14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has announced a new Windows 11 feature called voice access that’s supposed to do what Cortana was at one point responsible for: allow users to control their PCs using nothing but voice commands.
Also supposed to double as an accessibility feature, Voice Access is now available in the latest Windows 11 preview build and is located at Settings > Accessibility > Speech.
Voice Access lets users do pretty much anything, including opening apps, switching to an active application, managing windows, scrolling in a specific direction, pressing a key or a key combination, and even working with documents to insert text, delete it, or capitalize certain words.
“Voice access is a new experience that enables everyone, including people with mobility disabilities, to control their PC and author text using their voice,” Microsoft explains.
“For example, voice access supports scenarios like opening and switching between apps, browsing the web, and reading and authoring mail. Voice access leverages modern, on-device speech recognition to accurately recognize speech and is supported without an internet connection. Voice access supports English-U.S. language only, so the Windows display language should be set to English-U.S., otherwise voice access may not work as expected.”
No ETA for production devices
The Redmond-based software giant recommends users speak clearly, talk in an environment with reduced background noise, and use headphones to prevent other audio from being picked up.
“Voice access includes an interactive guide that explains how to complete common tasks using your voice. In addition to the interactive guide, you can access a complete list of commands by asking “what can I say?” when voice access is listening,” the company adds.
At this point, Voice Access is still in the preview stage, as Microsoft wants to collect feedback from insiders, and there’s no estimate related to its potential production launch.