Why Voice Typing Isn't Working on Your Android

Activating Voice Typing on Android

Open your keyboard. Do this by opening anything that pulls up your keyboard, like a text message, a conversation in Messenger, or an email. This is the first part to enable voice typing for many Android users. If you already have Voice typing enabled, skip to the next section.

Press and hold the comma , and select Android 7 Settings. The comma is in the bottom left corner of your phone's keyboard and holding it down for more than a second will prompt a keyboard menu to open. Tapping the gear icon opens Settings.

Tap Voice typing. It's next to an icon of a microphone.

Tap the toggle next to "Use voice typing" to turn it on. It'll be colored and pointing to the right when the feature is enabled. If you're using more than the default keyboard, you most likely have to continue on to make sure it has the right permissions enabled to use the microphone.

Allowing Microphone Permissions on Android

Open Settings. Tap the app icon that features a gear on it, or swipe down from the top of the screen to open the Quick Settings panel, and tap the gear icon. You need to do this as well as the first section to enable voice typing and give the app permission to use the microphone. Follow these steps if you're using a third-party keyboard like Gboard or SwiftKey. The wording in the Settings menu may vary depending on your phone's manufacturer, but the steps are similar enough that any Android can follow along.

Tap Apps. You'll see this next to a grid icon.

Tap the name of your keyboard. You can browse the alphabetical list or use the search bar at the top to search for your app quickly.

Tap Permissions. This opens the "App permissions" page.

Tap Microphone. It's next to an icon of a microphone.

Tap Allow only while using the app. It's the first option on the menu and will now allow you to tap the microphone button and use voice typing on your keyboard.

Troubleshooting No Permissions Error

Clear Gboard's app cache. The cache might be corrupted if you still can't use voice typing after enabling voice-to-text and microphone permissions. To do this, go to Settings > Apps > Gboard > Storage and tap Clear cache. Try this even using another keyboard app like SwiftKey.

Update your app. Most apps update automatically, but you can also manually update them. To update manually, find your app on the Google Play Store, then tap Update if you see it.