Why is the voice input button missing on Samsung Keyboard?

On a Galaxy phone, the voice microphone for Samsung voice input sits on the Samsung Keyboard toolbar. ¹ If it is missing, one cause is that the toolbar is hidden, because Samsung provides a switch that turns the toolbar off. ² Turn the toolbar back on, and the microphone should return. If it does not, work through the other causes below.

Samsung's pages do not say where the button appears on every One UI version. The steps here are the ones Samsung describes, plus the reports that other users have posted, which we label as such.

A hidden toolbar is the first cause to check

Samsung says that turning off the switch next to Keyboard toolbar makes the toolbar disappear. ² The toolbar also holds Emojis, Stickers, GIFs and Settings, and Voice Input. ³ From the keyboard, a hidden toolbar and a missing microphone look the same, so check the toolbar before anything else.

To bring the toolbar back, open Settings, search for Samsung Keyboard, and tap the switch again. ⁴ Look for the switch by its name, not its position, because menu labels can differ between models and software versions.

A different keyboard removes Samsung voice input

Samsung voice input works only with Samsung Keyboard. ⁵ If you type in Gboard or another keyboard, Samsung's microphone is not there, and that is expected behavior, not a fault. Switch to Samsung Keyboard in your keyboard list, then check the toolbar again. If you prefer a different engine, the choice is under the Samsung Keyboard settings, which we cover in the guide to talk to text on Samsung Galaxy.

The navigation bar switch can also hide the button

Samsung's setup steps include a switch named Keyboard button on navigation bar. It sits on the same screen as the switch for Google Voice Typing. ⁶ Samsung's pages present it as part of voice input setup, but they do not say it controls the microphone on every model.

Some users have posted that the microphone disappeared after a One UI update and came back once this switch was turned on. These are individual reports, not Samsung guidance, so test it: turn the switch on, then open a text field and look again. If the microphone was already showing, this switch is not your cause.

Tablets with a hardware key move the button, and kiosk mode can hide it

On tablets, Samsung's enterprise documentation says that from One UI 6.1, the voice input button moved to the toolbar on devices with a hardware key. ⁷ In lock task mode, which locks a device to a set of apps, Samsung says the toolbar is disabled by default, so the button is hidden. ⁸

That case usually applies to a device an organization manages. A personal Galaxy phone in everyday use is unlikely to be in lock task mode, so start with the toolbar and the other steps first.

What to do, in order

1. Make sure Samsung Keyboard is the active keyboard.
2. Open Settings, search for Samsung Keyboard, and turn on the Keyboard toolbar switch.
3. Check the Keyboard button on navigation bar switch in the voice input setup.
4. Open any text field, such as a message, and look for the microphone on the toolbar.
5. If it still does not appear, check which engine is selected under Voice input, then read our question on why talk to text is not working on Samsung.

Where to read more

This question is part of our guide to talk to text on Samsung Galaxy, which sits in our overview of dictation on phones and tablets. For the Samsung engine itself, see the Samsung voice input glossary entry. For the Google alternative, read Google Voice Typing and our question on whether Samsung voice input or Google Voice Typing is better. If you use a Pixel or a different Android phone, the steps are in our guide to voice typing on Android.