When I was at this Toyota R&D center tour (more will come on that soon), I had a bit of an epiphany. I’m pretty certain it’s not the epiphany Toyota was hoping I’d have, but I’m not here to provide epiphanies for major multinational corporations. They don’t own epiphanies, at least not just yet. Anyway, this epiphany happened in the middle of a tech demonstration in a new Toyota showing off some of their new infotainment software. Specifically, the voice commands.
Now, I want to be clear that the epiphany I had covers all cars that use voice commands and not just Toyota. In fact, the updated software Toyota was demonstrating worked quite well and incorporated some thoughtful features, like how their AI assistant now runs on the hardware inside the car, instead of sending all requests into the cloud, for improved speed and, even more importantly, privacy.
The demonstration was given to me by a member of the voice team, and she did a fantastic job of showing the software. My epiphany had nothing to do with her, I want to make that clear. She just happened to be there at the moment it happened.
This was my epiphany: voice controls in a car are, for the most part, useless. They’re a tech gimmick, something that we thought we wanted for so long that once we got it, we can’t admit to ourselves that, really, we don’t care. Here’s my question: does anyone actually use the voice commands in their car?
Actually, I maybe should qualify this a bit. I think voice commands sometimes make sense when it comes to using the nav system, and asking it to take you somewhere, because in most in-car nav systems, it’s a pain to do otherwise, and it commands a lot of your focus and attention. So, I’ll admit that voice controls for that one particular thing makes sense. But for almost everything else? I don’t understand the appeal.
Take changing temperature, for example. You can say something like “Hey Toyota, I’m hot,” and then the car will lower the HVAC temperature. If you meant that you’re hot in the context of how sexy you are, that information will be lost on your car, so sorry about that. It’s not you.
When the basic “I’m hot/lower temperature” exchange is written out, it seems almost reasonable, but in practice? It’s awkward and stupid. It’s not exactly quick, and it’s definitely not any easier than just reaching over to the climate knob or buttons and turning the temperature down a few degrees. You can usually even do it while talking about something else to another person in your car or while listening to music or whatever. You just kind of do it, almost without thinking.
But when you have to tell your car to do something like that, you have to address the car, pause as it recognizes the attention word (or you hit a button to make it start listening) and then tell it you’re hot or cold or reduce/raise the temperature or whatever, then wait for it to acknowledge that, repeat what it did back to you, and then change the temperature.
Or you could just turn a little knob a few clicks.
Don’t believe me? Here’s that situation in action:
It actually works fairly well, considering, but it’s still a slow ass-pain compared to just moving the big temperature-control knob that is right there. The same thing goes for voice commands for almost any physical control in the car, like adjusting the volume. Using the knob is always quicker and easier and less obtrusive than talking to your car and asking it to do it.
Here’s another example, in a Kia, for turning on heated seats:
Here you have to remember to say “seat warmer” instead of “heated seats,” which it doesn’t understand. And, again, while this technically works, there’s a button right there that you don’t have to ask to do anything. You just poke it and make it do your bidding, which, in this case, is gently warming your ass.
I can’t fathom the point of any of these voice commands. They make nothing easier. They take tasks that you can do while listening to music or talking or thinking about something – all while focusing on driving – and turn them into a an irritating little conversation with your car that forces you to pay attention in ways that just instinctively pushing a button or turning a knob don’t. Sure, you may not be doing anything physically, but mentally getting your car’s attention verbally and asking it to do things is far more distracting than letting muscle memory guide your hand to a knob.
If you really want to hate voice commands, and perhaps even the very concept of speech itself, and maybe even all of humanity, you can watch this Volkswagen voice command instructional video, which combines an inane script and cloying acting direction to make an experience about as annoying as walking around with your underpants filled with cat litter and marbles:
I’m so sorry. That was terrible. And confusing. And stupid. And it sure as hell didn’t make me think I really need or want to tell my car any commands.
Again, for navigation, okay, I can see how voice commands have some use. Fine. If you’re connecting a phone with CarPlay or Android Auto, then you likely have that feature already. But I think if every automaker announced that all of their unique voice commands would be gone tomorrow, hardly anyone would really care.
