Samsung Galaxy S4: How to Fix Missing Microphone Button on Samsung Keyboard

In the stock Samsung keyboard, there are some keys that have several functions, for instance a key in the left side of Space bar(it's usually displayed with a Settings/Cog wheel icon), when you long tap this key, you will see some options available, such as Keyboard settings, Smiley, Clipboard, Microphone, etc. Those hidden button sometimes make some users who want to use one of them have difficulty to find the button.

See also: How to Find Mic Button on Samsung Keyboard

But, in certain case, the Mic button is completely not available though the user have had long tapped the key in the left side of Space bar, as experienced by one of insider named Linda. She says that she can't find Mic button though she has had long tapped the key in the left side of Space bar when she want to use it to voice to text.


How to fix missing mic button on Samsung keyboard?
If you're also experiencing the same problem, you can make the Mic button available again in your keyboard by following the steps below:
  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Tap My device tab.
  3. Scroll down to find Language and input, then tap it.
  4. Check the box in the left side of Google voice typing to enable this option. Enable this option will make the Mic button available on your Samsung keyboard and vice versa.
  5. Now, open an app that requires you to use keyboard, such as Messaging app.
  6. On keyboard, long tap the key in the left side of Space bar. You should see the Microphone icon displayed in the pop up menu as one of available option.

Well, with this post I also want to apologize to Linda for so late answer. I hope it's not too late. I personally seldom use Mic button to voice to text and more prefer to use keyboard to compose a text message, that's why I don't know much about this feature. So, how about you? Do you often use Mic button on your Samsung keyboard?

44 comments:

  1. What do you do if Google Voice Typing is not shown so I cant put a check in that box? All of a sudden, I have no more Mic, plus my Google widget isnt working!

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    1. Hi Jennifer Wiley,
      Thanks for coming.
      Did you made any change before missing the mic icon? Also, can you please tell me what's your model number and Android version?
      However, try to go to Settings> tap "More" tab> tap "Application manager"> swipe the screen to the right until you see the "All" screen> scroll to the very bottom and then see whether there's a Google-related app that has been disabled, if any, tap the app and then tap "Enable" button. Once done, check under the "Language and input" in the Settings menu, you should see the "Google Voice typing" option.
      Hope it helps :)

      Delete
    2. Thank you for posting!!! I had the same problem and 2 different Verizon stores had no clue and were ready to erase my entire phone and start from scratch. Had Google Search turned off and once I turned it back on, I was good to go.

      Delete
    3. Hi David Stonitsch,
      Thanks for coming.
      Glad to know that your issue finally can be resolved :)

      Delete
    4. THANK YOU REHAN!
      I searched for days trying to figure this out. Thank you!

      Delete
    5. Hi Cat Dunson,
      I also would like to thank you for coming and let me know that you can find something useful here :)

      Delete
    6. Thanks Rehan!!! Sprint couldn't help me either, but it was the same issue as above with the Google Search being turned off.

      Delete
    7. You're welcome, Bryan Rebold.
      Thanks for coming here :)

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    8. THANK YOU!!!Tried several thing on my Note 4, and there was a Google App disabled. Can not thank you enough!!

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    9. Finally just figured out on the microphone button missing (may be the settings icon) press it & hold until the microphone appears then click it & it'll be back where it belongs.

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    10. Thanks so much! It was a feature I use often and I'm glad to have it back.

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    11. Rehan, thank you so much for your information. I have been trying to get my microphone back on for almost a week. They didn't even know how to fix it at the Verizon store. Sometimes I have to speak texts.

      Delete
  2. That was it! I had the same problem and Google Voice Typing wasn't an option. But I found that Google Search was disabled when I went into my application manager and ask the way to the right to the apps turned off. This fixed the problem.

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    1. Hi Heather Morgan,
      Thanks for coming and your willing to share your useful experience here. I really appreciate it.
      I've just remembered, a few days back, other insider also confirmed that she finally got the Google Voice Typing option once she downloaded the Google Search into her phone. So, I can conclude that we have to download/enable the Google Search app to get the Google Voice Typing option and then we have to enable the Google Voice Typing option to get the microphone icon in the keyboard.

