Looking for how to send a WhatsApp message without touching your phone? This article is for you. This is not sorcery, or dark magic. This is about using the voice assistants that your smartphone is blessed with. Mobile computing is shifting away from typing to talking. With the rise of voice assistants like Google Assistant, Bixby, Siri, Alexa and others, we are now entering the age of ambient computing. Interacting with applications shifted from being limited to eyes and fingers, to mouths and ears.
This is just the beginning of a permanent change in the way humans interact with their smart gadgets. The shift is as big as the smartphone was when it first appeared. The only difference is that this will take a little longer to establish itself. Because well, there is nothing wrong with using our hands and eyes. At least not yet. But in instances when you are busy doing dishes or times when you can’t touch your phone, I will show you how to send a WhatsApp message without touching your phone.
Setting up things
If you have Android Lollipop or later on your phone, press and hold the Home button for a few seconds to open Google Assistant. Give Google permission to access the information it needs by pressing Yes, I agree. Teach the Assistant how to recognize your voice. Make sure you enable the detection of the “OK Google” hot word on any screen to speed up the activation of Assistant when needed.
Now you are ready to command
1. Summon Google Assistant to come to your service by saying a simple command “Ok Google”. Google Assistant is so obedient and it will show up, ready to take further instructions. Give further instructions using the command “Send WhatsApp message”.
2. If nothing isn’t wrong so far, Google Assistant will now ask you to speak up the contact name (if you haven’t already). You simply say the instruction in number 1 “Send WhatsApp message to ABC” so you skip the part where the assistant asks you to speak up the contact’s name. Of course replace ABC with the contact name.
3. Google Assistant will then ask you to speak up the message content. Here, say all you want to send to the person. After you have said your message, Google Assistant will ask whether you want to make edits to the message or send it. You may want to do changes to the message since the transcription is not always perfect. So do the necessary changes if you want or simply send the message by saying ‘Send’. And that’s it. You will have sent a WhatsApp message without touching your phone.
This is one of the many functions of voice assistants that people over look or don’t even notice that it’s possible. It’s either because they are not aware of it or because it feels weird talking to your smartphone —trust me, it does really feel weird. But is transcription is improved, it can come in handy sometimes.
Sadly, you cannot add files or pictures when sending messages via Google Assistant. But the good thing is that you can send messages even if the device is locked (if you allowed Google Assistant to wake your device).
Using voice assistants to send messages may currently be a bit slower to take hold, but because they have arrived en massege, the impact will be greater than most people suspect.
