Voice Control and Omni Automation

ACCESS KEYS: “N” = navigation, “C” = close navigation, “U” = accessibility menu

Many users of Apple devices (including iPhones, iPads, and Macs), mistakenly assume that “voice interaction” with the device should only be used by those requiring assistive technologies.

But over time, such assumptions have been proven to be flawed.

Nowadays, we commonly use our voices to interact with virtual assistants on the phone, at kiosks, at stores, and in our homes, where we often “converse with” Siri and Alexa. After all, we think nothing of using our voices to trigger an action like this: “Hey Siri, play the latest episode of Ted Lasso.”

So why shouldn’t we also take advantage of the same robust power of the Voice Control architecture, included on every Apple device, for other purposes? The quick speaking of a few words or a phrase can free our hands and keyboards from being the primary way to express our intentions to our devices.

Why struggle to remember and execute (⌃⌥⌘-7) Control-Option-Command-7 when we can simply say: “Sort by Tags” — I mean… really? Aren’t computers here to make things easier?

🤔🗣🥳

Welcome to “Voice-Assisted Productivity!”

With the release of macOS Monterey (v12.3), Voice Control now has the ability to import and export Voice Control commands files. These files contain the user-generated custom commands used by Voice Control to perform your specified actions.

This means that the importing of a single “.voicecommands” property list, can automatically install and activate Voice Control commands for every menu item of an application, like OmniFocus for macOS!

And when it comes to using Omni apps on iPhones and iPads, with the introduction of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, Voice Control commands can now trigger Shortcuts, especially those shortcuts incorporating the Omni Automation Shortcuts actions provided within every Omni application.

There’s a whole new way for Omni users to benefit from the power of Omni Automation. This website is here to assist you to change how-you-do what-you-do, by incorporating the power of your own voice. Take charge today:

🗣It’s time to speak up!

(Also, your are most welcome!)

FAQ: What is the difference between Siri, VoiceOver, and Voice Control?

It’s a common for Apple customers to be unaware of or confused about the three voice-integrated technologies built into every iPhone, iPad, and Mac computer. What do they do, and how are they different? Let us provide some clarity!

“Device Independent”

One of the best things about Omni Automation is that it is integrated with Omni software on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. As the following short videos demonstrate, the same Omni Voice Control commands work regardless of which Apple device runs them:

Demo videos (with bezels): Mac (macOS) • iPhone (iOS)

Voice Control Guide

🌟🌟🌟 NEW 🌟🌟🌟 in macOS 14 and iOS/iPadOS 17, the Voice Control Guide is an interactive learning tool for quickly and easily getting “up to speed” with Voice Control. In just a few minutes of prompted step-by-step interaction, you become familiar with the Dictation, Text Editing, and Navigation commands built into Voice Control.

To access the Voice Control Guide on a Mac, simply open the Voice Control Preferences in the System Settings app, and press the “Open Guide…” button. Press the “Getting Started” collection in the Voice Control Guide window and follow along!

To access the Voice Control Guide on iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app, tap Accessibility > Voice Control > Open Voice Control Guide

Omni Automation scripts used in the tutorial (OmniFocus 3.13, 4.x):

Show OmniFocus Side Panels
Copy

win = document.windows[0]
visibiltyValue = true 
win.sidebarVisible = visibiltyValue 
win.inspectorVisible = visibiltyValue

Hide OmniFocus Side Panels
Copy

win = document.windows[0]
visibiltyValue = false 
win.sidebarVisible = visibiltyValue 
win.inspectorVisible = visibiltyValue

Once the commands file has been created and imported, the voice commands will appear in the commands interface of the Voice Control tab of the macOS Accessibility system preference pane:

(TAP|CLICK TO ZOOM)

IMPORTANT: For security, the execution of external Omni Automation scripts on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, require your one-time approval. Details can be found here.