Tap the small “i” icon on the left of the toolbar if you need more prompts about the voice commands you can use. If you want to keep on using voice typing in other input boxes and across other apps until you turn it off, double-tap the mic icon.

If voice typing doesn’t work, check that it’s enabled (it should be, by default): From Settings on Android, pick System > Keyboard > On-screen keyboard > Gboard > Voice typing. The same screen lets you enable offline access for the feature, and enable or disable automatic punctuation breaks as you talk.

The voice typing process is similar on other types of Android handset, though it might not be identical. On Galaxy phones, the Samsung Keyboard is the default, and with this keyboard the mic icon you need to tap is down in the lower left corner. To make sure voice typing is an option, from Settings choose General management > Samsung keyboard > Voice input.

iOS

Over on the iPhone, you’ve also got access to voice typing wherever you need it. The default keyboard is the one supplied by Apple, though you can also use alternatives such as Gboard if you wish. The keyboard shows up whenever text needs to be entered, and you can tap the mic button (bottom right) to start talking instead of typing.

You can use a variety of commands while you’re talking. Just name an emoji (like “heart emoji”) or say the name of a punctuation symbol (such as “exclamation mark”) to insert the character at the current cursor position.

It’s possible to split text into blocks using the “new line” and “new paragraph” commands, which is handy if you’re composing a long message. You can also say “undo” or “redo” to go backwards or forwards in terms of the words you’ve dictated.