Voice search feature is now taking the world of search by storm. Although most people don’t prefer to search the internet on the voice feature, it can actually be more useful in many scenarios. Today voice search has become a common feature you find in almost every app, and Google’s YouTube is no exception.
When you log in to YouTube, you can see the microphone icon on the right, just close to the search box. This means that you can now search for your favorite music and video on YouTube hands-free. Once you activate the mic, you are able to speak, and YouTube will recognize your voice, convert it to text and present you the right results.
If you are finding it hard to use the YouTube voice search feature, this article is here to help. Here is a guide to how you can use voice search and enjoy YouTube right in the comfort of your smartphone, TV, and PC.
Follow these steps if you want to activate the voice search feature on YouTube:
- Open YouTube and sign in if it’s your first time using the app
- Tap the search icon found on the right end
- Click on the microphone icon
- Allow YouTube access to your microphone
- YouTube will start to record your voice instantly
- You can end the recording by tapping on the microphone icon
- If you want to cancel the recording or go back, you can simply tap on X
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How To Change Microphone Permissions on YouTube
If you recently changed the permission to access your microphone, you will find a notification or prompt to enable your microphone permissions via your phone settings.
- Go to phone settings by clicking on the prompt. You can also access Android Settings right on your Android phone menu
- Click on Apps and Notifications from your Android settings
- To find the YouTube app on your phone, you can click into YouTube settings
- Click on Permissions
- Toggle mic permissions to set it on
- Go back to the YouTube app. This time you should be able to speak your voice and search.
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How To Use The YouTube Voice Search Feature When Casting On TV
You can use the YouTube voice cast feature if you want to cast on your digital TV by following these steps:
- Connect your iPad or iPhone to the smart TV
- Download the YouTube app on your phone
- Launch the YouTube app
- At the top of the Home tab, tap on Cast
- Now, launch the YouTube app on your TV
- Select link with TV code if you haven’t connected your iOS device with the smart TV
- Tap YouTube on TV to stay connected
- You can see an overlay on the device screen with a volume slider once the iOS device has been connected to the smart TV. You will also identify the voice search button and the remote button.
- Tap the red microphone
- Say the word or phrase that you want when you hear the audible prompt.
YouTube will respond to your words. You will see the words you speak on the microphone appearing on the bright TV screen. You can also navigate the YouTube app easily using the remote option to select the content you want to allow it to show up on the TV.
YouTube is currently working on the Remote interface to make casting easier for all users. That means the new version of the app will feature playback quality, quicker access to captions, and improved voice recognition. No word will be left out once YouTube is fully upgraded.
How To Enable YouTube Voice Search On Your PC
It may come as a surprise that just like you type on your browser, you can also use voice search on YouTube and get the results you are looking for. YouTube has a voice search feature you can easily activate on your PC and desktop. This can save you time if you like watching YouTube videos daily.
You don’t have to limit the voice search feature on YouTube to your smartphone only. You can follow these steps to activate the voice search feature on YouTube for your PC.
- Open your Chrome browsers and visit the official youtube.com
- Click the microphone icon
- Click on Allow to grant YouTube access to your device microphone
- Speak through the mic and start searching for anything you want
Activating the voice search feature for YouTube is simple. However, sometimes you may not be able to activate this feature. So, what should you do if the YouTube voice feature is not working correctly on your PC?
Related: Google Voice Search Not Working?
How To Fix YouTube Voice Search On PC
First, if you cannot access voice search on YouTube, chances are you have restricted access to your device mic. That means YouTube cannot use your device’s microphone so that when you speak, it cannot recognize your voice.
Always ensure you give YouTube access to your microphone before you start talking on the mic.
- If you are having trouble allowing YouTube microphone access, you can do it manually by entering the following command on your browser. Hit enter
chrome://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com
- If the setting is on Ask or Block, you can change it to Allow
- Open your browser and refresh the YouTube page
- Follow the steps above to activate or enable voice search feature on YouTube.’
YouTube Not Working On Phone
Sometimes YouTube or the voice search feature may not work properly on your smartphone. If this happens, you can consider the following options to fix the problem and continue enjoying the latest videos and music on YouTube.
Related: How To Fix Voice Search In YouTube Not Working Issue
Change Phone Internet Settings
You may not be able to access YouTube when the Phone has no access to cellular data or Wi-Fi connection.
Also, if you’ve been using a 3G network and changed to 4G when using Wi-Fi, you should be able to verify if the router is receiving and sending the signals properly. Switch from the normal 5 GHz to 2.4 GHz and notice any change in your connection.
Update The Modem Firmware
YouTube may not be working correctly on your phone if your modem firmware is not updated. Keep your modem firmware up to date because the transit signals use firmware which should be kept updated.
If you don’t update your modem, you may face challenges accessing other internet services on your phone.
Update Or Uninstall The iOS YouTube App
Go to your iOS App Store or Play Store if you have an android phone, and check if there is a new version of YouTube you can install. Search for YouTube app on App Store. If there is a new version of YouTube online, you will see the update button.
If it reads open, it means your current YouTube app is working properly, and there is no need to update it.
YouTube apps can sometimes crash when you are playing some video. If this happens, you should force close the app and launch it once more. Uninstall and reinstall the YouTube application from the iOS App Store if you realize it is not working correctly.
Download YouTube Videos To Your Phone
If you still cannot access YouTube Videos on your phone, you can use a third-party app to download the videos and play them on your phone. Find another app on iOS App Store that works just like YouTube and use it to download videos.
There are many applications online that you can use to find the content on YouTube. You can download and install iTube Studio on your phone and use it to play all the videos on YouTube.
Download videos to watch when you are offline and get rid of buffering. You can also play YouTube videos on Safari.
Change The Video Quality
Adjusting video quality can also help you to fix the YouTube problem on your phone. Check your internet connection if the quality of videos on YouTube is not that pleasing to you. YouTube tends to change the quality of the video depending on the speed of the internet connection.
That means, when the internet connection is slow, the videos will tend to be blurred. You can adjust the video quality manually on YouTube and continue enjoying it.
Reboot Your Phone
If you still find it difficult to access YouTube on your iPhone, you should reboot it. There are many software issues on your iPhone that you can only remedy when you reboot your phone.
Give your iPhone a fresh start by rebooting it and continue enjoying YouTube. If you want to reboot your iPhone, hold the power button and then swipe it to the right side. Your device will reboot shortly and begin working optimally.
Final Thoughts
Using the voice search feature on YouTube makes it easier for you to search videos online. You can watch videos on your Smart TV and phone without typing anything on the search box. Always keep your YouTube app updated and ensure you have a reliable internet connection if you want to enjoy using the voice search feature on YouTube.
