[HOW TO] Replace S-Voice with Google Now, incl. for BT Voice Dialing

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C4PO

Senior Member
Dec 31, 2010
54
33
I have found S Voice completely unusable when not connected to WiFi, and so after some searching I have managed to completely replace S Voice with Google Now, including having Google Now activated by the voice dialing button on my bluetooth headset. While my S4 is rooted, I do not believe root is required to do this on the S4.

All credit goes to those who have figured this out before me, I'm just putting the steps in one place.

1. Disable S Voice. Menu > Settings > More > Application manager > All

2. Install Home2 Shortcut from Google Play Store (free!).

3. Open Home2 Shortcut and set the double tap option (Home > Home) to Google. Change your double tap response if you wish, set your Home Application to TouchWiz home, and tap the Close button.

3a. If you want the double tap to immediately activate the voice search function, set your Home > Home option to Voice Search.

4. Double tap the home button, choose Home2 Shortcut and select Always.

Congrats! You have now replaced S Voice with Google Now! But wait a sec, when you activate voice dialing from a bluetooth headset, you get the Google Voice Dialer. This isn't nearly as useful as Google Now, so that's the next item to fix!

1. Install Bluetooth Launch from Google Play Store (also free!).

2. Open Bluetooth Launch.

3. This app does not display well on our screens, but you should be able to find and tap on Google Search. This expands a list of options.

4. Select "com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox.VoiceSearchActivity"

5. Activate voice dialing from your headset, choose Bluetooth Launch and Always.

Congrats again! BT headset voice dialing will now activate Google Now Voice Search! :highfive:
 

nabbed

Senior Member
Aug 15, 2010
2,382
347
I have found S Voice completely unusable when not connected to WiFi, and so after some searching I have managed to completely replace S Voice with Google Now, including having Google Now activated by the voice dialing button on my bluetooth headset. While my S4 is rooted, I do not believe root is required to do this on the S4.

All credit goes to those who have figured this out before me, I'm just putting the steps in one place.

1. Disable S Voice. Menu > Settings > More > Application manager > All

2. Install Home2 Shortcut from Google Play Store (free!).

3. Open Home2 Shortcut and set the double tap option (Home > Home) to Google. Change your double tap response if you wish, set your Home Application to TouchWiz home, and tap the Close button.

3a. If you want the double tap to immediately activate the voice search function, set your Home > Home option to Voice Search.

4. Double tap the home button, choose Home2 Shortcut and select Always.

Congrats! You have now replaced S Voice with Google Now! But wait a sec, when you activate voice dialing from a bluetooth headset, you get the Google Voice Dialer. This isn't nearly as useful as Google Now, so that's the next item to fix!

1. Install Bluetooth Launch from Google Play Store (also free!).

2. Open Bluetooth Launch.

3. This app does not display well on our screens, but you should be able to find and tap on Google Search. This expands a list of options.

4. Select "com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox.VoiceSearchActivity"

5. Activate voice dialing from your headset, choose Bluetooth Launch and Always.

Congrats again! BT headset voice dialing will now activate Google Now Voice Search! :highfive:

This used to be completely broken in both AOSP and TW roms because Google Now voices recognizing in Bluetooth voice dialing was buggy - it would never properly recognize contact names...
Are you saying it works now?

---------- Post added at 01:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:18 AM ----------

Just tried Google Now.

It still DOESN'T WORK.
It now recognizes names just fine, BUT ONLY when the screen is unlocked.
When the phone is off and locked, it doesn't recognize any voice commands.

Back to the buggy S-Voice for me!
:(
 

Marty

Senior Member
Oct 11, 2005
169
52
I have found S Voice completely unusable when not connected to WiFi, and so after some searching I have managed to completely replace S Voice with Google Now, including having Google Now activated by the voice dialing button on my bluetooth headset. While my S4 is rooted, I do not believe root is required to do this on the S4.

All credit goes to those who have figured this out before me, I'm just putting the steps in one place.

1. Disable S Voice. Menu > Settings > More > Application manager > All

2. Install Home2 Shortcut from Google Play Store (free!).

3. Open Home2 Shortcut and set the double tap option (Home > Home) to Google. Change your double tap response if you wish, set your Home Application to TouchWiz home, and tap the Close button.

3a. If you want the double tap to immediately activate the voice search function, set your Home > Home option to Voice Search.

4. Double tap the home button, choose Home2 Shortcut and select Always.

Congrats! You have now replaced S Voice with Google Now!

I managed to get this working but now there is a slight lag/delay when pushing my home button. Not acceptable for me so I went ahead and uninstalled Home2 Shortcut.
 

Mdracer

Member
Dec 19, 2011
11
8
I managed to get this working but now there is a slight lag/delay when pushing my home button. Not acceptable for me so I went ahead and uninstalled Home2 Shortcut.

The reason for that is the app is waiting for you to push the home button once again. You can set the double tap interval to be shorter. I disabled the double tap home key because 905% of the time that i am pressing the home key i am exiting an app, not doing a search and i want my phone to be as fast as possible.

Change the interval time to "very short" or "very very short"
 

Marty

Senior Member
Oct 11, 2005
169
52
The reason for that is the app is waiting for you to push the home button once again. You can set the double tap interval to be shorter. I disabled the double tap home key because 905% of the time that i am pressing the home key i am exiting an app, not doing a search and i want my phone to be as fast as possible.

Change the interval time to "very short" or "very very short"

Thanks! This significantly shortened the lag/delay. However, I am still noticing a very, very small lag which I just don't want (phone has enough lag as it is already) so I am uninstalling again. I'll just keep a shortcut to Voice Search in my dock and on my lock screen.
 

parashara

New member
Jun 9, 2013
2
1
This didn't work for me initially. Google now would launch but wouldn't record. Found out I had to change a setting in Google now...

