Is it impossible to use voice commands from a password or code-locked screen?

[StephenDedalus]

I have to have a pin code lock because of corporate email. I've found that voice control no longer works. I'm moving from an iPhone and for the most part there are very few things (Airplay, photo sync) that I miss. But this might be a deal-breaker. I need to be able to use the device hands-free. With my iPhone I can at least fire up music or a phone call or even a text from a locked screen by holding the home button. There doesn't seem to be any way to do this with the Note. Am I missing something?

 

[wrich2005]

I have to have a pin code lock because of corporate email. I've found that voice control no longer works. I'm moving from an iPhone and for the most part there are very few things (Airplay, photo sync) that I miss. But this might be a deal-breaker. I need to be able to use the device hands-free. With my iPhone I can at least fire up music or a phone call or even a text from a locked screen by holding the home button. There doesn't seem to be any way to do this with the Note. Am I missing something?

I've tried and had no success. Not saying it can't be done though. I would try one of the thousands of replacement lock screens you can download in the market

Posted via Android Central App

 

[sam kim2]

I recently switched from an old Iphone 4 and was astounded to find that the Note 3 has two different voice recognition assistants and neither allows you to make a call by voice command while the phone's in your pocket. With the lockscreen unsecured, you can long press the headphone button to turn on S-voice or Google (which gives you a long set of instructions each time). But inexplicably, the screen also goes on--so the pocket dialing will interfere most of the time with your trying to make a call by voice command. I've given up. I never realized how much I relied on this function until it was gone. Android has this great voice recognition capability but has disabled this most basic use for it.

 

[JLadd4420]

So on the Iphone you can make calls when the phone is pin locked?

 

[StephenDedalus]

So on the Iphone you can make calls when the phone is pin locked?

Yes. You can use Siri which means you can do most everything Siri will let you. Get directions from your current location, play music, play podcasts, make calls, send text messages. I finally figured this out, fwiw. Basically I had to go into the S Voice app and select "Settings" and then "Open via the home key". I also selected "Voice wake-up" and "Wake up command". In other words the only way to do this is to wake wake up the Note 3 while the screen is off with "Hi, Galaxy" and go from there. But it works. To play music I had to move all of my music from the Google Music Player to the Samsung Music Player. That means I had to install and use iSyncr as opposed to the other media player.

So this sorta works. Not ideal, but maybe a compromise I can live with in exchange for the good things this phone provides. Still not sure how I feel about it as a "reader", which is the main reason I took the plunge on a phablet. We'll see how much I use it that way.

 

[dpham00]

I recently switched from an old Iphone 4 and was astounded to find that the Note 3 has two different voice recognition assistants and neither allows you to make a call by voice command while the phone's in your pocket. With the lockscreen unsecured, you can long press the headphone button to turn on S-voice or Google (which gives you a long set of instructions each time). But inexplicably, the screen also goes on--so the pocket dialing will interfere most of the time with your trying to make a call by voice command. I've given up. I never realized how much I relied on this function until it was gone. Android has this great voice recognition capability but has disabled this most basic use for it.

Not sure what you mean. With unsecured lock screen and With the phone in my pocket and screen off, and without touching the screen, I just say "Hi Galaxy" wait for the prompt, then say "call Sam kim"

 

[omega1300]

Yes. You can use Siri which means you can do most everything Siri will let you. Get directions from your current location, play music, play podcasts, make calls, send text messages. I finally figured this out, fwiw. Basically I had to go into the S Voice app and select "Settings" and then "Open via the home key". I also selected "Voice wake-up" and "Wake up command". In other words the only way to do this is to wake wake up the Note 3 while the screen is off with "Hi, Galaxy" and go from there. But it works. To play music I had to move all of my music from the Google Music Player to the Samsung Music Player. That means I had to install and use iSyncr as opposed to the other media player.

So this sorta works. Not ideal, but maybe a compromise I can live with in exchange for the good things this phone provides. Still not sure how I feel about it as a "reader", which is the main reason I took the plunge on a phablet. We'll see how much I use it that way.

I previously had the same setup you're using and had the same questions about accessing voice commands from the lock screen.

Downfall with the "always listening" mode was it tanked my battery really fast, to the point where it wasn't worth using.

Now I have s voice set up to be accessed by double tapping the home button, but you have to unlock your phone before using it. Definitely something I miss from my iPhone.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[StephenDedalus]

Oh no. How quickly does it kill the battery? I need this functionality, but I also need my phone to not be plugged into a cord constantly.

