Where is voice typing on Android?

On most Android phones, voice typing is the microphone key at the top of the keyboard. On most phones that keyboard is Gboard, Google's keyboard app. Tap a text field, tap Microphone, and speak when you see Speak now ¹. The key is the same in every app where you can type ², so Gmail, a note or a search box all work the same way.

Voice typing is the microphone key at the top of the Gboard keyboard

Gboard's voice typing works in any app where you can type. Google's example apps are Gmail and Keep ². Samsung describes its built-in tools as voice-to-text apps ³.

To test the key, open a note, tap the text field, and look at the top of the keyboard. Tap Microphone and say one short sentence. If the words appear in the field, the key works in that app. If the key is missing, the keyboard you are using is probably not Gboard, which the next section covers.

Check the keyboard first, because Samsung phones can use a different one

If you type with Gboard, use its microphone key. Samsung Galaxy phones have a different setup. Samsung says its two built-in voice-to-text apps are Samsung voice input and Google Voice Typing, and that Samsung voice input works only with the Samsung Keyboard ³.

To turn on Google Voice Typing on a Galaxy phone, tap the switch next to its name in the keyboard settings ⁴. Menu names vary by phone model and software version, so the screens on your own phone are the final check. If you use the Samsung Keyboard, its voice input is the tool to look for.

The first tap asks for microphone permission

The first time you tap Microphone, Android asks for permission to record. The three choices are While using app, Only this time and Don't allow ⁵. While using app allows recording any time you use the app. Only this time allows it once. Don't allow stops voice recording, so the microphone key appears to do nothing. If that happens, check this choice before you look anywhere else.

Some Pixel phones use Advanced voice typing

Google's Gboard help says that on some Pixel devices, you type with your voice by using Advanced voice typing ⁶. We could not open Google's separate page on that feature, so we cannot say which Pixel models it covers. Check your phone's settings to see which voice feature it uses.

Pixel phones also have a history of their own voice-to-text system. In 2021, Google released a new version of voice-to-text on Android that was exclusive to the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro ⁷. The question on dictating punctuation covers how those phones add marks as you speak.

Older Android versions can miss some steps

Google says that some of the Gboard voice typing steps work only on Android 7.0 and later ⁸. If your phone runs an older version, the microphone key may be missing or the steps may differ. Check your Android version in the phone's settings before you spend time on the other fixes.

Where to go next

For the full set of steps, see the guide to voice typing on Android. For Samsung's setup in more depth, see talk to text on Samsung Galaxy. If the key is missing or voice typing stops working, the guide to fixing voice typing on Android walks through the checks in order. For the commands you can say, see the question on Gboard voice typing commands. The glossary entry for voice typing explains the term.