Silence NVDA while Dictation is actively listening

[Qchristensen]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

When using Dictation in Windows, if NVDA starts speaking while a command is being dictated, it could confuse the dictation (or at very least, the user).

Describe the solution you'd like

When using Dictation in Windows, and the computer is actively listening to the user dictate a command, silence NVDA so as not to interrupt the command.

This came via Twitter - https://twitter.com/JAVM94/status/1448738159529955338 - in discussion it seems like it could be a useful feature, although I must admit I do not use dictation much personally.

Describe alternatives you've considered

Additional context

The original request mentioned Windows 11, I'm not sure if dictation in Windows 11 is different to Cortana in Windows 10 such that this feature is more important there?

[josephsl]

Hi, actually, when performing dictation (or rather, voice typing in Windows 11), NVDA will announce the text being recognized (this is done through a UIA name change event). In theory, it is possible to recognize start of dictation process but not when it ends. If talking about Cortana, it might be hard to recognize when a user is dictating things (in older Windows 10 releases, it was possible to detect this, but Cortana’s interface has changed significantly in Windows 10 Version 2004). Thanks.

[Brian1Gaff]

I turned her completely off long ago! Maybe speech ducking could be used with a time out? Brian ***@***.*** Sent via blueyonder. Please address personal E-mail to:- ***@***.***, putting 'Brian Gaff' in the display name field. Newsgroup monitored: alt.comp.blind-users ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joseph Lee" ***@***.***> To: "nvaccess/nvda" ***@***.***> Cc: "Subscribed" ***@***.***> Sent: Friday, October 15, 2021 4:53 AM Subject: Re: [nvaccess/nvda] Silence NVDA while Dictation is actively listening (#12938) Hi, actually, when performing dictation (or rather, voice typing in Windows 11), NVDA will announce the text being recognized (this is done through a UIA name change event). In theory, it is possible to recognize start of dictation process but not when it ends. If talking about Cortana, it might be hard to recognize when a user is dictating things (in older Windows 10 releases, it was possible to detect this, but Cortana’s interface has changed significantly in Windows 10 Version 2004). Thanks.

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[josephsl]

Hi,

Quentin, did you get a response to that tweet? If thf Twitter user is still experiencing this probem where NVDA may announce things while dictating, please do mention my Twitter handle so I can explain what's going on.

Thanks.

[Qchristensen]

@josephsl - No, your reply on that thread is the last one. I just replied as well to see how the original user is going with it, and since you were involved, you should get a notification about that as well.

[josephsl]

Hi,

January 2024 update: with the advent of selective UIA event registration, NVDA will stay silent while dictating in Windows 11 (at least 2022 Update and later). Turns out Narrator doesn't announce dictated text either. What can change the picture is Voice Access and its dictation capability. Leaving this issue open.

Thanks.