Maybe I’m wrong here; maybe there are people out there who really love using voice commands to adjust volume or temperature or to open tailgates. Maybe they have valid reasons, like, say, they’re legally blind drivers or something like that. It’s certainly possible. But I’m really skeptical.
I think voice commands are the sorts of things that, if used, get used during the first few months of ownership of the car, and then are promptly and happily forgotten about, because they don’t actually make life any better. Maybe we can call this experiment in voice controls a success, quietly mothball it, and move on to more important and interesting things.
How’s that sound to everyone? If it’s cool by you, just focus on your computer, say “Hey Autopian, to hell with voice commands,” and that should do it!
Top graphic images: DepositPhotos.com; Toyota
In my 2013 Toyota, I used to use the voice commands for music on an iPod Touch. It was actually pretty handy and usually worked well.
“List Judas Priest”. It’d list the Priest albums so I could glance at it on the screen. “Play album Defenders of the Faith”. It’d play the Defenders of the Faith album.
It was a pretty good way to navigate the iPod on the go.
Then once I started using a phone over bluetooth for streaming, the iPod got less use. Still works actually.
And, in related news, “AI” is being vastly oversold in general. Just ask Oracle.
It’s another good example of tech garbage touted as value added when it’s largely unused because it doesn’t work well or people prefer not to use it. I wouldn’t be surprised if the real reason they include it was to data mine from conversations in the car. I’ve only tried to use it a couple times while on the highway and looking for a detour site I can’t type in at the moment. Usually it gives me the Hal 9000 “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Dave,” but yesterday it actually worked to direct me to a Walmart on the way home so I could pick up oil. I had to one-time enable location finder (even though the GPS was running, but I guess they’re at least trying to pretend that they don’t allow Siri to access that data), but I was amazed that it did as advertised.
I use voice commands for one thing: calling someone. It works the first time about 90% of the time. The rest of the time, I have to repeat what I said, and once, it called the wrong person. But generally, it works fine. But I would not want to use voice control for anything else.
I can imagine voice control being useful if, say, opening the glovebox would otherwise require you to navigate a touchscreen menu. In other words, it’s possible to design and implement an even shittier user interface.
The first car I had with voice commands was a 2008 TSX. The system sucked. It was mostly ok for making phone calls to one recipient in my phone book. Everyone else was out of luck because it didn’t understand. Every car I’ve had since has had some form of voice control, and they’ve never gotten better. Never.
It’s now 2025 and my 2025 car is only right about half the time so I generally don’t use it. I just know to enter nav directions before setting off. Or making phone calls while safely parked.
Voice controls are – IMO – a dark pattern that automakers are using to save money on interior details and talk about fancy infotainment features.
I use them sometimes for phone integrated things like take me to (x), play this song or band, or call/reply to a text. Never owned a car where it wasn’t easier and faster to control the car itself by reaching over and doing it.
I’ve had three vehicles with voice commands, and none of them worked consistenly to be of any use.
My cousin shares the same name as me. We’re not named after some famous or important family member, I think our parents just aren’t very creative. Anyhoo, his wife texts me pretty frequently because she is talking to her car trying to text her husband. I was confused the first time she told me she loves me LOL. I mean, I love her too, but not in a text you I love you kind of way.
Pretty sure voice commands only exist for plausible deniability so OEMs can keep building in new distractions that buyers demand.
My ID4’s assistant is maddening. The awake word is “Hey ID” or something and it goes off ALL THE FUCKING TIME. It goes off when anything even remotely sounding like “ID” is said. It even goes off when one of my kids says “daddy”. Not every time, but often enough to be annoying as hell. I really need to look into disabling it but I’m a busy guy and forget about it as soon as I exit the car.
As for what you can do with it, beats me? Every time I’ve actually tried to get it to do something it just says “Wait a Moment” and then says it didn’t understand. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten it to actually do anything.
Android auto’s voice commands work fine for navigation. Getting a song is really hit or miss though. It has a habit of playing cover versions, remixes, and live versions of songs I request. Annoying as shit.
