Voice Dialer Useless after Jelly Bean Update

[thwim]

My phone updated to Jelly Bean yesterday and so far not so good.  The major problem is that the Voice Dialer no longer works.  This includes using it from a blue tooth headset and using Google Search.  I have looked on the web but haven't seen any solutions.  As long as it took Verizon to vet this update I would have thought they would get it right.  I also heard that Google can not do this simple search anymore but that seems quite wrong to me.

[21stNow]

What specifically is not happening when you try to voice dial via your BT headset? 

I have the GSM Galaxy Nexus and Voice Dialing via Bluetooth works well for me.  It doesn't recognize my voice quite as well as the old Android Voice Dialer, but the difference is small.  I'd rate the old Android Voice Dialer as accurate 90% of the time and the Jellybean Voice Dialer as accurate 80-85% of the time.

[thwim]

The voice dialer does not recognize any of the names I give it.  It does come and it asks for a name but after that it speaks Russian and I speak Martian.

[21stNow]

I don't know if I can give you much help, and I hope that other posters see this thread and chime in with suggestions.

With Android phones, I always have to sit down with them to get voice dialing via Bluetooth to work as well as I want it to.  I take some time at home and call numbers where I won't get an answer (like calling my home phone or a business that is closed) until I work the kinks out.

Is your Voice Dialer coming up through Google Now?  Did you use the native Android Voice Dialer when you had Ice Cream Sandwich on your phone?  Which Bluetooth headset are you using?

[thwim]

Sat with my Jawbone ERA and talked to it and it still calls whoever it wants to.  I am using the stand voice dialer.  It used to show up as an app on the ICS version but I don't see it anymore.  I was going to download it but I don't see it on PlayStore.  In addition the voice prompts are so low as to useless.

[Tidbits]

Google problem...

http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=35199

happens across the board with all 4.1.1, and 4.1.2 devices.

Voice dialer is missing because it is integrated into Google Now I believe so it sits at the OS level, but don't quote me on that.

[azjerry]

I have a Verizon Galaxy Nexus and can confirm that dialing via bluetooth is broken with Jelly Bean. It has never  returned the correct contact since the update whereas it rarely goofed up on ICS. There are numerous complaints on the xda and the android central forums.

This needs to be fixed as it's a safety hazard for drivers.

[jonheld]

I also have a 100% failure rate on getting the correct contact since the JB update. I never had an issue with ICS, or at least not very often. This is incredibly frustrating to use in a car now. I have to manually look up the contact to call.

[Tidbits]

have you guys tried unpairing, then factory reseting you Bluetooth headset?

[azjerry]

Re-paired, yes. Reset headset, not yet.

There are many complaints on the XDA and Andrioid Central forums of the exact same problem with many different headsets and the Galaxy Nexus: Headset and voice dialing worked fine on ICS, phone upgraded to JB, voice dialing completely inaccurate on JB. Those that have looked at the JB code report a significant change in that area of the code.

It's a safety issue that needs to be fixed.

[andy_t]

i too have had a problem with the jelly bean update. I have a droid razr purchased last June. Sunday I had the request to do the update. I am a 99% user with a blue parrot b250 xt + bluetooth headset, as I drive for a living. The google voice took over for the droid standard voice dialer. Monday morning when I first tried to make a call I called the wrong person, thankfully I had the confirmation response on so I could stop the call before it connected. I tried several different names and got a completely different response every time. So last night I went to the local Corporate Verizon store who's counter person put me immediately on the phone with the level 2 tech helper in Dublin Ohio. I was there for an hour and a half. They have a program where they can access the customers phone with an app and approval from the user, so the tech can see exactly what you are doing on the phone while you are talking to them on a different phone, I showed the tech what happens on the bluetooth when you request a person to call. We tried all different kinds of stuff, but really nothing more than I had already done earlier that day. In other words they couldn't help, eventually they said they couldn't help and directed me to Motorola, I called Motorola as I walked out the door of Verizon. I got an Asian female that I had a very hard time understanding, which is funny because I'm from England and I am used to a lot of different dialects. Motorola wanted me to try all different kinds of stuff which didn't work either. I have however tinkered around again this morning and discovered that  if you go into apps. find the voice tab and make that into a widget on a page (my home page), if you now tap on the widget to initialize the call it reverts or now uses the old original droid default voice recognition program. The only problem for me doing this is that while driving you're not supposed to 1) be touching a phone to turn on the screen, 2) unlock the screen lock, 3) tap the widget. To me it resolves the issue but not legally. I guess until there's another update I'm not going to be a legal user.

I HOPE THE TEMPORARY FIX I FOUND HELPS OTHERS UNTIL EITHER GOOGLE, MOTOROLA OR VERIZON CAN FIGURE IT OUT. good luck everyone

[Desert_Sage]

Had the exact same problem, same device and same timing.  Frustrating.  They need to fix it and fast for all the reasons you idenftified.

