Voice

What it is

Voice is how you talk to Base and how it talks back: the wake word that opens the chat when you say "Hey Base", the voice that reads replies aloud in voice mode and tooltips in a guided tour, and a note on where voice mode and dictation live. Everything on this page belongs to the device you are on. The microphone and the voice are the browser's, so the settings are per browser, not per account.

Before you start

• A browser with a microphone, and permission for Base to use it. The first time the wake word is turned on, the browser asks.
• A hosted voice is offered only when the server has one configured. Otherwise the browser's own voices are listed.

How to

Turn the wake word on

1. On the Wake word card, tick the switch so it reads On.
2. Say "Hey Base" on any page. The chat opens and starts listening.

While the wake word is on, this browser keeps the microphone open whenever the app is on screen and shows its recording indicator; the bars along the bottom of the window mean it is listening. Untick to close the microphone.

Choose the voice

1. On The voice card, pick a Hosted voice from the list if one is offered.
2. Pick a Browser voice too, or leave it at Best available. The browser voice reads aloud when there is no hosted voice, or when the hosted one cannot be reached.

The card says which voice is in use right now.

Use voice mode or dictation

1. Voice mode is not switched here. Tap the orb at the top of the chat to talk with Base and hear it answer; talk over a reply to interrupt it.
2. The microphone button in the chat composer dictates into the text box instead, for when you want to speak but read the reply.

What happens on its own

• Your choices are saved in this browser. Open Base in another browser or on your phone and the wake word is off and the voice is the default until you set them there.
• The assistant can read and change these settings when you ask it in chat, because they are this device's own.

Things that surprise people

• The wake word is off by default, and stays off until you turn it on, because it holds the microphone open.
• These settings do not follow your account. They are per device, deliberately.
• A browser that wants a click before it will listen shows its own confirmation; that is the browser, not Base.
• If no hosted voice is listed, the server has none configured. The browser's voice reads aloud instead.

Related

• Ask Base for the chat the orb lives in.