Just Speak is an Android operating system accessibility service that provides voice control of the device. The product is distributed free of charge and is the development of the Eyes-Free Project, that is, the official accessibility team that deals with the accessibility of the Android OS, including the TalkBack voice screen reader and the BrailleBack tactile screen reader.
The program is supported by Android 4.2 and higher and is available in the Play Market .
After installing Just Speak, you should launch it through the appropriate switch in the “Settings \ Accessibility \ Just Speak” menu. After that, the service will run in the background and automatically start when the device is rebooted. At the same time, other accessibility services, including TalkBack, can be launched at the same time.
After starting the program is registered in the system as an assistant. To open the dialogue for entering a voice command, use the swipe gesture from the bottom edge of the screen upwards (when learning is activated by touching it with two fingers). This is the same gesture that opens the Google search bar on stock Android builds. Starting with Android 4.3, Just Speak can also be called up by long pressing the volume key.
Just Speak’s readiness to receive a command is illustrated by a special graphic icon, as well as a sound signal and vibration (if the device has a micromotor). Responses to commands are shown both visually and spoken aloud if TalkBack is running.
In general, Just Speak supports two types of voice commands: global and local. Global commands are available on any screen, while local commands are designed to activate controls on certain screens (or, if it’s clearer, windows).
Below we will describe the Just Speak voice commands that are relevant at the time of version 0.3. Since at the time of this writing, only English is supported, the commands are given in English.
| Team | Act |
| Open + application name | Open the app |
| Recent | Open the list of recent apps |
| Quick Settings | Open the quick settings panel |
| Switch Wi-Fi On / Off | Turn Wi-Fi on or off |
| Switch Bluetooth On / Off | Turn Bluetooth on or off |
| Switch Tethering On / Off | Turn tethering on or off |
| Go Home | Return to home screen |
| Go back | Go back one level (emulation of the Back button) |
| Open Notifications | Pull down notification bar |
The commands are not hardcoded and can be changed by using synonyms. For example, instead of “open” you can say “launch”, “go to”, “show”, or “display”. In addition, voice commands can be formulated as a complete sentence, for example, “Please open GMail”.
Also, to run frequently used applications, the following terms can be added to the “open” command or its analogs:
- “Browser” or “Web” – the default browser,
- “OK Google Now” – Google Now assistant,
- “Search” or “Voice Search” – Google voice search.
| Team | Act |
| Click + the name of the control | Activate control |
| Turn on / off + switch name | Turns the switch on and off |
| Scroll up / down | Scroll up or down |
Here, in addition to the “click” command, you can use such synonyms as “touch”, “click on”, “press”, “activate”, “open”, “push” and “tap”.
Just Speak allows you to issue not only single commands, but also chains of commands. This is achieved through the use of connecting words in phrases. For example, to open the quick settings panel and press the “Wi-Fi” button there, just say one phrase: “Quick Settings then Wi-Fi”. This is an example of a binding from a global and a local command, which becomes available after the successful execution of the global one. The same chains can be made for the application interface, for example, “Open GMail, then compose”. The only interface will have to be translated into English.
Just Speak is an experimental product and is still in beta status, so in the future, serious changes are possible both in the range and form of commands, as well as in the general principles of interaction.