Taking voice notes on Android

[Coffee First Thing 58]

I was delighted to learn that Google Assistant now works directly in some Android apps, including Evernote.

You can create a note in Evernote simply by by telling Google Assistant "Create a note xyz," where xyz is the note.

(If you have more than one note-taking app on your phone, you may need to say, "Take a note in Evernote xyz.")

[gazumped 7,865]

I think you have Google to thank for that - I did see that they were expanding the options a bit...  

[Dave-in-Decatur 1,396]

I still can't get it to pass the content of the note on to Evernote, only to open a blank note. But it's better than nothing. And I do have to specify Evernote, otherwise it creates the notes in Google's own less-than-functional note-taking app.

[John in Michigan USA 74]

I've got the same problem as @Dave-in-Decatur. Edit: To my surprise, I'm still running 8.13.3. Maybe that's the problem. What version is @Coffee First Thing running?

[gazumped 7,865]

On 10/13/2020 at 5:43 PM, John in Michigan USA said:

I've got the same problem as @Dave-in-Decatur. Edit: To my surprise, I'm still running 8.13.3. Maybe that's the problem. What version is @Coffee First Thing running?

Any Evernote version should do - it was a Google Assistant update that extended the options available.

[John in Michigan USA 74]

Thanks @gazumped & @Coffee First Thing. I really want this to work because I'd use it all the time. Here is what I tried on my Pixel 2 XL, Android 11, Evernote 8.13.3 device:

1. Squeeze phone to activate the Google Assistant.
2. Speak "Take a note in Evernote XYZ"
3. Assistant shows correct transcription of what I said. Assistant responds with "Saving note". No note is created in Evernote
4. Squeeze phone, speak "Show my notes", response is a list of notes from the internal (build-in) note taking component of G Assistant. List includes a new note with "In evernote XYZ" that wasn't there before step 1
5. I went to Android settings -> Apps & Notifications -> Assistant -> See all Assistant Settings -> scroll down to Notes & Lists and made the screen grab, attached below. Evernote does not appear on this list. Should it?
6. Repeated steps 1-3 but said "Create a note in Evernote XYZ". Got same result as in step 4
7. Poked around in Android settings for at least an hour, gave up, came here.

[Coffee First Thing 58]

Last week, when I said"Create a note in Evernote XYZ" the note was created and saved in Evernote.

Now that doesn't work. Notes are only saved in Google Keep. 

 

 

[gazumped 7,865]

10 hours ago, Coffee First Thing said:

Last week, when I said"Create a note in Evernote XYZ" the note was created and saved in Evernote.

Now that doesn't work. Notes are only saved in Google Keep. 

Hmmn.  I'd say 'uninstall / restart / reinstall'  but the version you reinstall might not be the one you're using... 

I only tried this out once and it worked;  not something that I use regularly - or at all to be honest...  I don't travel around on my own enough to need, or be able to dictate - and sitting in public talking to yourself can get you into trouble.  Although if you hold the phone like you're having a conversation,  maybe...  

Don't know if there are any other speech to text apps,  but maybe if there's one which works with Helper and saves files that could be attached to a note?

[John in Michigan USA 74]

13 hours ago, Coffee First Thing said:

Last week, when I said"Create a note in Evernote XYZ" the note was created and saved in Evernote.

Now that doesn't work. Notes are only saved in Google Keep.
 

That sounded familiar. So I looked and found that this isn't the first time the Google Assistant (GA) <-> Evernote relationship has gone haywire. See link to forums, below.

I just now tested "Email Evernote" it didn't work (GA treated it as a web search even though "My Evernote" is in G contacts). Then I tested "Send email to Evernote" and...it worked! Meaning, it used Gmail to compose an email to my <secret>@m.evernote.com address which worked as documented. Required a multi-step dialog as described by @Dave-in-Decatur.

I also just now tested the "note to self" method that @nilsandersson posted about. GA did not give me the option to pick an app, it just used the GA internal notes app.

I'm going to wait a while then test "Send email to Evernote" a couple more times to see if this is stable.

I'm also going to try and use the GA routines feature to see if I can use a single voice command to email to Evernote.

- J

 

[Coffee First Thing 58]

Send an email to Evernote works! That's great. 

Although it's a few steps, that's a good way to take a note completely hands free.