Glossary
Google voice typing
Google voice typing is the speech-to-text input that Google provides on Android, so you can speak words into a text field. Its name and location vary by phone: Gboard shows a microphone key, while Samsung Galaxy phones list Google Voice Typing next to their own voice input.
Updated October 17, 20264 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called Google voice input.
Google voice typing is the name Google uses for speech-to-text input on Android. You may also see it called Google voice input. It turns the words you say into text in the field you have open.
On Samsung Galaxy phones, Google Voice Typing is a separate choice
Samsung says Galaxy phones and tablets have two built-in voice-to-text apps, Samsung voice input and Google Voice Typing, and that Samsung voice input works only with the Samsung Keyboard 1. On a Galaxy phone you turn Google Voice Typing on with the switch next to its name in the keyboard settings 2. Our question on which of the two is better covers the trade-offs, and the guide on Samsung's talk to text covers the steps.
Google's engine is the one you choose on Android
Google's Play Store listing for Speech Recognition & Synthesis says you select it as your preferred voice input engine 3. That setting decides which Google engine your voice input uses, and the listing does not say which keyboards follow it. The engine is described in more detail on the page for Speech Services by Google.
Offline use depends on the language pack and the version
In February 2025, 9to5Google reported that Gboard for Android features offline voice typing on all devices 4. That report describes Gboard, not every Google voice input on every phone, so offline use depends on your version of Android and your Gboard update. Check the offline steps on your own phone before you rely on them somewhere with no signal.
Privacy depends on the app, not only the name
The word "Google" in the name does not tell you where the audio goes. Our questions on whether Google voice typing uses AI and whether it is HIPAA compliant cover these points separately. Read the privacy text for the keyboard or app you use, and do not assume that one answer covers every Google voice feature.
Related terms
- Gboard: Google's keyboard app, which has a microphone key for voice typing.
- Samsung voice input: the voice input built into the Samsung Keyboard.
- Speech Services by Google: the Google speech engine for speech-to-text and text-to-speech.
- Dictation: the general act of speaking words that software writes down.
- On-device speech recognition: recognition that runs on the phone rather than on a server.
Guides that cover it
Evidence
Every number on this page, with where it comes from. Open a fact to see the exact words in its source.
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Related terms
- Dictation and Voice to Text on iPhone and AndroidThe topic this term belongs to
- Allow Full AccessAllow Full Access is an iPhone setting that you switch on for a third-party keyboard before it can have open access, such as network access. Apple warns that a keyboard with this setting on is permitted to collect and transmit the text you type.
- GboardGboard is Google's keyboard app for Android and iPhone, and its microphone key turns speech into text in any app where you can type. On Android it can run speech recognition on the phone, while on iPhone the voice input is handled inside the Gboard app and sent to Google.
- Live CaptionsLive Captions is a feature that shows text for speech and audio as it happens, using the phone's own processing. Google calls it Live Caption on Pixel phones, and Apple calls it Live Captions on iPhone. It reads what others say, so it is the reverse of dictation.
- Live TranscribeLive Transcribe is a Google app for Android phones that turns the speech of people around you into captions as they talk. It helps you follow a conversation. It does not type your own words into a text field, which is what dictation does.
- Real-time text (RTT)Real-time text (RTT) is a way of sending text as it is typed, so the other person can read each word before the sender finishes. It is used in conversation by many deaf and hard of hearing people, and it has no send step like an ordinary text message. It is a typing channel, not a speech technology.
- Samsung voice inputSamsung voice input is the voice-to-text feature built into the Samsung Keyboard on Galaxy phones and tablets. It works only with that keyboard, so it is a separate choice from Google Voice Typing.
- Speech Services by GoogleSpeech Services by Google is the Android speech engine from Google that turns speech into text for other apps and reads on-screen text aloud. Google's Play Store listing now uses the title Speech Recognition & Synthesis, and reviews on that listing still call the app by the older name.
- Third-party keyboardA third-party keyboard is a keyboard app from a developer other than the phone's maker, which you install and switch to in place of the built-in keyboard. Apple calls the iPhone version a custom keyboard, and Apple's rules limit what it can do, such as network access and microphone use.
- Transcript Assist (Galaxy AI)Transcript Assist is a Samsung Galaxy AI feature that converts a saved recording in the Voice Recorder app into text. It works on select Galaxy models and needs a working internet connection. It transcribes recordings you already made, so it is not live dictation into a text field.
- Voice Access (Android)Voice Access (Android) is a Google feature that lets you operate an Android phone or tablet by speaking commands, such as opening an app or tapping a labelled item. Google built it for people who have difficulty using a touch screen. It is a control tool that can also enter text, and it is separate from Windows Voice Access on PCs.
- Voice message transcriptsA voice message transcript is written text of the words in an audio message, produced by the messaging app so you can read instead of listen. Apple, Google and WhatsApp each offer one, with different defaults and different privacy arrangements. It turns audio into text, the reverse of dictation.
Pages that use this term
- Dictation and Voice to Text on iPhone and AndroidTopic
- Best Dictation Apps for iPhone and AndroidGuide
- Voice Typing in WhatsApp and Messaging AppsGuide
- Offline Voice Typing on iPhone and AndroidGuide
- How do you see audio messages as text in iMessage and Google Messages?Question
- Is Samsung voice input or Google voice typing better?Question
- What is Speech Recognition and Synthesis from Google?Question
- What is the best free voice to text app for Android?Question
- Why is the voice input button missing on Samsung Keyboard?Question
- GboardGlossary
- Samsung voice inputGlossary
- Speech Services by GoogleGlossary