Android 4.1: How Many Voice Actions Have You Tried?
Many of us are still getting acquainted with our new Android 4.1 devices (Nexus 7 in particular) so when I stumbled upon a long list of voice commands for Android 4.1, I just had to share. You may be familiar with many of the standard voice commands, but with the introduction of Google Now, there’s a whole new library of “ask and answer” commands for you to experiment with.
Now I’m not going to take a single ounce of credit for these commands, it’s a large list that has been put together by various Android users and compiled into a post over IntoMobile I may add one or two of my own in here, but for the most part, these are either from user’s own experiences or Google’s own Nexus 7 Guidebook.
If you have any of your own, feel free to share them in the comments. Enjoy!
Productivity
Text “contact name” “message” — Sends a text message to the person in your contact list.
Email “contact name” “message” — Sends an email to the person in your contact list. Can be natural language, “Email John and tell him I’m heading home.”
Note to self “a note” — Will email a recording and the text of your note to your Gmail account.
Remind me to “task name” at “time” — Will add an alarm with the task name at the time requested. Only works with time, not dates.
Set alarm for “time” — Will add an alarm via the stock clock app or give you option of using 3rd party app if one is installed.
General Search
When was “name” born? — Searches for the birthdate of a famous person and reads it back.
When did “name” die? — Searches for the date that a famous person died and reads it back.
What is “object”? — Searches and reads back information about the item.
Define “word” — Searches and reads back a definition.
Show pictures of “item” — Shows pictures of requested item
Stock “company” — Shows and reads the stock details for a company.
What is the stock price of “company”? — Shows and reads the stock details for a company.
Who is the CEO of “company”? — Reads the name and shows his/her picture.
Music and Entertainment
Tell me show times for the “movie” — Pulls up movie listings for your local theater.
Play
Who directed “movie name”? — Reads back the name of the director and shows his/her picture.
What movie was “actor/actress name” in? — Reads back a short list of movies and shows his/her picture.
When was “movie name” released? — Reads back the date a movie was released with a picture of the movie.
Web
Browse to “website” — Shows a screenshot of the website and then opens it in Chrome. Needs the tldr like .com or .net.
Open “website” — Shows a screenshot of the website and then opens it in Chrome. Needs the tldr like .com or .net.
Location/Maps
Where is the closest “storename”? — Shows location on a map with an option to get directions via Google Maps.
Directions to “place name” – Shows location on a map with an option to get directions via Google Maps.
Navigate to “place name” – Shows location on a map with an option to get turn-by-turn directions via Google Maps.
Nearest “place” — Shows location on a map with an option to get directions via Google Maps.
What time is it in “city/state/country”? – Reads back the local time in the location.
What is the date in “city/state/country”? – Reads back the date in the location.
What language is spoken in ? – Reads back the language in the location.
What is the currency of “country”? – Reads back the currency with the conversion to USD.
What is the National Anthem of “country”? — Reads back the National Anthem in the location.
What is the capital of ? — Reads back the capital’s name in the location.
What is the state bird of “state”? — Reads back the bird name in the location.
What is the population of “city/state/country” ? — Shows the population statistics of a location.
What does “country’s” flag look like? – Shows an image of the flag.
Sports
Does the “team name” play today? — Reads back the game time and opponent.
How tall is “sports star”? — Reads back his/her height and shows picture.
How much does weigh? – Reads back his/her weight and shows picture.
When is the “sporting event”? — Reads back the event date and time, if applicable.
When is the next baseball game? — Will show search results with the MLB schedule for the day at the top. May work for other sports when they are in season.
Baseball schedule — Will show search results with the MLB schedule for the day at the top. May work for other sports when they are in season.
Time and Date
When is daylight savings? — Reads back the local date and time when daylight savings begins and ends.
When does “season” start? — Reads back the local time that the season (spring, summer, fall, winter) will start.
When is “sundown”? — Reads back the local time that the sun will set.
When is “sunrise”? — Reads back the local time that the sun will rise.
When is “holiday”? — Reads back the local date and time of the holiday.
What time zone is “state/country” in? – Reads back the time zone of the state/country.
Weather
What is the weather “today/ tomorrow/ specific day”? — Reads back and displays local weather information for specified day.
What is the weather “today/ tomorrow/ specific day” in “location”? — Reads back and displays local weather information for that location on the specified day.
Do I need an umbrella “today/ tomorrow/ specific day”? – Responds yes or no about rain and displays local weather information for the specified day.
Do I need an umbrella “today/ tomorrow/ specific day” in “location”? – Responds yes or no about rain and displays weather information for that location on the specified day.
Do I need a jacket
Do I need a jacket “today/ tomorrow/ specific day” in “location”? — Reads back the temperature and displays weather information for that location on the specified day.
Other
What is “math problem”? — Shows the answer with a calculator. You can ask “What is 1500 + 279?” or “What is the square root of 925?”
What is “conversion”? — Shows the answer with an option to open the online converter. You can ask “What is 5 inches in centimeters?” or “What is 87 degrees Fahrenheit in Celsius?”
What is “currency conversion”? –Reads back and shows the answer with an option to open the online converter at the bottom of the screen. You can say “What is 10 Euros in US Dollars?”
Flight “airline” “flight number” – Give you flight information pertaining to your search.
Translate to “language”
Pictures of _______ – Performs image search
Fun
Do a Barrel Roll
What’s the Meaning of Life, the universe, and everything?
I’m hungry.
What’s my name?
Who founded Apple? – It’s the voice answer that’s funny
