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

 

[ailima]

Ok. I can see how to dictate using the google speech recognition - but how do I give my n7 commands when offline? How do I write an email hands free without opening up the email program and dictating for each field (name, subject, etc) separately?

Am I missing something?

 

[quarky_uk]

So has anyone ever got voice recognition working offline?

I really don't understand what the point is in downloading offline speech recognition if it requires an internet connection anyway.

I love my Nexus but this is just poor, and Google's response to this is rather pathetic. They can't tell me if it even should work, unless I do a hard reset.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

 

[iamadnan]

I had the same issue with Voice Actions not working offline until I figured it out my self that the voice actions
work offline only when English (US) is selected under Settings > Voice > Languge. Apparently the offline voice
recognition, for the moment works only for English (US) as mentioned here.

 

[droiduser63]

Re: Voice search offline - KEY info to make it work

After stumbling around on this trying to get it to work offline, I found TWO more key bits of information to make it happen.

Settings
Language & Input
Under KEYBOARD & INPUT METHODS section,
Click the SETTINGS icon to the right of "Android Keyboard"
Input Languages MUST BE SET TO "English (US)" (I assume to match my downloaded language file).
Ensure the checkbox is enabled beside "Google voice typing", and set to "automatic" (it can't be a mismatch from the "Android keyboard" setting or it won't work).

None of this seems to be a problem if you've got your overall language setting to be English (United States) and are using the default "use system language" option for Android Keyboard. In other words, it's tweaked to work fine for US users, but others need to fiddle.

Steve

 

[Wandering Bear]

I guess the world will just have to learn how to speak with US accents and spelling. Maybe we can all just watch old CSI Miami episodes until we can get our Androids understanding us.

 

[DHRosh]

I have a similar problem but it works in airplane mode and offline. However when I'm in 2g its worthless and slower than I'd like if im on wifi. Its like it tries to use the internet when it can but id rather it always work as well as it does in airplane mode.

Any ideas?