True Hands-Free Driving and Bluetooth Voice Dialing is in Android 2.2

by Antonio Wells May 24, 2010 12:50 PM – 14 Comments

I’m so stoked the Android 2.2 software update started rolling out (for Nexus One owners only, plus you can manually install if you don’t want to wait). In checking out all the new features I accidentally stumbled across true hands-free Bluetooth voice activated dialing in native Froyo without a third party app (which is lacking in Android). This is great as many states govern you cannot operate the phone to start a call while driving but a one-hand one-touch initiation is acceptable.

How to Operate Hands-Free Driving via Bluetooth Voice Dialer in Android 2.2:

Simply press the button on your Bluetooth earpiece, the Bluetooth Voice Dialer app launches and asks you “Speak Now…”, you say “Call John Smith” and it calls the default number you’ve saved. You can also say “Call John Smith at Work” if you have multiple numbers stored. If the app doesn’t hear which number of many you may have stored, it asks which, then you can clarify and it dials. You do not need to touch the phone at all.

We have be getting a lot of inquiries on this issue in our “Ask NerdGirl” Android questions column and finally Google’s Android will be able to support it. So as more Android phones start to get the latest update, you Californians can be legal an safer!

Tags: Android 2.2, Android Bluetooth Driving Hands Free, Bluetooth Voice Dialer, Froyo, Hands-Free Driving

Categorised in: Android Advice, Apps Blog, News

14 Comments

By Todd on May 24, 2010 at 3:53 pm:

It’s about time. I wish there was a patch for 2.1 to fix this, but I guess I can wait for my Droid to get 2.2 (I just hope it is not too long!)

Reply
By Lucky on July 7, 2010 at 7:25 am:

This is excellent news. The lack of this capability has been the only reason why I haven’t purchased an Android phone. Thanks for publishing this.

Reply
By Dragos on August 25, 2010 at 10:01 am:

this is still insufficient as this voice recognicion system fits only the English language speakers. the old WM 6.1 and WM 6.5 voice dial contact/program audio tag are much more faster, easy to be used, bluetooth ready since my grandma was young. I am very upset about not having this option in Android. If you do not speak English you can not use it. More to the point, even if you are an English language speaker your contacts will be accordingly your native language. This is a lack of respect while this operating system is addressed to the entire world customers…
it was so simple, add a voice tag to the contact, press the voice dial assigned button, speak the tag and that’s it.

Reply
By JimStar on September 10, 2010 at 7:33 am:

It is an ugly voice dial app released by google.
I am not a native english speaker and it is useless for me and all my country – names in contacts are NOT in english.
Piece of shit, not a voice dial. Voice TAGS – THAT must be the case! Not such an ugly “recognition”.

Reply
- By bill on September 14, 2010 at 11:08 am:
  
  Thats the problem with foreigners just too damn idle to learn English so easier to just WINGE…..WINGE……….WINGE
  
  Reply
  - By Rzepczynski on September 18, 2010 at 6:07 am:
    
    Heck, why would we have to learn English? We are not all Americans. As you said we’re foreigners, we eat other food than burgers, we speak other languages and we have many other differences. It’s all these cultural differences that make the World so rich and interesting…
    
    Now on a technical note: you mean that for example we should be able to pronouce a name such as “Kareltje Hooijmaaijer” in an english’ized manner similar to what voice recognition will do? Or we should try to enter such names in our phonebooks with an english’ized spelling that would render how it’s correctly pronounced in our foreign language?
    
    Damn, good luck!…
    
    Btw, it always amuses me when english natives (foreigners in my point of view) try to pronouce my own name. They simply can’t
    
    I agree with JimStar: simple voice tags wouldn’t set to high a standard and would work in any country, for any language.
    
    Reply
    - By ahavoc on February 3, 2011 at 5:19 pm:
      
      The answer is to not look to App writers that speak English but to get app writers who are native in your country/language to write them.
      
      Reply
  - By eror on February 5, 2011 at 8:26 am:
    
    you do realise “Foreigners” built your mobile product. If you look under the battery you will find a nifty little “Made in China”. China is not a town somewhere in America. It is a country far away from you that makes most electronic products you encounter in your every day life, troll fag.
    
    Reply
  - By WMViking on March 29, 2011 at 8:24 am:
    
    Hmm…. bill.
    I have no problems with the English language. As a matter of fact, I prefer to have my various operating systems in English.
    But I have problems with all my contacts. I have asked them, but very few are willing to change their names to English names.
    I take your comment was ment as a joke. If not………………….
    
    I have been a happy user of WM for a long time. And, as others here have pointed out; it had an excellent solution with voice tags on the contacts. Very disappointing that Android has not come up with a similar solution.
    
    Reply
By James on September 21, 2010 at 5:01 pm:

This does not work with the HTC Desire in the UK.

Reply
By CatatonicBug on January 11, 2012 at 11:50 am:

I don’t see it on my new Galaxy S2. I long-press the BT answer button, and all it does is call the last person I dialed. No voice prompts, no Bluetooth Voice Dialer app.! What’s going on?? This was something that every phone since my original RAZR could do!

Reply
By Turtle Mother on April 25, 2012 at 1:33 am:

I have LGP500 phone with Android 2.2.1 (naive when it comes to blue tooth etc)
Live in Australia (yes, we speak English )
1. How do you link the phone to bluetooth to get the voice activation to work.
2. I did try to buy a handsfree car kit (voice) to pair with my phone. is there an app to connect my LGP500 to the Blue Ant Bluetooth care kit, or the Jabra freeway handsfree car kit; of the Supertooth HD hands free car kit? My phone will link with the Blue Ant, but won’t operate on the system.
or don’t I need one. I sometimes drive long distances with work, and it would be handy to voice answer the phone.
Thanks Turtle mother

Reply
By will on June 30, 2012 at 2:47 pm:

this is bullshit. it’s June 2012 and know one can make true hands free for my HTC3D Android or any other android for that…..

Reply
- By will on June 30, 2012 at 2:48 pm:
  
  oh the iPhone does and my blackberry did also my 9yr old Samsung!!!!!
  
  Reply