Android Phone Control When Using Handfree

[harryv]

Hi All,
I have just moved from iPhone to android (HTC One M7), and have had trouble sorting out how to do things handsfree on the phone . I'm sure it is quite easy to implement, given these things are just standard via siri on the iPhone.


Essentially, I want to be able to do a few vital things while wearing a wired headset, with the phone (unavailable) in my pocket.


1) make calls
2) read new txt message(s)
3) author a short txt message, have it read back to me, and send it
4) make a calendar entry


The following I would like to do also, but the are not essential:


5) open an app
6) turn the audio volume of the handsfree up or down (why isn't this just a simple hardware control on the handsfree like the iPhones?!?!)


Currently, by long pressing the handsfree button, Google Voice Search is activated. I can easily make a call using this service. I cant however read a txt msg or write one. Nor can I seem to figure out how to replace this Google Voice Search with some other personal assistant (Siri) like app so it is activated by the handsfrees long button press.


Can anyone give me some tips on how to make this phone functional for me?

Cheers Harry

 

[chanchan05]

I don't go HTC, since I prefer Samsung (double tap of home key activates S-Voice), but you can try Assistant by Speaktoit. It can be awakened by shaking the device a couple of times.

 

[harryv]

I don't go HTC, since I prefer Samsung (double tap of home key activates S-Voice), but you can try Assistant by Speaktoit. It can be awakened by shaking the device a couple of times.

When I'm working I am unable to touch my phone, so I have to activate anything by the talk button on the hands-free (like Siri)

I'm getting a bad feeling this swap to android wasn't a good idea!

 

[chanchan05]

Oh. Well Samsung's S Voice can also be activated by the talk button on the headset. I can't really add anything more since I use Samsung phones.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Is your handsfree headset made specifically for sn iPhone? I use Bluetooth stereo headphones by rocketfish Rocketfish Bluetooth High-Definition Stereo Headphones for Most Bluetooth-Enabled Devices Black RF-MAB2:Amazon:Electronics and the hardware controls work as advertised. Can you wear headphones at work?

 

[harryv]

Is your handsfree headset made specifically for sn iPhone? I use Bluetooth stereo headphones by rocketfish Rocketfish Bluetooth High-Definition Stereo Headphones for Most Bluetooth-Enabled Devices Black RF-MAB2:Amazon:Electronics and the hardware controls work as advertised. Can you wear headphones at work?

I have several wired hands-frees including Sennheiser and H2O Audio as I often need varying degrees of sweat and waterproofness... The volume control doesn't work with the HTC... So just getting something to do the above functions reliably for me with a long button press of the headset would be fantastic, or my venture to android is going to be very short lived!


Do u use them with a HTC one? As it certainly appears the HTC one does not support wired headset volume control... This just appears daft as how old is this technology?!?! Maybe u can via BT but unfortunately I am limited to wired headsets.

Anyway I can suck up the lack of volume control, although I'm sure there will be some voice activated app to do that for me - if only I could actually activate a useful app via a headset longpress????

 

[Stuntman]

I used to use VLingo on my old HTC Desire Z. I can activate it by pressing the button on my BT headset. It will make and answer calls as well as read out text messages and allow you to compose a text message via voice reco.

 

[SkyJackpot]

Hi All,
I have just moved from iPhone to android (HTC One M7), and have had trouble sorting out how to do things handsfree on the phone . I'm sure it is quite easy to implement, given these things are just standard via siri on the iPhone.


Essentially, I want to be able to do a few vital things while wearing a wired headset, with the phone (unavailable) in my pocket.


1) make calls
2) read new txt message(s)
3) author a short txt message, have it read back to me, and send it
4) make a calendar entry


The following I would like to do also, but the are not essential:


5) open an app
6) turn the audio volume of the handsfree up or down (why isn't this just a simple hardware control on the handsfree like the iPhones?!?!)


Currently, by long pressing the handsfree button, Google Voice Search is activated. I can easily make a call using this service. I cant however read a txt msg or write one. Nor can I seem to figure out how to replace this Google Voice Search with some other personal assistant (Siri) like app so it is activated by the handsfrees long button press.


Can anyone give me some tips on how to make this phone functional for me?

Cheers Harry

A program called Android Voice eXtreme (search for AVX in the Google Play store) does all you want and more. It is designed specifically for professional hands free operations for scenarios such as office or car use and such so you won't be able to ask the program general knowledge questions like what is the capital of Greece. For general knowledge questions you would need to use Google Now or something similar.

AVX feature set easily doubles or even triples the amount of functions you can use to operate your phone so it would be a great opportunity to capitalise on this to enable you to have a more productive and smooth handsfree life.

Messages can be read automatically on arrival or a special wake up command sent to AVX can be sent before asking AVX to read messages / calendar etc.

When you install AVX you will be given an extra option in the list of available programs to use when you long press the home button key on your Android device, to which AVX can then be selected as the default

 

[harryv]

A program called Android Voice eXtreme (search for AVX in the Google Play store) does all you want and more. It is designed specifically for professional hands free operations for scenarios such as office or car use and such so you won't be able to ask the program general knowledge questions like what is the capital of Greece. For general knowledge questions you would need to use Google Now or something similar.

AVX feature set easily doubles or even triples the amount of functions you can use to operate your phone so it would be a great opportunity to capitalise on this to enable you to have a more productive and smooth handsfree life.

Messages can be read automatically on arrival or a special wake up command sent to AVX can be sent before asking AVX to read messages / calendar etc.

