The term hands-free describes any method of controlling or performing actions on a device without the use of physical buttons or a touch screen. Today, almost all mobile devices have some sort of hands-free control method to provide additional accessibility functions. These can also be used for multitasking, allowing a user to focus on one primary task while also managing background tasks, like playing music or making phone calls.

Below is a list of a few common hands-free control methods included in popular devices.

  • Voice controls - Many commonly-used features on smartphones, tablets, and computers can be controlled using your voice through speech-recognition on a device’s built-in microphone. Voice controls are often implemented through the use of a digital assistant, like Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, or Cortana.
  • TTS (text-to-speech) - Most operating systems have methods for synthesizing speech to audibly read text to the user. TTS allows the user to listen to any text messages, e-mails, or even web search results without looking at the screen. Today, TTS capabilities can be accessed through the digital assistant on your device, if available.
  • Motion sensing - Some mobile devices, like the Google Pixel 4 smartphone, employ the use of motion gestures to control the touch screen. For example, a user can “swipe” on the screen in supported applications by mocking the swiping motion within a certain range of the device’s screen. This sensing can dismiss alarms or notifications, or control functions of supported third-party applications.
  • Bluetooth accessories - Although these require the use of one’s hands, many Bluetooth accessories, such as headphones, smartwatches, or other companion devices, can perform shortcuts for actions on the main device. For example, a Bluetooth headset may have gesture controls that are more easily accessible to perform simple actions, like answering or making calls, sending texts, or controlling media.

Accessibility, Gesture recognition, Hardware terms, Phone terms, Voice recognition

  • How to install, enable, and troubleshoot Bluetooth in Windows.
  • How to enable or disable Bluetooth on a Mac.