GBoard - Speech to Text "Initializing" Issue...

[billykac]

For me and many members over at the GalaxyWatches subreddit, this is an issue that just doesn't go away.

With GBoard installed, when you select to enter text by voice, the app goes into an "Initializing" fugue state, and does not recover. There are a number of "fixes" offered over at the subreddit. Every member that posts a fix eventually comes back to say "it doesn't work" over time - so I won't go into them here.

Has anyone here remedied this issue in a way that works for more than an day? It appears that this is simply bad code from Google and we probably need to wait for a real fix.

In the meantime, I am using Samsung's voice to text which is actually very accurate - and very fast. But, the swipe text entry of GBoard is sorely missed.

 

[mlblack16]

For me and many members over at the GalaxyWatches subreddit, this is an issue that just doesn't go away.

With GBoard installed, when you select to enter text by voice, the app goes into an "Initializing" fugue state, and does not recover. There are a number of "fixes" offered over at the subreddit. Every member that posts a fix eventually comes back to say "it doesn't work" over time - so I won't go into them here.

Has anyone here remedied this issue in a way that works for more than an day? It appears that this is simply bad code from Google and we probably need to wait for a real fix.

In the meantime, I am using Samsung's voice to text which is actually very accurate - and very fast. But, the swipe text entry of GBoard is sorely missed.

It works for me, although I frequently have delays with that toast notification. I also have the Google Messages Wear OS app installed on my watch if that makes any difference. Sometimes I have to back out of the attempt to do speech to text and then reenter and it will work.

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

It stopped working for me after turning off one of the anonymous reporting settings. Turned it back on and it's worked fine since.

 

[billykac]

It works for me, although I frequently have delays with that toast notification. I also have the Google Messages Wear OS app installed on my watch if that makes any difference. Sometimes I have to back out of the attempt to do speech to text and then reenter and it will work.

Interesting. Good to hear it works for you. I've also got Google Messages installed, still, no dice for me, and many other GW4 owners posting over on Reddit.

 

[billykac]

It stopped working for me after turning off one of the anonymous reporting settings. Turned it back on and it's worked fine since.

Also interesting - haven't heard this one. I've had all anonymous reporting turned on from day one. Maybe it's turning them off then on? Who knows.

As I mentioned above, there are lots of people with this issue, so Google did not test this function well!

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

It is possible that it's a coincidence and I've just been lucky lol.

I also have the TTS engine set to Google, that might help.

 

[mlblack16]

Also interesting - haven't heard this one. I've had all anonymous reporting turned on from day one. Maybe it's turning them off then on? Who knows.

As I mentioned above, there are lots of people with this issue, so Google did not test this function well!

Are you using Bixby on the GW? As far as I can tell, I've tried to avoid letting Bixby run in any way, shape or form.

I'm amazed how the hell these companies don't run into the same problems in their beta testing, especially considering this is one of the selling points of Samsung partnering with Google.

 

[billykac]

It is possible that it's a coincidence and I've just been lucky lol.

I also have the TTS engine set to Google, that might help.

I'll look into that. Got a few minutes this afternoon to explore this issue.
Thanks!

 

[billykac]

Are you using Bixby on the GW? As far as I can tell, I've tried to avoid letting Bixby run in any way, shape or form.

I'm amazed how the hell these companies don't run into the same problems in their beta testing, especially considering this is one of the selling points of Samsung partnering with Google.

Yes - I am using Bixby on my watch, at least I set it up that way. I typically run in the opposite direction from Bixby on other devices, but I watched a compelling YouTube about a month ago touting the evolution of Bixby and how it works on the watch, so I decided to go over to the other side and give it a try.

Maybe this problem has to do with that?

I am also amazed at the lack of testing. I've been in the sw business for nearly 40 years now and dev teams I worked on and led live/die by testing - manual and automated via DevOps. Then, I look at my phone, my watch and recently watch face apps (OMG - don't look!) and it seems that testing is an after thought, or left to the customer altogether.

