Voice Messages Calls

Voice Messages & Calls

Ava turns multiple devices into a simple voice network inside your home. Send a quick voice message to another room, keep messages on a message board, or start a live call between Ava devices on the same local network.

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Overview

Features:

• Voice Messages - Record and send short messages to selected Ava devices
• Message Board - Keep received messages on screen and replay them later
• Live Calls - Call another Ava device directly for room-to-room conversation
• Local Network First - Designed for LAN use, without a cloud account or external relay

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How It Works

Ava uses NSD (Network Service Discovery) to find other Ava devices on the same LAN. Voice data is transmitted directly between devices using a custom protocol with Opus codec compression.

┌──────────────┐                    ┌──────────────┐
│  Ava Device A │  ── LAN ──>  │  Ava Device B │
│  (Kitchen)    │  Voice data   │  (Living Room) │
└──────────────┘                    └──────────────┘

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Setup

Enable Voice Messages

1. Go to Settings -> Interaction -> Voice Messages & Calls
2. Turn on Enable Voice Messages
3. Set Voice Message Name (shown on other devices, leave empty to use device name)

Enable Receiving

1. Turn on Receive Voice Messages
2. Choose receive mode (see below)

Enable Calls

1. Turn on Answer Incoming Calls to require tap to answer
2. Select a call ringtone

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Voice Messages

Sending a Message

1. Open the Voice Message overlay (from sidebar or HA)
2. Select target device(s) from the nearby list
3. Press and hold the large button to record
4. Release to send

Receive Modes

Mode	Description
Auto playback	Play once and close automatically after playback
Message board	Keep the message on screen until closed, with replay available

Message Delivery Delay

Set a delay (in minutes) before the receiver gets the voice message. 0 means immediate.

Use case: Leave a delayed reminder for a child's room - the message stays available for replay.

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Voice Calls

Starting a Call

1. Open the Voice Message overlay
2. Switch to Call mode
3. Select target device(s)
4. Press and hold to talk live

Incoming Calls

When someone calls your device:

• A ringtone plays (if Answer Incoming Calls is enabled)
• Tap Answer to connect or Decline to reject
• After about 1 minute with no answer, the caller is notified the device is unavailable

Call Status

Status	Description
Ringing	Calling the other device
Connected	Live voice channel connected
No answer	The other device did not answer
Declined	The other device declined the call
Call ended	The other party hung up

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Settings

Go to Settings -> Interaction -> Voice Messages & Calls

Setting	Description	Default
Enable Voice Messages	Show the voice message overlay	Off
Receive Voice Messages	Accept messages from other Ava devices	Off
Voice Message Handling	Auto playback or Message board	Auto playback
Voice Message Name	Name shown on other devices	Device name
Message Delivery Delay	Minutes before delivery (0 = immediate)	0
Answer Incoming Calls	Require tap to answer calls	Off
Call Ringtone	Ringtone for incoming calls	Default
Control in Home Assistant	Remote control show/hide	Off

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Home Assistant Integration

Show/Hide Voice Message Overlay

# Show overlay
service: switch.turn_on
target:
  entity_id: switch.your_device_name_voice_message_display

# Hide overlay
service: switch.turn_off
target:
  entity_id: switch.your_device_name_voice_message_display

Set Message Delay

service: number.set_value
target:
  entity_id: number.your_device_name_voice_message_delay_minutes
data:
  value: 5

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Home Use Cases

• Kitchen to Living Room: Kitchen says dinner is ready -> living room Ava plays the message
• Delayed Reminder: Parent leaves a delayed reminder for a child's room -> message stays available for replay
• Room to Room Call: Bedroom calls the hallway panel -> quick conversation without phones

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FAQ

Cannot find nearby Ava devices?

1. Ensure all devices are on the same LAN
2. Check firewall settings
3. Ensure Voice Messages is enabled on receiving devices
4. Try restarting the service on both devices

Voice message not received?

1. Check if Receive Voice Messages is enabled on the target device
2. Check network connection
3. Check if the microphone is busy (voice assistant active)

Voice call doesn't connect?

1. Ensure both devices are on the same LAN
2. Check if the target device has Answer Incoming Calls enabled
3. The target device may not have answered within 1 minute

Microphone busy error?

The voice assistant is active. Finish that first, then try again. The microphone cannot be shared between voice assistant and voice messages simultaneously.

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