How to use Live Transcribe to turn speech into text in Android 10

In this article

How to enable Live Transcribe

Using Live Transcribe to turn speech into text

How to pause transcription

How to change the size of transcribed text

How to use a second language in Live Transcribe

How to switch between dark and light colour themes

How to save transcriptions

Using an external microphone with Live Transcribe

How to enable Live Transcribe

Note: If Live Transcribe is not pre-installed on your device you can download it from the Google Play store 

1. To access the Accessibility features on your Android device open the Settings app .
2. In the Settings app, select Accessibility from the list.
   
3. On the Accessibility screen, scroll down to the Audio & on-screen text section. Select Live Transcribe.
   
4. On the Live Transcribe screen, select Use service to set the toggle switch to On.
   
5. Live Transcribe needs to observe certain actions as you use your device.  If you are happy to proceed, select Allow.
6. The Accessibility button  will appear in the bottom navigation bar on your device. Select this button to start Live Transcribe.
   

Using Live Transcribe to turn speech into text

1. From any screen, select the Accessibility button  in the bottom navigation bar to start Live Transcribe.
   
2. Your device will start transcribing any speech it detects. You will see it appear as text on your screen.
   
3. Live Transcribe will also show indications of non-speech sounds it hears, such as laughing or knocking.
   
4. The blue indicator in the top corner shows how well Live Transcribe hears foreground sound. If the outer blue circle is small, move nearer to the subject you want to capture.
   
5. Scroll the screen to see previously transcribed speech.
6. To type a reply, select the keyboard icon and enter text using the on-screen keyboard. If the keyboard icon is hidden, touch the screen to reveal it.
   
7. While the typing window is open you will see newly transcribed text appear in the window above it.  To hide the keyboard window, tap on the transcribe window.
   
8. To stop Live Transcribe, select the Accessibility button . If the Accessibility button is not visible, slide up from the bottom of the screen to reveal the Android navigation bar.

How to pause transcription

You can pause Live Transcribe so that you can catch up with your reading. When paused, Live Transcribe will carry on working in the background. You will see newly transcribed text when you un-pause.

To be able to pause Live Transcription you will first need to enable the Pause setting:

1. Start Live Transcribe if it’s not already running.
2. Select the settings icon .
   
3. Select More settings.
   
4. On the Live Transcribe settings screen, scroll down and select Advanced.
   
5. Select Show hold button to set the toggle switch to On.
   
6. Select the back button in the navigation bar to return to the Live Transcription screen.
   
7. Now you can select the pause button to pause transcription.
   

How to change the size of transcribed text

1. Start Live Transcribe if it’s not already running.
2. Select the settings icon .
   
3. Drag the Text size slider to make the transcribed text larger or smaller.
   

How to use a second language in Live Transcribe

Live Transcribe allows you to switch between a primary and secondary language.

To add and use a second language:

1. Start Live Transcribe if it’s not already running.
2. Select the language that is currently active.
   
3. Choose a new language from the Secondary language menu.
   
4. Selecting a language takes you to settings screen. Select the back button in the bottom navigation bar to return to the Live Transcribe window.
   
5. You can now switch between languages by tapping the one that is currently active.

You can edit the primary and secondary languages in the Live Transcribe settings menu.

1. Start Live Transcribe if it’s not already running.
2. Select the settings icon .
   
3. Select More settings.
   
4. On the Live Transcribe settings screen, select Primary language or Secondary language and choose from the options.
   
5. Select the back button in the navigation bar to return to the Live Transcription screen.
   

How to switch between dark and light colour themes

1. Start Live Transcribe if it’s not already running.
2. Select the settings icon .
   
3. Select More settings.
   
4. On the Live Transcribe settings screen, select Dark theme to set the toggle switch to On or Off.
   
5. Select the back button in the navigation bar to return to the Live Transcription screen.
   

How to save transcriptions

You can save transcriptions for three days.  To save transcriptions:

1. Start Live Transcribe if it’s not already running.
2. Select the settings icon .
   
3. Select Save this transcription to set the toggle switch to On.
   

If you want to delete transcriptions:

1. Start Live Transcribe if it’s not already running.
2. Select the settings icon .
   
3. Select More settings.
   
4. On the Live Transcribe settings screen, select Delete history.
   
5. Select the back button in the navigation bar to return to the Live Transcription screen.
   

Using an external microphone with Live Transcribe

By default, Live Transcription uses your device’s built-in microphone.  To use an external microphone:

1. Connect your microphone to your device.
2. Start Live Transcribe if it’s not already running.
3. Select the settings icon .
   
4. Select More settings.
   
5. Under Microphone, select your device from the list.
   
6. Select the back button in the navigation bar to return to the Live Transcription screen.
   

Note: we have written these instructions for devices running the standard version of the Android operating system. You may find some minor presentation differences if the manufacturer has customised the theme.