If there is a technology that has made great strides on smartphones in recent years it is certainly the speech synthesis engine, which has made it possible to offer all users voice assistants with natural and (increasingly) precise voice, so as to to be able to respond quickly to our requests and questions without having to use the on-screen keyboard every time.The success is so evident that speakers have been created designed solely to make us converse with the voice assistants, so that we can use them at any time of the day.
The best assistants for smartphones are without a doubt Google Assistant (on Android and iOS) e Crab (exclusive voice assistant for iOS), but there are a large variety of voice assistants that we can install on our favorite smartphone, each with strengths and weaknesses.
Let's find out closely the best voice assistants for Android and iOS that we can use like alternatives to the Google assistant and Siri, so you can independently choose the best.
All voice assistants have various characteristics that make them different from each other (accuracy in recognizing our voice is also important), but the only requirement that is certainly required by all assistants is the presence of a constant Internet connection (Wi-Fi or LTE), in order to correctly interpret our commands and access the functions, even if these concern device functions.
We currently advise against using voice assistants if we do not have sufficient cellular network coverage (less than 3 notches) or are connected via 2G and (in some situations) 3G: these networks may be too slow to guarantee a fast response from the voice assistant, often causing him to freeze completely or show an error message.
1) Amazon Alexa
The most promising voice assistant and valid alternative to the most famous ones is definitely Amazon Alexa, available as an app from here -> Amazon Alexa (Android) and Amazon Alexa (iOS).
With this voice assistant we will be able to obtain, using only our voice, valuable information on the weather, carry out a search on the Web on whatever we think about, create to-do lists and reminders with an alarm clock and, what a lot. important, we can control the home automation devices compatible with the voice assistant (sockets, lights, speakers, compatible thermostats, etc.).
With Alexa we can also set Skills, so as to customize the action or opening of a specific app every time we use a voice command (for example, we can open Spotify to listen to a specific song or genre in particular).
This app is essential to be able to best configure the Amazon Echo, the smart cash desk that automatically answers any question or command without having to use the app every time.
It is currently the best voice assistant along with Google Assistant, also thanks to the support for a large number of devices designed for home automation.
2) Microsoft Cortana
Microsoft Cortana has been retired and removed from the Android and iPhone stores, so it is no longer available.
The Cortana assistant is the same already seen on Windows 10 and allows you to quickly search the web, play your music and podcasts on your phone, provide various information on weather and traffic, create lists and reminders and also open documents saved on OneDrive. Obviously, there is still no form of integration with home automation devices (on this the rivals are far ahead), but if home automation does not interest us, Cortana is definitely a good voice assistant.
3) Samsung Bixby
If we bought a new Samsung smartphone, we will be able to benefit from the Bixby voice assistant, which has taken the place of the old (and inaccurate) S Voice.
This voice assistant can be called up on every recent Samsung smartphone (from 2017 onwards) by pressing the Bixby button twice (located laterally on the left), or we slide from left to right to open the configuration screen.
In order to use it, we will need a registered Samsung account and an active Internet connection (like all the other assistants too).
Once active we will be able to use our voice to search the Internet, activate the apps on the phone, send SMS messages and chats and schedule an alarm or a reminder for future events.
A constantly growing voice assistant, to be monitored for the future (currently it seems too immature, but it could grow conspicuously given the support from Samsung).
4) Conclusions
Those that we have reported on this page are the voice assistants that work with your language and that can present themselves as valid alternatives to the integrated and more famous assistants that we all tend to use.
Amazon Alexa is very advanced indeed, offers many functions and integrations, can be used to configure the Amazon Echo but can also work independently within the app, so that we can use it instead of Google Assistant even when we are away from home.
The other assistants examined (Cortana and Bixby) are good assistants for simpler commands, but they lack integration with home automation so we can consider them "inferior" at the moment, even if the future developments of the app could bring very interesting news.
If we want to deepen the discussion on the voice commands that can be used from the phone, I refer you to reading our in-depth articles.
- Android voice commands for making calls, reading SMS and notifications by voice
- Voice dictation on Android and iPhone
Best voice assistants for Android and iPhone (alternatives to Google and Siri)
