Google's Voice Access app gives you complete voice control over your Android device

It is often said that smartphones bring the entire human knowledge at our fingertips. Unfortunately, however, we actually need to use our fingers to access our smartphones. It is true that, in the past few years, Google has significantly improved the way that Android responds to voice input, but if you've ever set out to use a smartphone to its fullest just using your voice, you're probably well aware of the limitations.

It's in this context that Google has introduced Voice Access, an experimental app that allows Android users to control their device by voice. Google has published a beta version of the app on the Play Store, but at the time this article was published, all of the beta-tester positions have been filled. Don't worry, though, we've included a link to an APK mirror at the bottom of this article.

Once Google Voice Access is enabled, every element on the screen - app icons, navigation buttons, text fields, search icons, etc - is assigned a number. The user is able to simulate a tap on a button by spelling out that number. Furthermore, users can also use commands such as “open Chrome”, “go home”, “click next”, or “scroll down" to navigate the device.