Using Voice Control in iOS 13 to Operate an iPhone Hands-Free

 As an accessibility alternative, Apple has introduced a Voice Control feature in iOS 13 designed for those who need to use their iPhones and iPads without their hands. It enables the operating system to be fully managed using voice commands.

Voice Control is intended for those who need an alternative to physical control, but also for those who can use their devices with their hands, it has the potential to be beneficial. To see Voice Control in motion, check out our new YouTube video below, and read on to see how to activate it and what it can do.


How to Enable Voice Control

Voice Control can be turned on in the Settings app by following these instructions:\

  1. 1.Open up the Settings app.
  2. 2.Scroll down to Accessibility and tap it.
  3. 3.Select the Voice Control option.
  4. 4.Tap on Set Up Voice Control.
The Voice Control setup screen will guide you through the various things your voice can do, ranging from opening apps and changing settings to pressing buttons and dictating and editing text.

After tapping on Set Up and checking out the various options, Voice Control will be toggled on.

What Voice Control Can Do

With Voice Control activated, there's a little microphone icon that's active and noticeable on the iPhone's display. When Voice Control is working, you don't need to invoke Siri or use some other kind of wake word to navigate the ‌iPhone‌.

Simple commands like "Open Settings" function to open up an app, and then you can manage by saying things like "Go Back." You do need to learn the basic commands for control, which can take some time. Selecting an object in the Settings app, for example , involves saying "Press Accessibility" rather than "Select" or "Choose."

Voice Control is a powerful tool and it can do almost anything that you can do with physical access. A sample list is below:

  • Swipe left, right, up, or down on the screen
  • Zoom, scroll, rotate, two finger tap, long press, pan up/down, double tap
  • Tap items on the screen
  • Open Control Center
  • Open Notification Center
  • Open third-party apps like Twitter
  • Start a new tweet, add text, and send the tweet
  • Show numbers (to add little numbers to items in a list)
  • Tap number (to tap one of the numbered items - you can also just say the number without tap)
  • Show grid (adds a grid to the screen with numbers so you can tap a specific spot on the screen)
  • Show names (displays app or item names)
  • Open Notes
  • Tap New Note
  • Select that/all/[specific phrase]
  • Copy [text]/Paste [text]
  • Drag and drop
  • Tap and hold
  • Type [phrase]
  • Go Home
  • Go back
  • Open ‌Siri‌
  • Search web for [phrase]
  • Go to sleep
  • Take screenshot
  • Reboot
  • Open Apple Pay
For items that would usually involve hand power, you may execute complex sequences inside apps. Here's an example sequence for Voice Control in the Messages app:
  1. 1.Open Messages
  2. 2.Tap [person's name]
  3. 3.Tap iMessage
  4. 4.Speak your text (whenever a keyboard is showing on the screen, whatever you speak will be typed in)
  5. 5.Tap emoji
  6. 6.Show numbers
  7. 7.Tap 25 (heart eyes emoji)
  8. 8.Tap Send
That's the whole Voice Control sequence to type a message and send it out to anyone with an included emoji. In cases where there are a lot of choices on the screen (such as the emoji list) and you need to select one, the 'Display numbers' command is super useful.

Here's a similar sequence in the Notes app, using voice commands:

  1. 1.Open Notes
  2. 2.Tap new Note
  3. 3.Speak your title
  4. 4.Tap return
  5. 5.Speak your text
  6. 6.Period

For editing in Notes:

  1. 1.Select [phrase]
  2. 2.Copy selection
  3. 3.Show grid
  4. 4.Tap number (where the cursor should be)
  5. 5.Paste that
  6. 6.Tap done
  7. 7.Go Home
There are plenty of Voice Control commands to work with, all of which can be seen by going to Settings > Usability > Voice Control > Customize Commands or just saying "Display Commands" when you turn on Voice Control. If you want to get more into using Voice Control, Apple also has a support document that is worth checking out.

It will take some time to learn all the necessary commands and then build custom commands that fill in the missing gaps required when it comes to power, but for those who need this feature, the effort will be well worth it.

Voice Control Options

There are several customization options for Voice Control, located in the Voice Control section of the Settings app as outlined above.

Custom commands can be generated, an activation phrase chosen, an action such as inserting text or running a shortcut, and an app to work with that custom phrase. Voice Control integrates with Shortcuts, which means for those who need to use it for most iPhone and iPad functions, it is highly customizable and extremely powerful.

For example , you can create a 'home address' option for inserting text customization that enters your home address whenever the phrase is spoken, which is useful for filling out forms.

You can teach new words to Voice Control through the "Vocabulary" section simply by tapping the "+" button and inserting a phrase that Voice Control can understand.

Confirmation settings, playing sounds when a command is recognised, and displaying usage hints can also be switched on or off, with the latter option being especially helpful for those new to Voice Control.

Availability

Voice Control is an iOS 13 feature found on iPhones and iPads, but for those who want to control their Macs with their voice, it's also available on MacOS Catalina.

People who can monitor their iPhones with their hands or other physical methods can find it difficult and tedious to use voice control, but it is an extremely effective and detailed choice for those with limited dexterity or mobility.



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