Question How do I get the Microphone for Voice-to-text back?

[timsch75]

Moto G Play - 2023. The microphone that I could press to speak and have my voice translated into text for messaging has disappeared. I cannot find a settings option that brings it back. Google Voice Typing is turned on. On text messages, now I only have an icon that brings up voice recording, but attaches the audio recording, which is not what I want.

I'd prefer the default microphone to be returned, but if there are other options for voice-to-text, I'm fine with that. Any pointers are greatly appreciated.

 

[SpookDroid]

That depends on the keyboard app you're using. Most should have that in the keyboard settings for Layout, and usually if the dedicated button is not there, there should be another way to trigger it like a long press on the tab bar or dot.

 

[VidJunky]

What keyboard are you using?

Is this the same keyboard you were using when you had the voice to text option working?

Let us know if these instructions help. Please include answers to the questions in your reply.

Google Search

 

[timsch75]

The onscreen keyboards listed in Settings are Gboard & Google voice typing. GV typing shows English (US) as the language for the offline language. I usually am offline, but off or on, no microphone appears.

I never chose a keyboard to use; it's always been the default. This is a new phone for me but settings were transferred over from my older Moto G7 plus phone. I don't recall what keyboard app it used, but it did have the microphone and voice to text by default, which worked fine.

The other day, some change occurred with an update or something that caused an irritating situation that resulted in me turning off voice to text through some settings that I've not been able to find again to turn back on. I did a reset of that phone hoping it would set things back to default, but that failed. At that point, I got this new phone and transferred everything over, but it looks like the voice to text options i selected on the old phone were set on the new one.

I've tried multiple sites on how to enable VTT, all saying about the same thing, but with no success.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Can you show us a screenshot of what your keyboard looks like? If it looks like my screenshots, then try tapping the 4-square icon on the left of the top row, and see if the microphone icon is in the available buttons to add:

 

[timsch75]

Sure. Here's my texting screen.



And here's when I touch the three dots,



1st streen was w/ SMS since wifi was off. 2nd was WIFI on. No difference - no mic.

 

[VidJunky]

If your Gboard keyboard is missing the microphone icon, it's likely because voice typing is disabled or not properly configured. To resolve this, you need to ensure voice typing is enabled in Gboard's settings and that the app has microphone permissions.

Here's how to fix it:

1. 1. Enable Voice Typing in Gboard:
   
   • Open your phone's Settings.
   • Navigate to "System" > "Languages & input" > "Virtual keyboards" > "Gboard".
   • Tap on "Voice typing" and make sure the "Use voice typing" toggle is switched on.
   • If you have a suggestion strip, ensure "Show suggestion strip" is enabled, as the microphone icon may be part of that, according to a Reddit thread.
   • Go to your phone's Settings.
   • Tap on "Apps & notifications" or "Apps".
   • Find and tap on "Gboard".
   • Tap on "Permissions".
   • Ensure the "Microphone" permission is enabled.

By following these steps, you should be able to restore the microphone icon to your Gboard keyboard and utilize voice typing.

This video demonstrates how to find the missing microphone button on your Gboard for Android:
https://youtu.be/XK3DawSHFg0?si=zlZEgHkH-d0PcQpA

 

[SpookDroid]

Somehow your suggestions and voice input was disabled in GBoard (again, this is purely a Keyboard app issue, nothing to do with the messaging app). Since you can't access the Settings from the Keyboard, find "GBoard" in your app drawer and make sure 'Voice Typing' is enabled. Additionally check 'Text correction' if you want the suggestion bar to re-appear.

 

[B. Diddy]

You can typically bring up the settings icon by long-pressing the comma key as well.

 

[VidJunky]

You can typically bring up the settings icon by long-pressing the comma key as well.

Did not know this... thanks.

 

[timsch75]

Thank you so much, VidJunky. The Gboard permissions did not have microphone allowed. I changed that and now have the mic as I expected.

 

[amezD]

If the microphone icon for voice-to-text is missing, it’s usually because voice input is turned off or the keyboard app settings changed. First, check if your device’s microphone permission is enabled for the keyboard app you use (like Gboard or Samsung Keyboard). On Android, go to Settings → Apps → [Keyboard Name] → Permissions and make sure the mic is allowed. Also open your keyboard settings and turn on “Voice typing.” On iPhone, check Settings → General → Keyboard → Enable Dictation and turn it back on. Once you enable it, the mic icon should reappear on your keyboard.