Why did the microphone disappear from my Android keyboard?

The microphone key can disappear for two reasons. Either voice typing has been switched off in your keyboard's settings, or a switch on the keyboard's toolbar is hiding the key. Both are settings changes that you can check yourself. The guides we read do not measure which cause is most common, so check them in the order below rather than guessing.

Voice typing switched off hides or disables the key

On Gboard, Google's keyboard, voice typing works by tapping a text field and then tapping the microphone at the top of the keyboard. Google says to speak when you see the "Speak now" prompt ¹. If the key has gone, voice typing being switched off is one likely cause. Guiding Tech says that if voice typing is disabled in Gboard, you cannot use its voice-to-text feature ².

The menu path is in the step-by-step guide to fixing Android voice typing. In short, open the Gboard settings from the keyboard toolbar, tap Voice typing, and make sure its switch is on. Then return to a text field and look at the top of the keyboard again.

On a Samsung phone, a toolbar switch can hide the microphone

Samsung's own keyboard has a different layout. Samsung's US support page says to tap the microphone icon on the keyboard toolbar to start voice input ³. The same page says you can switch off the Samsung Keyboard toolbar ⁴. Samsung does not say that this hides the microphone, but its page places the microphone icon on that toolbar, so turning the toolbar off may hide the key.

So if the key has vanished on a Galaxy phone, look for the toolbar switch first. The Samsung guide to talk to text covers the menu steps on Galaxy phones.

A different keyboard can have its microphone somewhere else

Samsung says Galaxy phones and tablets have two built-in voice-to-text apps, Samsung voice input and Google Voice Typing ⁵. It also says Samsung voice input works only with the Samsung Keyboard ⁶.

This explains one case. If you installed a different keyboard, such as Gboard on a Samsung phone, the Samsung voice input key will not appear there. The keyboard you are typing with decides where the microphone sits. A third-party keyboard has its own key, and that key may not match the steps in any guide. Confirm which keyboard you are typing with before you change anything else.

Battery saving and an outdated keyboard can stop voice typing

Two less obvious causes come after the settings. Make Tech Easier says battery-saving modes on a phone can restrict Gboard's voice typing feature, and it advises turning them off to test ⁷. Turn battery saving off for a moment, then check whether voice typing returns.

If it does not, update the keyboard. Guiding Tech says to update Gboard by opening the Google Play Store, searching for Gboard and tapping Update ⁸. If the switch is not where these steps place it, look for the closest match on your phone.

What it depends on

The answer depends on which keyboard is active. Gboard puts the key at the top of the keyboard, while Samsung's key sits on the toolbar, which a switch can turn off. If a label on your phone reads differently from the steps above, look for the closest match before deciding a setting is missing.

What to do, in order

1. Check that the key's keyboard is the one you are typing with.
2. On Gboard, open Voice typing in its settings and turn the switch on. On a Galaxy phone, check the Keyboard toolbar switch.
3. Turn off battery saving for a moment and test again.
4. Update Gboard in the Play Store.
5. If the key is still missing, the next question to check is whether voice typing has been blocked by a permission. The question on the no permission error explains that case.

If the key is there but voice typing still fails, the answer is a different problem. For a voice command in the car, see the question on Android Auto voice commands. For the full set of causes, see the guide to fixing Android voice typing and our overview of dictation on phones and tablets.