In Google now go to settings>voice>blutooth headset
Now it will hear you. I still have to tap my bt mic a couple of times before it pics up.

Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
 
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flu13

Senior Member
Jun 18, 2010
682
88
I'm having a similar issue. I can hit my button on my headset to launch Google Now now, but it doesn't seem to pick up my audio. I hope to play around with it more later.
 

flu13

Senior Member
Jun 18, 2010
682
88
Does anyone actually have the Google Now Voice Search actually picking up the sound from their bluetooth headset?
 

josephpalozzi

Senior Member
May 1, 2008
128
28
NYC
No go for Google Now

I followed the directions as outlined above - and I had the same problems with Google Now and bluetooth not working with the screen off. It just won't start. Works fine with the screen on. So I tried Dragon Mobile Assistant and it works. Much better than SVoice and it reads aloud what actions it's performing.
 

phi1_618

New member
Aug 2, 2013
1
0
Worked like a dream! Thanks!

Does anyone actually have the Google Now Voice Search actually picking up the sound from their bluetooth headset?

Yup. The OP's thorough, step-by-step instructions worked like a dream. My S4 now jumps immediately to a listening Google Now search when i double-tap home, or (and this is the best part) when I press+hold the home button on my Plantronics Legend BT headset. Even / especially from a completely locked state. There's a weird sound, like two waiting chimes overlapping, but who cares?! It works!

You may have to follow parashara's tip as well:

This didn't work for me initially. Google now would launch but wouldn't record. Found out I had to change a setting in Google now...

In Google now go to settings>voice>blutooth headset

THANK YOU!
 

Xoom

Member
Oct 3, 2006
46
0
I followed the instructions in the first part of the OP and can't get this to work.

When double tapping I just get a grey screen and then back to the launcher.

Stock Rom
Using Nova Launcher
 

giuliastro

Member
Dec 28, 2010
42
6
Usa
meettomy.site
I followed the instructions in the first part of the OP and can't get this to work.

When double tapping I just get a grey screen and then back to the launcher.

Stock Rom
Using Nova Launcher

Same thing here. Either the phone doesn't do anything, or I see a black screen that goes immidiately back to the launcher. Sometimes it just stays on "Initialization"...
 

tjuel

New member
Aug 14, 2013
2
0
Bluetooth Launch isn't working for me.

I got the double press home button to work but I can't seem to get my bluetooth call button to work. When I disable S-Voice in Application Manager, Settings takes away my option to "Activate voice dialing." But when I enable S-Voice in Application Manager and select "com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox.VoiceSearchActivity" in Bluetooth Launch I'm never asked to select Bluetooth Launch as an option when voice dialing. . . It's a bit frustrating and any help would be incredible.

Thanks.
 

nostaw22

Member
Sep 25, 2013
6
1
Wasn't able to get Google Now to work, but once I disabled S Voice and used Bluetooth Launcher I did get Utter to work. All I'm really interested in doing is making hands free calls, and that works, even if the screen is locked with a pin.

I am using the Hyperdrive ROM, but not sure if that matters.

YMMV.

JW
 
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random45

Senior Member
Dec 4, 2010
297
220
Instead of installing Home2 Shortcut, just open up S Voice and go to settting, and disable the app from starting without having to install any third party apps.
 

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  • 25
    I have found S Voice completely unusable when not connected to WiFi, and so after some searching I have managed to completely replace S Voice with Google Now, including having Google Now activated by the voice dialing button on my bluetooth headset. While my S4 is rooted, I do not believe root is required to do this on the S4.

    All credit goes to those who have figured this out before me, I'm just putting the steps in one place.

    1. Disable S Voice. Menu > Settings > More > Application manager > All

    2. Install Home2 Shortcut from Google Play Store (free!).

    3. Open Home2 Shortcut and set the double tap option (Home > Home) to Google. Change your double tap response if you wish, set your Home Application to TouchWiz home, and tap the Close button.

    3a. If you want the double tap to immediately activate the voice search function, set your Home > Home option to Voice Search.

    4. Double tap the home button, choose Home2 Shortcut and select Always.

    Congrats! You have now replaced S Voice with Google Now! But wait a sec, when you activate voice dialing from a bluetooth headset, you get the Google Voice Dialer. This isn't nearly as useful as Google Now, so that's the next item to fix!

    1. Install Bluetooth Launch from Google Play Store (also free!).

    2. Open Bluetooth Launch.

    3. This app does not display well on our screens, but you should be able to find and tap on Google Search. This expands a list of options.

    4. Select "com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox.VoiceSearchActivity"

    5. Activate voice dialing from your headset, choose Bluetooth Launch and Always.

    Congrats again! BT headset voice dialing will now activate Google Now Voice Search! :highfive:
    3
    I managed to get this working but now there is a slight lag/delay when pushing my home button. Not acceptable for me so I went ahead and uninstalled Home2 Shortcut.

    The reason for that is the app is waiting for you to push the home button once again. You can set the double tap interval to be shorter. I disabled the double tap home key because 905% of the time that i am pressing the home key i am exiting an app, not doing a search and i want my phone to be as fast as possible.

    Change the interval time to "very short" or "very very short"
    1
    This didn't work for me initially. Google now would launch but wouldn't record. Found out I had to change a setting in Google now...

    In Google now go to settings>voice>blutooth headset
    Now it will hear you. I still have to tap my bt mic a couple of times before it pics up.

    Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
    1
    Wasn't able to get Google Now to work, but once I disabled S Voice and used Bluetooth Launcher I did get Utter to work. All I'm really interested in doing is making hands free calls, and that works, even if the screen is locked with a pin.

    I am using the Hyperdrive ROM, but not sure if that matters.

    YMMV.

    JW