 

[billykac]

It works for me, although I frequently have delays with that toast notification. I also have the Google Messages Wear OS app installed on my watch if that makes any difference. Sometimes I have to back out of the attempt to do speech to text and then reenter and it will work.

Hey - just checking back on this message.

Are you saying "Google Messages and the "Google Wear OS" apps - as two distinct things - as they are actually. Or do you mean the Google Messages app for Wear OS. If you have the Google Wear OS app installed, that's something I don't have presently.

 

[mlblack16]

Hey - just checking back on this message.

Are you saying "Google Messages and the "Google Wear OS" apps - as two distinct things - as they are actually. Or do you mean the Google Messages app for Wear OS. If you have the Google Wear OS app installed, that's something I don't have presently.

Yes, I'm referring to the smartwatch app Google Messages being installed on the GW4 and defaults (as many as you can find) set to Gboard and Google. It's available in the Play Store - should be a drop down to also install on your GW.

 

[billykac]

Yes, I'm referring to the smartwatch app Google Messages being installed on the GW4 and defaults (as many as you can find) set to Gboard and Google. It's available in the Play Store - should be a drop down to also install on your GW.

Gotcha. Yes - I installed that on Day 1. I use Google Messages on my Samsung S10+ as well.

 

[billykac]

I reinstalled GBoard last night and made it the default input keyboard. Also made Google the preferred TTS.
As of this am, it was still working. Yay!

But then I tested it with the most reported thing that breaks it - a restart.

Yup, sure enough, no more GBoard voice to text. This is the most frequently reported way to break this software. Toggling BT and Wifi does nothing. It's 5 minutes later and my watch just says "Initializing".

Needs a fix!
C'mon Google!

 

[billykac]

Thanks to Zeromph on XDA, here's a work-around until Google fixes their broken code...

On the watch, go to Settings -> Privacy -> Permission Manager -> Microphone -> Gboard -> choose "Ask every time".​

​

Then trigger Gboard by composing a message in a relevant app (i.e., Messages etc). Click on the voice typing icon. You should get -- "Allow Gboard to record audio?" -> pick "While using the app"​

This works reliably.

 

[mlblack16]

Thanks to Zeromph on XDA, here's a work-around until Google fixes their broken code...

On the watch, go to Settings -> Privacy -> Permission Manager -> Microphone -> Gboard -> choose "Ask every time".​

​

Then trigger Gboard by composing a message in a relevant app (i.e., Messages etc). Click on the voice typing icon. You should get -- "Allow Gboard to record audio?" -> pick "While using the app"​

This works reliably.

Awesome find! Mine will crash on first attempt but then I tap the microphone again and it works flawlessly. This is weird. I have the 46mm Classic, BT version.

 

[Vanessalf]

I don't like using Gboard since the August update. It was messing up waaay too much!
When I said "Yucca" it typed "Wicca."
When I said "cut the keys" it types "cut the cheese."
When I said "corn" it types "porn."
Here is a link to what one person describes: well, android central thought the link was spam.

After the August update Google Voice Typing was terrible. I noticed the circle had changed from teal to blue.
After trying a lot of suggestions this one has worked for me and it's worked for 5 days now.
Go to Google and uninstall updates.
Then uninstall Google Play Store.
I know, I know you'll be without it but it's the only thing that has worked long time for me.
I now have the teal colored circle and Google understands me again.
I had noticed after the August update something funny about Google Voice Typing but no one was saying anything on the internet.
I hope this helps for now.

 

[Rose4uKY]

Mine started back up again yesterday all day it kept saying intializing.

 

[billykac]

Hey Rose,
Did you do a reboot just before seeing this issue again?

 

[Rose4uKY]

Hey Rose,
Did you do a reboot just before seeing this issue again?

No I haven't guess I should reboot

 

[billykac]

Rose,
It's actually re-booting that starts the broken behavior all over again!
The process above needs to be after every re-boot - if you want to use Google's Voice to Text.

It still reliably works for me.
Hope it works for you too!