 

[JLadd4420]

Yes. You can use Siri which means you can do most everything Siri will let you. Get directions from your current location, play music, play podcasts, make calls, send text messages. I finally figured this out, fwiw. Basically I had to go into the S Voice app and select "Settings" and then "Open via the home key". I also selected "Voice wake-up" and "Wake up command". In other words the only way to do this is to wake wake up the Note 3 while the screen is off with "Hi, Galaxy" and go from there. But it works. To play music I had to move all of my music from the Google Music Player to the Samsung Music Player. That means I had to install and use iSyncr as opposed to the other media player.

So this sorta works. Not ideal, but maybe a compromise I can live with in exchange for the good things this phone provides. Still not sure how I feel about it as a "reader", which is the main reason I took the plunge on a phablet. We'll see how much I use it that way.

I had the 4s and I dont remember being able to access that without first putting in my PIN.

 

[omega1300]

I don't remember exactly how fast - but significant. Try it for a day and see if it works for you.

I want to say it ate like 40% or so within a few hours. The issue is always having microphone listening for the wake command - burns a lot of juice.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[StephenDedalus]

You definitely can. It's even more feature-filled after iOS 7. Here is a terrible, hastily recorded video of me telling Siri to start an album and then showing how I can pause music and open a menu that allows for changing brightness, pausing, going forward and backward in an album and many other features.

Basic lock screen behavior - iOS - YouTube

I'm getting closer to being okay with this device. But it's weirdly far far ahead in terms of some features and strangely far far in the past in terms of other features.

 

[omega1300]

But it's weirdly far far ahead in terms of some features and strangely far far in the past in terms of other features.

Couldn't have said it better.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[dpham00]

Oh no. How quickly does it kill the battery? I need this functionality, but I also need my phone to not be plugged into a cord constantly.

I only have voice wakeup enabled and motion sensor for quick glance. For me, it uses 1% or less per hour

Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3 via Tapatalk Pro

 

[dpham00]

You definitely can. It's even more feature-filled after iOS 7. Here is a terrible, hastily recorded video of me telling Siri to start an album and then showing how I can pause music and open a menu that allows for changing brightness, pausing, going forward and backward in an album and many other features.

Basic lock screen behavior - iOS - YouTube

I'm getting closer to being okay with this device. But it's weirdly far far ahead in terms of some features and strangely far far in the past in terms of other features.

Samsung voice control needs work, but it does work with the screen off, no need to press any buttons to activate. Does the iPhone work without touching any button to activate ?

Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3 via Tapatalk Pro

 

[StephenDedalus]

I think you're missing something. It may work with the screen off, but to get there you have to have the mic on all of the time. Reason being that if you have to have a passcode (which I do because of corporate email) then you can't double-click home to call up S Voice.

 

[sam kim2]

Most of the time "Hi, Galaxy" prompt only works on the phone mic, not the headset mic. The screen goes on in your pocket, buttons get pushed so I can complete a call less than half the time. I just tried it, unsecured my lockscreen. I used to be able to long press and get the beep but now I have to long press then say hi galaxy to get the beep. It's picking up hi galaxy from my earphone mic! But the pocket dialing problem persists. Why does it insist you look at the screen and give you all these button options when you're trying to give a voice command? Name recognition is much better than on the iPhone though.

 

[sam kim2]

Also tried disabling s-voice, so the long press brings up the google voice dialer and its long set of audio instructions. After I say, "Call ___" it gives me instructions to say "ok" or "cancel" but inexplicably it also brings up ok and cancel buttons on the screen. I seem to manage to pocket dial "cancel" more than half the time.

 

[sam kim2]

After the recent firmware update, I can long-press or say "hi galaxy" to wake S-voice, but I have to then say, "hi galaxy" to get the voice command prompt. After I say, "Call ***" I have to say "hi galaxy" again to get the prompt to confirm. So the sequence is: hi galaxy, hi galaxy, call home, ("do you want to call home?"), hi galaxy, yes. This can be interrupted at any point by pocket dialing.

 

[mrwallyy]

If there is a way to completely disable S(hit) Voice and make Google Now the primary voice app (without rooting), it would be perfect. And allowing access to it with a PIN set up would be even better.

 

[mrwallyy]

Also tried disabling s-voice, so the long press brings up the google voice dialer and its long set of audio instructions. After I say, "Call ___" it gives me instructions to say "ok" or "cancel" but inexplicably it also brings up ok and cancel buttons on the screen. I seem to manage to pocket dial "cancel" more than half the time.

With Nova Launcher, you can reprogram the Menu or Home button. So what I did is by long pressing the menu button, it brings up Google Now (you do have to press the mic icon, or say Ok Google).