No voice input available

[AndroidNewby]

I have a Lenovo 8inch Tab 4 tablet. When I'm typing, the microphone symbol sometimes shows (not always) but even when it does, I can't get into voice input. If I touch the microphone symbol, I see a blue line run across the top of the keyboard, but then it sits waiting for keyboard input.
Have I mistakenly switched off an option? If so, which one?
Can anyone help to get voice input working, please?
Thanks
AndroidNewbie

PS : The keyboard in use is GBoard

 

[mustang7757]

I have a Lenovo 8inch Tab 4 tablet. When I'm typing, the microphone symbol sometimes shows (not always) but even when it does, I can't get into voice input. If I touch the microphone symbol, I see a blue line run across the top of the keyboard, but then it sits waiting for keyboard input.
Have I mistakenly switched off an option? If so, which one?
Can anyone help to get voice input working, please?
Thanks
AndroidNewbie

PS : The keyboard in use is GBoard

Can try clearing cache and force stopping the Gboard

 

[B. Diddy]

Go to Settings>Apps, select Gboard, then Permissions, and make sure it has Microphone permission.

 

[AndroidNewby]

Hello. Please accept my apologies for delay in replying. Tried mustang7757's solution on the Lenovo tablet but it didn't work. Tried it on my Motorola G5S phone (which was suffering from the same problem) and it DID work. So voice input now working on my phone.
However, still no voice on the tablet. Then tried B.Diddy's solution. Found that GBoard did not have microphone permission, so set that, cleared cache and force stopping. No joy - still no voice input on the Tablet.
I can't uninstall GBoard and try again; it appears to be protected somehow and the uninstall option is not available. When I touch the microphone icon, I see the word 'Initializing' but it just clears and does nothing.
Would trying another keyboard help and, if so, which one should I try, please?
This problem is infuriating; I am trying to learn Spanish and I want to dictate my answers to the questions such as 'what does this phrase mean?', so with no voice input, I have to type all my answers - and the keyboard keeps putting in the wrong letters. Not good for my stress levels!
Thanks for help so far
AndroidNewby

 

[B. Diddy]

Open Gboard, go to its settings, then Voice Typing. Is the toggle there turned on?

 

[mustang7757]

Hello. Please accept my apologies for delay in replying. Tried mustang7757's solution on the Lenovo tablet but it didn't work. Tried it on my Motorola G5S phone (which was suffering from the same problem) and it DID work. So voice input now working on my phone.
However, still no voice on the tablet. Then tried B.Diddy's solution. Found that GBoard did not have microphone permission, so set that, cleared cache and force stopping. No joy - still no voice input on the Tablet.
I can't uninstall GBoard and try again; it appears to be protected somehow and the uninstall option is not available. When I touch the microphone icon, I see the word 'Initializing' but it just clears and does nothing.
Would trying another keyboard help and, if so, which one should I try, please?
This problem is infuriating; I am trying to learn Spanish and I want to dictate my answers to the questions such as 'what does this phrase mean?', so with no voice input, I have to type all my answers - and the keyboard keeps putting in the wrong letters. Not good for my stress levels!
Thanks for help so far
AndroidNewby

After b.diddy suggestion, try going into settings reset app preference see if that helps .

 

[AndroidNewby]

Hello, everyone
Problem solved! I hope this posting will help others fix a lack of voice input. I couldn't get these suggestions to get voice input to spring into life, so I Googled for Android Voice Input; apparently lack of this is a frequent problem. In my case, it all came down to the Google app being disabled on my tablet. I had disabled it because a) I couldn't see why I needed this app and b) it also gives itself a lot of permissions. So I disabled it. However, it seems that somehow the Gboard keyboard uses the Google app to provide voice processing capability. I enabled the Google app and lo - voice input works by touching the microphone icon on the Gboard keyboard.
Hope this helps others.
Thanks for your efforts - much appreciated.
AndroidNewbie

 

[methodman89]

I have a Lenovo 8inch Tab 4 tablet. When I'm typing, the microphone symbol sometimes shows (not always) but even when it does, I can't get into voice input. If I touch the microphone symbol, I see a blue line run across the top of the keyboard, but then it sits waiting for keyboard input.
Have I mistakenly switched off an option? If so, which one?
Can anyone help to get voice input working, please?
Thanks
AndroidNewbie

PS : The keyboard in use is GBoard

Hello, everyone
Problem solved! I hope this posting will help others fix a lack of voice input. I couldn't get these suggestions to get voice input to spring into life, so I Googled for Android Voice Input; apparently lack of this is a frequent problem. In my case, it all came down to the Google app being disabled on my tablet. I had disabled it because a) I couldn't see why I needed this app and b) it also gives itself a lot of permissions. So I disabled it. However, it seems that somehow the Gboard keyboard uses the Google app to provide voice processing capability. I enabled the Google app and lo - voice input works by touching the microphone icon on the Gboard keyboard.
Hope this helps others.
Thanks for your efforts - much appreciated.
AndroidNewbie

Did you switch off an option? Heck, you stopped the Google app entirely and then don't mention it till you 'solve' a problem? There was no problem.
Let me put my phone on dnd, not mention it, then complain about no notifications. SMH
P. S. OP, don't take this personally

 

[AndroidNewby]

I fail to understand your posting. Why on earth should I assume that the Google app is connected to my Gboard keyboard? I have no idea what the Google app does and I didn't want it. I haven't missed it until I wanted voice input from the keyboard. If it's so crucial to interworking between apps, as an ex-programmer I would have expected a warning when trying to use voice input e.g. voice input requires Google app to be enabled.
If you like I'll change my handle from AndroidNewbie to AndroidNumpty - will that satisfy you?
AndroidNewby

 

[mustang7757]

Hello, everyone
Problem solved! I hope this posting will help others fix a lack of voice input. I couldn't get these suggestions to get voice input to spring into life, so I Googled for Android Voice Input; apparently lack of this is a frequent problem. In my case, it all came down to the Google app being disabled on my tablet. I had disabled it because a) I couldn't see why I needed this app and b) it also gives itself a lot of permissions. So I disabled it. However, it seems that somehow the Gboard keyboard uses the Google app to provide voice processing capability. I enabled the Google app and lo - voice input works by touching the microphone icon on the Gboard keyboard.
Hope this helps others.
Thanks for your efforts - much appreciated.
AndroidNewbie

Thanks for posting the fix

 

[B. Diddy]

Hello, everyone
Problem solved! I hope this posting will help others fix a lack of voice input. I couldn't get these suggestions to get voice input to spring into life, so I Googled for Android Voice Input; apparently lack of this is a frequent problem. In my case, it all came down to the Google app being disabled on my tablet. I had disabled it because a) I couldn't see why I needed this app and b) it also gives itself a lot of permissions. So I disabled it. However, it seems that somehow the Gboard keyboard uses the Google app to provide voice processing capability. I enabled the Google app and lo - voice input works by touching the microphone icon on the Gboard keyboard.
Hope this helps others.
Thanks for your efforts - much appreciated.
AndroidNewbie

Yeah, it can be a bit confusing as to what the Google app has its tendrils into. Chrome, too, since it took over the Android System Webview function starting with Nougat. You can sometimes tell when these apps are being updated through the Play Store -- what you're currently doing might suddenly stop, since one of those apps had to stop as well during the update process.

 

[methodman89]

"Have I mistakenly switched off an option? If so, which one?"

This would have been a good time to mention that you disabled the Google app.
Have a good day.