I’m pretty sure this is disable-able. Every time I have a test-VW, it’s one of the first things I turn off because it thinks I’m talking to it instead of just mentioning my 411 for the 90 billionth time. And my gosh, it is sensitive. Can confirm that this is a supremely irritating feature. Mercedes’ version is nearly as bad, but “Hey Volkswagen/Hey ID” is the worst offender.
(Did I mention I have a Volkswagen 411? It’s so much more fun than [insert new test model here]. That Volkswagen came with buttons!)
When did you get the 411? Those are so cute.
Oh gosh, 2017? Index of Effluency winner, baby! I did a shoey and then I used the then-new Atlas to drag it home from CA for a review.
The infotainment software on our 2016 Tesla understands voice commands like, “Play Dave Brubeck,” and responds with a program of music pretty focused on that. Never really tried any other commands.
Yeah the Sync system on my Focus ST understands “Play artist Rage Against the Machine” or “Play Album Dark Side of the Moon”, and finds the appropriate tracks on the sdcard in the armrest. Also I can say “Call Phil” and that dials the phone. Far better than a bunch of touchscreen clicks to accomplish the same thing.
Definitely. Being able to select your music via voice commands is far better than dinking around with any sort of other interface.
I’ve found that Tesla’s navigation works pretty well via voice. I use it to tell the car to stop at a given Supercharger if we change our plans mid-trip (pretty common if someone gets hungry or has to pee), or even just “take me home” for the return leg.
I’ve never used it for HVAC or any of the other aspects.
Agreed!
I often ask my wife to enter a destination in GPS while I’m driving. Every. F’n. Time. She tells me to just use voice commands.
Now that I think of it, the voice commands would be just as fast. If I’m going to argue with my wife, I may as well argue with the stupid car.
Rodney Dangerfield, is that you?
“Take my wife’s car voice commands….
…. Please”
Isn’t that more Henny Youngman?
If the car voice command did not respect me, that would be more Rodney.
Generally, it’s useless for most ordinary automotive functions – after a few weeks of playing with ‘Hey Mercedes’, I think my wife has largely given up using it.
Key exceptions for engaging navigation while driving (apple car play or native nav system), selecting specific artists/albums/playlists in apple music, or quickly accessing a function that is otherwise buried a couple of menus deep (I use it to quickly engage the cameras when parking my truck in especially tight areas)
Ja bitte?
I think part of my indifference towards GM abandoning Apple CarPlay is my frustration with it’s insistence that I use Siri for certain tasks when I am moving.
I’ve only ever used it to make a call.. and even then I’m not really issuing a command so much as identifying the target of the command. On my 4Runner (probably most Toyotas) there is a button to make a call. Press it. It asks “who would you like to call”. All you have to say is the contact name… “Mom”.
It’s a rare occasion that I use this.
My spouse’s name is Rachel, a fairly popular name of which I have a few in my contacts. Even if I say her last name Siri can’t call the right Rachel. Until I told Siri that this one contact was my spouse and I only use the phrase “call my spouse” or “text my spouse” would it ever work correctly.
I’m not surprised. I have been successful with common first name contacts by including the last name. I have to speak as if it were a 5 yr old on the other end. Very slow, clear, and perfect enunciation. It’s not a 100% success rate.
Every time I use it, I’m quickly reminded I hate it. I can’t enter an address on the nav while I’m driving, I use the voice command and follow instructions to speak an address in Los Angeles, nav pulls up and takes me to an address in Kansas.
I have this happen often.
If I am looking for a particular store and there are several in the area, it never seems to pick the one closest to me. I don’t understand that. It’s GPS. It totally knows exactly where I am.
The one in Kansas paid to have its results optimized.
I never use the car (itself) voice control. There is know f’n way I’m going to to memorize a list of specific phrases in order to to slowly and attention-distractingly do things that I have I have BUTTONS and KNOBS for, just sitting there in easy reach.
On rare occasion I long-press to tell my phone on CarPlay to “text <person> I will be fifteen minutes late, heavy traffic.”
I struggle to adequately communicate my disdain for voice commands as an interface. At best, it can be useful in a supplemental capacity.
