Is there a Speech to Text option for the Zoom Chat Windows

[mgm0901]

My 36-year-old son has Cerebral Palsy and cannot type. Is there an option in the Zoom chat window on his Apple iPad that will allow Speech to Text?  Thanks, Mike

[Ray_Harwood]

Welcome to the Zoom Community, Mike/ @mgm0901 .

Unfortunately there is no built-in speech to text capability in Zoom on any device. I’d recommend checking with someone well versed in speech to text usage in the iPad in general, and especially from a disability accommodation perspective.

i did find this Apple support article that might be helpful:

https://support.apple.com/guide/ipad/dictate-text-ipad997d9642/ipados 

[mgm0901]

Ray:  Thanks so much for the response.

Sean had the dictation option enabled on both of his ipads.  Regardless of whether his microphone is muted or not whilst in a zoom conference, the microphone option is greyed out in the chat box.  This is most unfortunate.

Thanks,

Mike

[ZoomZoom]

HI, @mgm0901 

Just to add to what Ray said, Zoom does support common screen readers, like  NVDA, JAWS, or VoiceOver.

You may want to check this article: https://www.zoom.com/en/accessibility/faq/

[mgm0901]

@ZoomZoom:  Thanks for the response.  Unfortunately, I'm not sure you understood the request.  My son needs the ability to activate the microphone in the chat window to transcribe his 'speech' to text.

Best Regards,

Mike

[StaceySoleil]

Hi @mgm0901 - This is a great question for any/all guests with this particular accessibility need. From what I understand, the voice over functionality that is used by iOS is primarily leveraged by way of mobile (which from my experience doesn't always parlay into the same settings for iPad), so I wonder if using his mobile might also be an option for your son?
I found this article that also broke down the various accessibility options that Zoom Support shared above as well. https://ialabs.ie/screen-reader-comparison/ 

🙏 👉 If this answer helps you AT ALL, please hit the “Accept as Solution” button down below. 

[mgm0901]

Thanks Stacey but to reiterate, the suggested solutions do not allow speech to text in the Zoom chat box.  iPhones are too small for him.  He has spasticity.  Thanks, Mike

[StaceySoleil]

Darn, I really thought they would. I went down a rabbit hole to see if I could find something (as I'm sure you already have done) and I did find this easter egg...not sure if this will be AT ALL applicable for enabling speech to text with any of the Zoom functionality, but either way I figured I'd pass it along. I can feel the stress you're going through in your message & I hoped to find some aid and assist. Sending goodwill your family's way https://www.steepergroup.com/accessible-technology/steeper-assistive-technology-products/

[mgm0901]

Stacey:  Thanks so much to you and all who have responded for the great suggestions.  Some very interesting accessible technologies.  Unfortunately, neither allows overriding the greyed out microphone in chat.  I’m assuming that the challenge for the Zoom devs is to mute the room mic whilst activating the keyboard microphone whilst in the chat box.  Fingers crossed this could be a future feature for those with similar issues trying to communicate with their community peers.

Thank you all again and have an incredible evening!

Best Regards,

Mike

[brad21740]

I'm looking for exactly this feature on android samsung phone! Does s yone know if there's some way to use voice-to-text transition in Chat on Zoom For Android? I use zoom a lot while driving and it's very frustrating to have to pull over and type chat messages.

[mgm0901]

The bigger question is ‘why’ the microphone is disabled in the Zoom chat window on the keyboard?  I’ve noted that it’s available on other web meetup platforms…

[deardavid]

I have Windows 11 on a Lenovo ThinkPad laptop.  I click in the Zoom chat box, type [Windows key + h] once or twice (number of times seems to depend on whether you are in the midst of an ongoing voice-to-text interaction), and the Windows voice-to-text button appears, and pulses blue when it's listening.  I say, "Hello, world!" (including punctuation) and the text appears in the Zoom chat box.  I type [Enter], and it displays "Hello, world!" in the Zoom chat for everyone.  

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Additional info, from Google Search query ("Windows 11 voice to text"):

To use voice typing in Windows 11, you can do the following:
Open the application you want to type in and place your cursor where you want the text to appear
Press the Windows logo key + H on a hardware keyboard or select the mic button on the touch keyboard
Wait for the Listening alert before you start speaking
Your spoken words should appear as text on the screen
To stop voice typing, you can say "Stop listening" or select the microphone button in the menu
You can also enable a voice typing launcher that will automatically open the service when you are in a text box.
If you're not seeing text appear after speaking, you can try adjusting your microphone's input level. If you're using a built-in mic, you can also try using a headset or external mic.
Generated on 8/1/2024
Generative AI is experimental.

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https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/use-voice-typing-to-talk-instead-of-type-on-your-pc-fec9...

[mgm0901]

Thanks so much for all this info!  Unfortunately, Sean only uses iPads for his Zoom calls.  He can’t hold a laptop with his Spasticity.  Why Zoom disabled the microphone on the keyboard is so baffling… what could possibly be their rationale?