Is Voice Access really this bad, or is my phone haunted?
if youre unfamiliar, its an accessibility app made by google, for controlling your phone with your voice. this is different to the “OK google” thing.
I’m disabled, and I avoided owning a phone for many years because they’re so painful to use. but this year I finally had to get one, so I got a samsung s10e. but this voice access app is just... terrible? its really buggy, struggles to understand me way worse than Talon (a PC voice control program), and loves to do things I don’t tell it to.
it also doesn’t even make my phone fully accessible, theres tons of gestures it just can’t do, and I can’t add custom ones.
basically... am I doing something wrong? is there some trick I don’t know about? or is android accessibility really this bad? is there anything I can do?
is that the case even with a mic plugged in? I get similarly bad results with an external mic (though I haven’t tested a high end one, still saving for an upgrade)
unfortunately this phone is about as good as I could afford, I’m living well under the poverty line and $200 AUD (what I paid for the s10e, got it used with some scratches) is a big deal lol
Oh, you're also Australian. Yeah that explains part of a potential accent understanding problem then. I never tried with an external mic, but even in a very quiet room it wasn't always 100%. I found that the "Use verbs" setting was helpful to address some of that, because it limits the potential dictionary matching results. If you know you have shonky WiFi too, that can play a part.
Also, make sure in your phone settings under "General Management" then "Keyboard list and default" that you have set your Google Voice Typing language to Australian. I still have to be real slow and deliberate, but it's a bit better.
No worries on the expensive part, I hear you. It's shameful that the support for assistive tech on Android cuts off at about the point that the people who need it can afford it.
ill give those tips a try, thank you!!
I’ve had a lifetime of being on the shit end of the stick when it comes to “why can’t the person who needs X get it”, it really sucks. like “just buy an iphone” is what I was told asking around elsewhere and like... my guy, an iphone is basically a month of my income (before spending a cent on rent, bills, food...)
I just hope that bad things happen to the people who uphold the oppressive systems that keep me down. thats all :)
I hear you. DSP does not pay anywhere near enough, especially with how much medical stuff costs these days and close to no bulk-billing doctors left. And physical stuff like even basic switches are ridiculously expensive, even more with the NDIS rorting companies are doing. Assistive tech physical and socio-economic accessibility is something I've been
angry aboutthinking a lot about lately.looks into camera dramatically yeah DSP money sucks, good thing I can’t get it :)
I’m in the jobseeker hell until I get an assessment redone, which is an “indefinite wait plus at least a year” away. which is fine, its not like my wheelchair is half as old as I am or anything
Ugh, I am so sorry, even if I'm not at all shocked to hear that. Our society treats people shamefully, even if it's still much better than many other places.