This is a topic I can only even approach when I’m writing paragraphs, it’s so monumentally ridiculous…I’ll come back to it, maybe.
Marketing has a difficult job selling things that have worked for a long time.
We used to have buttons and knobs. Now we have touch screens and voice commands.
Remember how well keys worked? I miss keys. Apparently, keys aren’t marketable.
Nobody wants to be left behind. Once someone releases a product with the new, untested and soon to be un-loved feature, every competitor needs to implement it so they can check the same box in direct comparisons.
I’d love to leave all the blame on marketing, but they’re selling to people. People are idiots.
When you remove all the buttons, which is better for drivers:
Scrolling around in the third submenu – or a voice command?
Voice command, but this goes back to how automakers (besides Tesla maybe) got yelled at so hard for doing away with buttons that the buttons came back, hopefully for good.
There are to many functions in modern cars to do them all with buttons. The “Technology Package” interface in our 2011 Acura is a perfect example of how bad buttons can be when trying to do more than controlling the radio and HVAC.
Oh for sure. I don’t need it all buttons.
My Buick TourX kills me, it’s so close to perfection. The only buttons it’s missing are AC on/off and (especially) vent direction. Worst of all it has two blank button spaces left where they could have been >:(
*edit* upon closer inspection it does not have blanks for them. But they coulda managed it somehow!
Although it makes up for it with the fact that lane keep assist has its own easily accessible button. Simple on/off. Everything else I’ve owned I needed to go into menus for it or otherwise was some kind of pain in the ass/compromise.
I actually use the voice-to-text and text-to-voice function of Android Auto a lot on road trips.
Because group chats will be having conversations that I want to be a part of, but the group chat would sooner subject themselves to a Cat O’ Nine Tails to the balls than a conference call.
I’ll also OCCASIONALLY, like once a year, dial someone by voice. That’s pretty much it.
Many issues with them. I ask it play a radio station or route to a location. It calls Bob.
Plus I don’t want my car to know what I yelling at it, this is how Skynet rose to power.
Dont get me started on how these things react when you ask them to open the pod bay doors
I’m sorry, FormerTXJeepGuy. I’m afraid I can’t do that.
I think the problem is that in this first generation of voice commands (call it the Siri generation), you’re just talking to a dumb machine that’s listening for keywords. So it really only works for stuff that’s easier to do manually anyway.
But I’m not a complete luddite and I could totally imagine that with newer AI tech, voice could actually be a useful interface for all the multi-step stuff that you don’t use often, that’s buried more than one level deep in the infotainment.
Stupid:
“Hey Volvo, turn down the volume”
Useful:
“Hey Volvo, reset the TPMS”
“Hey Volvo, set the wipers to service position”
“Hey Volvo, add this station to my favorites and put it in the second slot after Alt Nation.”
You’re still talking to a machine that’s listening for commands, it’s just interpreting them more effectively. Then you’ve turned a concrete list of available actions into an obfuscated idea of what the voice-commanded system can control, and you have to filter those through translating it into a “social” communication indirectly.
It’s requiring a completely different and highly-demanding (see: Why computers typically deal in set commands and large language models have been so demanding to develop/run) part of your brain to access controls that could be directly in reach with a subconscious level of ease.
Your last line there tells me I didn’t make my point well. In a modern car, there is a whole raft of stuff that is very specifically NOT “directly within reach with a subconscious level of ease.” IMHO this is where the opportunity is.
I noticed this somewhat, which is part of why I said “could” be. I think that’s an interface issue. Adding something (current) to “favorites”, for example, is generally one on-screen action in any media app.
Not to promote the direct implementation of that as a touch/cursor interface (I can imagine a setup with simple key shortcuts that could be on the dash or even the wheel controls), but to say I consider it a solvable interface design issue.
Would voice commands be easier than using a screen? Would it be easier to say “Tesla, open the glovebox” than going through six menus? Just asking. My car doesn’t listen to me at all.
A manual glove box latch would probably work well.
If you’re trying to remove something from the glove box, your hand will need to be there anyway.