Desert Sage

[Tuxster]

Me too Andy_t,

I got the update to Jelly Bean and now I have some MAN talking to me on my dialer, and he sounds like an asshole.  Instead of the pleasant lady who always understands my request this dude keeps saying, "I'm sorry ... I didn't catch that.", or worse he dials someone I never call from my addressbook.  He's 100% wrong ALL THE TIME no matter how I say the name,

Good new is I was able to find the VOICE COMMAND app (as you did) and put a shortcut on my home screen.  Dangerous having to find and then push that button when I'm driving though.  The Voice Command app was written by Nuance software (you may know them from PaperPort, and other great applications.

Also, while I was trying to fix the phone I found where I could train the Nuance software - so it works even better than ever than ever!

I don't like that Google has decided that their piece of shit application is going to take over my phone whether I like it or not.  Hopefully Verizon can find some relief for us.  If not I'll probably dump Verizon altogether and get an unlocked phone from AT&T and put Cyanogen mod on it so I never have to put up with this corporate strong-arming ever again.

$4,000.00/ year I spend with Verizon.  You'd think they cared about my experience.  Geez.

[JimTheBeam]

I have a Razr Maxx.  I had the same issue with using hands free dialing over bluetooth. The awesome Voice Command that was at least 90% accurate was replaced by Voice Dialer.  I can manually use Voice Command to make a call but that defeats the purpose of hands free.  This morning I found a solution.

I manually opened the phone app

Press the microphone icon-it asked me if I want to complete the action using "google search" or Voice Command and if just once or always

I tapped Voice Command and Always.

I then connected to my Bluetooth headphones and tried initiating a hands free call in the usual way.

I was overjoyed to hear the familiar "Please wait. Say a command".  I said to call one of my friends and it did it perfectly!!!  I assume this will work on my car Bluetooth or any other BT device.

I hope this applies to your phones as well.

[KS7GUY]

My Android did a Jelly Bean update at the beginning of the week and voice dialing has not worked since.  I press the button on the headset, it beeps to acknowledge that I pressed the button, nothing happens on the phone, and several seconds later the headset beeps again signaling it's idle.  I have unpaired the headset then re-paired it, turned-off bluetooth on the phone and turned bluetooth back on, but to no avail.

Several apps also disappeared during the update.

I wonder if anyone actually tests anything before they push out these updates?  This is the second time I have had an update screw things up.  I like the features of this phone, but all the chaos makes it unacceptable.  I think when I'm eligible for upgrade next February I will get something else.  I can't spend 20 hours fixing my phone everytime they blow it up with an update.

[DebGo]

I have the same problem on my Droid 4 after JB. Voice commands were useless with my Plantronics.  I drive 100 miles a day to and from work on I-75, so I can't safely use my phone without it. My solution was to disable Google Search. With that app disabled, I get "please say a command" when I double tap my BT.

This is a stop gap solution and we have every right to expect a very prompt fix OTA update. Let's not forget that we have a six month old version of JB. There are many features we won't get until the next update, whenever that may be. And I have to disable one of the only good additions in order to not lose something I had. Come on!

[grennric]

I, too, am having the same issues as everyone else - RAZR MAXX - since recent update.  New Voice Command seemingly dials whoever it feels like dialing, everyone BUT who I want to call.

My current solution - Found the OLD Voice Command app in my lists, put it on my home screen, tap the button when I want to make a call.  Annoying, YES, but at least it recognizes who I am trying to call!

Besides, the Google Voice lady is so RUDE!  Like I will react well to some strange woman yelling at me to "Speak Now!" just to either call the wrong person or tell me "Didn't catch that" and disconnect from my bluetooth.  Wow - hopefully they get this fixed soon as I have not been able to find a way to tell my phone to use the OLD voice commands when pressing the bluetooth button.

[bcronknc]

Using Tidbits link above I found an answer that worked for me in that thread. Here it is, copied and pasted from there:

This Google voice dialer thing was never a problem with my Moto Razr phone until the JB 4.2 update.  The native Voice Command by Nuance worked great!

OK These are the steps I used to fix it.

1. Goto Playstore and check under MyApps for updates to installed apps on your phone.  Scroll down to Google Search and click on it to start the manual update.

2. After the update is complete open your phone and tap the microphone key one time.  On my phone a menu popped up asking if I wanted to use Voice Command or Google Search.  My selection was Voice Command and Always.

Now my BT device works like it used to in hands free.  The other problem that occurred if you just disabled Google Search was voice typing no longer worked.  The above has taken care of that as well in text messaging and anything else such as calendars.

[grennric]

RAZR MAXX - This solution worked for me! SO NICE to have a voice command

system that actually WORKS again!

[bcronknc]

I know. I was so happy to find this!

[stations]

Same issue with Droid4.  100% failure with new Google Voice search from BT.  Thanks a ton for the steps to fix using the Google Search update.  It worked for me and now BT activation launches the old Voice Commands.  Cheers!