Many of us are now used to calling out questions and requests to our phones or smart speakers, but this isn’t always possible everywhere we go. If you don’t want your smart assistants blaring out their responses to you, you can change their behavior to get them to show results silently on a speaker, a phone, or a computer screen.
Google Assistant
If you’re using the Google Assistant on your phone, you’ve got a few options besides simply muting all sounds on your device. The first is to type out your command or question. On stock Android, launch the Assistant and tap the keyboard icon. Lets you type out whatever you want to say to the Assistant, and the app automatically displays the results silently.
With this setting enabled, the Assistant won’t talk back to you unless you’re connected to your phone with a hands-free headset (in the car, for example). You can use this option if you’re happy to speak (or whisper) your commands, but you’re not sure what the reply might be, or how loud.
And finally, if you’re using the Assistant on Chromebook, the app will follow your lead there’s no way to change this behavior at the moment. If you type your responses in the app, you’ll get a silent response, but if you ask something with your voice, the Assistant will reply out loud.
Amazon primarily lives inside Amazon Echo speakers, and if you’re using an Echo without a display, you can’t disable Alexa’s spoken responses. You can, if you want, lower the volume of the speaker, using the physical buttons or selecting it from the screen in the app on your phone.
Microsoft has mostly moved away from Cortana, but you may still have it on one of your devices. Unfortunately, your options for controlling its voice are rather limited. You’re most likely to come across Cortana on a Windows computer, and there’s nothing much you can do beyond simply muting your computer completely.
Even though can be shown, rather than said, when a screen is involved, there’s no way to disable voice feedback at the moment. The options are the same if you’ve got an Echo with a display. In this case, your only choice is to adjust the volume by using the physical buttons or the app.
What Alexa does have is a whisper mode, which can come in handy late at night or at other times when you don’t want the smart assistant talking at a normal volume. From the Alexa app on your phone, open the menu (three lines, bottom right), then choose Settings, and under Alexa preferences choose Voice Responses and toggle the switch next to mode. If you prefer, you can just say “Alexa, turn on whisper mode,” when you’re within range of your smart speaker.
You’ll also see a Brief Mode on the same settings screen. When enabled, Alexa will be less chatty and will respond to some commands (such as a request to change the brightness of some smart lights) with a sound rather than spoken words.
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