When you install AVX you will be given an extra option in the list of available programs to use when you long press the home button key on your Android device, to which AVX can then be selected as the default

Thanks SJ for your suggestion.... AVX sounds perfect, as I don't want the fluffy extra bits, just functionality. I am just wondering if it will override Google search when I install it however...

 

[SkyJackpot]

Hi All,
I have just moved from iPhone to android (HTC One M7), and have had trouble sorting

1) make calls
2) read new txt message(s)
3) author a short txt message, have it read back to me, and send it
4) make a calendar entry

Cheers Harry

 

[harryv]

Thanks again SJ. AVX does everything I need. However there is a problem activating it with the hands free. On the htc one whenever you press the headset button google voice search is activated. I cannot seem to find a way to deactivate this or assign the hands free button to exclusively AVX. I can, however, ask google voice to open AVX, but then AVX cannot hear any of my commands through the headset. I am sure there must be a way around this problem.

 

[SkyJackpot]

Thanks again SJ. AVX does everything I need. However there is a problem activating it with the hands free. On the htc one whenever you press the headset button google voice search is activated. I cannot seem to find a way to deactivate this or assign the hands free button to exclusively AVX. I can, however, ask google voice to open AVX, but then AVX cannot hear any of my commands through the headset. I am sure there must be a way around this problem.

Go into your phone Settings and then open Application Manager and look in the All Applications category and scroll search for the Google Search application and click on it, and verify that "Launch by default" is set to Off. If it isn't, click the "Clear defaults" button.

 

[harryv]

Thanks SJ for your advice...
I've managed to disable google search to be the default app for a long press of the home/menu button. The reliability of AVX either being activated or accepting a voice command is patchy at best. Often a long press of the hands free will not evoke any action at all. Sometimes it will activate AVX but it will not accept a voice command (press too speak command never turns green). Interestingly, when this happens, a long press of the home/menu button on the HTC One fails to work either. The only fix is to reboot the phone and close all apps.

I have tried both the inbuilt google TTS engine, and the SVOX engine without any fix. I have also edited both the default and hands free profiles correctly to recognise the push to talk button on the hands free, without luck.

So in all, this app has the potential to meet my needs if I can get it working with the HTC One. Thanks for suggesting it. I will email the developer for a working solution. I might also have a look at Robin, as I only need basic functions, and maybe this might work ok.

Can I ask, what's the difference between AVX, EVA and Evan from the Bulletproof Dev?

 

[SkyJackpot]

Thanks SJ for your advice...
I've managed to disable google search to be the default app for a long press of the home/menu button. The reliability of AVX either being activated or accepting a voice command is patchy at best. Often a long press of the hands free will not evoke any action at all. Sometimes it will activate AVX but it will not accept a voice command (press too speak command never turns green). Interestingly, when this happens, a long press of the home/menu button on the HTC One fails to work either. The only fix is to reboot the phone and close all apps.

I have tried both the inbuilt google TTS engine, and the SVOX engine without any fix. I have also edited both the default and hands free profiles correctly to recognise the push to talk button on the hands free, without luck.

So in all, this app has the potential to meet my needs if I can get it working with the HTC One. Thanks for suggesting it. I will email the developer for a working solution. I might also have a look at Robin, as I only need basic functions, and maybe this might work ok.

Can I ask, what's the difference between AVX, EVA and Evan from the Bulletproof Dev?

Wow, that's really disappointing to hear, as it would be awesome to hear of another person to which the Android experience has enriched their life. For me this is the ultimate solution when I don't feel like taking the phone out or cooking etc, although I do sometimes have to say my name twice for it to recognise the wake up command when using it without a handsfree kit.

I hope you can find a solution as the opportunity is there to do new things you wouldn't have been able to do before enabling you to have a richer handsfree experience going forward in life, being more productive etc or just being more content if using it for leisure purposes.

If it is an issue with the HTC One and this program I hope the developer makes as fast progress in issuing a fix as he has made improving AVX.

 

[SkyJackpot]

Thanks SJ for your advice...
I've managed to disable google search to be the default app for a long press of the home/menu button. The reliability of AVX either being activated or accepting a voice command is patchy at best. Often a long press of the hands free will not evoke any action at all. Sometimes it will activate AVX but it will not accept a voice command (press too speak command never turns green). Interestingly, when this happens, a long press of the home/menu button on the HTC One fails to work either. The only fix is to reboot the phone and close all apps.

I have tried both the inbuilt google TTS engine, and the SVOX engine without any fix. I have also edited both the default and hands free profiles correctly to recognise the push to talk button on the hands free, without luck.

So in all, this app has the potential to meet my needs if I can get it working with the HTC One. Thanks for suggesting it. I will email the developer for a working solution. I might also have a look at Robin, as I only need basic functions, and maybe this might work ok.

Can I ask, what's the difference between AVX, EVA and Evan from the Bulletproof Dev?

AVX, EVA & EVAN are all the same program but with different user interfaces, presumably for people who feel more comfortable talking to and hearing from a man or woman, I really don't know.

It seems there is a problem with the compatibility of this program with the HTC One by looking at the comments on Google Play, and I hope the developer can familiarise himself with the HTC architecture with good speed to enable HTC users to be able to enjoy this program.

I wish you good luck with whichever program you find and use which is compatible with your HTC

 

[harryv]

Thanks SJ, guess it will just take time ironing out the nuances of the HTC One M7 interface...