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Setting Up Voice Assistant on Your Garmin Watch
Garmin® watches with the voice assistant feature can be used to communicate with the Voice Assistant on your paired smartphone to perform a variety of actions including:
The following are smartphone setting recommendations to optimize your experience communicating with the voice assistant using your compatible Garmin watch. Select your smartphone voice assistant from one of the options below.
Bixby® Voice Assistant
To optimize communication with Bixby on your Samsung smartphone, Garmin recommends the following settings. Instructions for adjusting Bixby settings and Smart Lock may vary based on phone model and Android™ version. Consult with Samsung for assistance with any of the following recommendations.
Set Bixby as the default assistant app.
Enable Bixby on your lock screen.
Add your Garmin watch as a Trusted Device for Smart Lock (optional).
Setting Bixby as the Default App:
Search for Default Apps in the phone settings.
Select Choose default apps under Apps.
Select Digital assistant app.
Select Device assistance app.
Select Bixby Voice.
Enabling Bixby on Lock Screen:
Open the Bixby app.
Open the Settings menu.
Toggle "Use While Phone Locked" to on.
Google Assistant™ Virtual Personal Assistant
To optimize communication with the Google Assistant on your smartphone Garmin recommends the following settings. With the variety of Android phones in the market, adjusting these settings will vary by phone model and Android version. Consult with your phone manufacturer for assistance with any of the following recommendations.
Set Google Assistant as your default voice assistant.
I Use Google Assistant But Bixby Opens When Using My Watch
If you have switched to using Google Assistant on your Samsung smartphone, but using the voice assistant feature on your watch launches Bixby, use the following steps to allow Google Assistant to set up properly:
Open your Phone's Settings App.
Search for Bixby Apps or Bixby Voice.
Select Bixby Apps or Bixby Voice.
Select Set as default.
Select Clear defaults.
The next time you activate the Voice Assistant feature on your watch, your phone will prompt you to select the Assistant app. Select Google Assistant.
Siri® Voice Recognition Software
To optimize communication with Siri on your Apple® iPhone these settings will ensure you are able to communicate with Siri using the watch.
Enable Siri on your smartphone.
Allow Siri When Locked.
Allow Siri access to the iPhone lock screen.
To Enable Siri and Allow Siri When Locked:
Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Select Siri.
Toggle Allow Siri When Locked to on:
To Allow Siri Access to the iPhone Lock Screen:
Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Select Face ID & Passcode or Touch ID & Passcode.
Enter iPhone passcode.
Toggle Siri on under Allow Access When Locked as shown below:
To adjust the volume for your Garmin watch Voice Assistant feature, review the following:
Activate the Voice Assistant on your compatible device.
Wait for the voice assistant icon to appear and give a command.
When your Garmin device communicates, tap the screen to view the Volume Controls .
The top volume icon will increase volume while the bottom volume icon with decrease volume.
The volume can also be adjusted on your compatible smartphone while the Voice Assistant is communicating. While you are listening to a command press the volume controls on your smartphone to adjust the volume related to the Voice Assistant feature.
For watches that have Voice Assistance as a shortcut by default, you can disable the voice assistance alert by removing voice assistant from the shortcut key. You can find steps to change the shortcut keys in the FAQ: Setting up the Right Middle Shortcut Button.
To re-enable the voice assistant feature again, re-enable the shortcut.
The fēnix 8 and tactix 8 series watches do not come with a default shortcut option for the Phone Assistant, though one can be enabled through your watch settings. Search your owner's manual for "Shortcuts" to find steps on customizing the shortcut keys.
How is Phone Assistant Different from Voice Command?
The Phone Assistant and Voice Command functions on your watch are similar, but the Voice Command relates to functions on the watch itself, whereas Phone Assistant is connected to your smartphone. If you want to access functions of your smartphone, such as placing a call or sending a text message, you will need to use the Phone Assistant function. If you want to use a function of your watch, like viewing a widget glance or starting an activity, use the Voice Command. Some actions can have overlapping key phrases, for example you can start a timer using either Phone Assistant or Voice Command. If you use the Phone Assistant via the watch to start the timer, the timer will start on your phone. If you use Voice Command to start the timer, the watch will run it. To learn more about Voice Command, see Using Garmin Voice Command on Your Watch.
voice assistant icon to appear and give a command.
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