      Delete
    2. I love you people lol .. I lost my voice mic icon & it was the Google had been turned off.. you saves my bacon, years after your orifinal response! So glad it's still relevant!

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  3. I had the same problem, and it was driving me crazy! I read post after post and followed every suggestion but nothing was working. I finally read somewhere that once you enable Google Search in the Application Manager, you may have to restart your device to get it to work. That did the trick for me! I have my mic back and am now one happy camper!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Amber Kotula,
      Thanks for coming and share your useful experience here. I really appreciate it.
      You might have seen Heather Morgan's comment in this page and realized that she finally got back the Google voice typing option used a similar method with you, the difference is you had to restart your phone once you had re-enabled the Google search app but she didn't.

      Delete
  4. the middle line of my texting keyboard wont work, and when i get a text, go to reply, it wont do anything, so unable to text

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    1. Hi Chris Firth,
      Thanks for coming.
      Since you didn't mention your keyboard name, then I assume that you're using the stock Samsung keyboard. To fix this issue, try clearing the Samsung keyboard cache by using the following steps:
      1. Go to Settings.
      2. Tap "More".
      3. Tap "Application manager".
      4. Swipe the screen from right to the left until you find "All" tab.
      5. Scroll down to find "Samsung keyboard".
      6. Tap "Clear cache" button.
      7. Once done, restart the phone and try using your keyboard.

      Delete
  5. Hi, hoping someone can help. Google search and google voice recognition are enable but when I long tap the key immediately to the left of the space bar there is no microphone icon on the pop up menu. Any ideas?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Angela Parker,
      Thanks for coming.
      1. Try resetting app preferences
      Have you tried to perform reset app preferences? If you haven't, try it first by using the following steps:
      - Go to Settings.
      - Tap "More" tab.
      - Tap "Application manager".
      - In the Downloaded tab, tap the Menu key and then select "Reset app preferences".
      - Once done, restart the phone.
      2. Make sure you have set Samsung keyboard as your default keyboard.
      3. Make sure "Google voice typing" in the language an input menu is enabled.

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    2. THANK YOU . this is the only advice that helped. its annoying that i have to reset all the stupid crap that is the preset settings, like key noises. but at least the micro phone is back. thanks

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  6. Thanks for the help!! Fixed the problem on the first try!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Tam,
      Thanks for coming.
      Glad to know that this post has helped you :)

      Delete
  7. After performing every step I am still not offered a mic option on my keyboard. I have searched every outlet to get the talk to text back on my keyboard to no avail. In fact I don't have the google voice typing option under settings> my device> language and input...the mic option disappeared the same time my boyfriend lost every contact in his phone. He received a text but didn't know from who and that is how he discovered he lost every contact. He has an iphone with t mobile and I have a Samsung galaxy s5.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Kori Daniel,
      Thanks for coming.
      The Google voice typing option won't be available in the language and input menu if you have not installed Google search apps yet or this apps has been disabled. You can check it by using the following steps:
      1. Open Play Store.
      2. Search for "Google search".
      3. In the search result page, tap "Google search" app.
      4. If this app is disabled, tap "Enable button" to re-enable this app.
      5. If this app has not been installed yet, tap "Install" button and then tap "Accept" button.
      6. Now, go to the language and input menu and you should see the Google voice typing option.
      7. Enable "Google voice typing" option and you should have the mic option in your keyboard.

      Delete
  8. Do as was said above and also turn off Voice Control under My Device. I did and THEN I had my microphone icon back.

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    1. Hi Suzann Yelton,
      Thanks for coming and share your experience here.
      May I know your phone model?
      In my phone (GT-I9500), as long as the Google voice typing is enabled the mic icon always be there regardless whether the voice control is enabled or disabled.

      Delete
  9. REHAN.
    Worked Perfectly.
    Thank you for sharing your easy to follow instructions.
    You're wonderful!!!
    Thanks ☺ ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Joanne,
      Thanks for coming.
      I'm happy to know that you can find something useful here :)

      Delete
  10. I had the same issue and fixed it by uninstalling updates Google Text-to-speach Engine. I did the following:

    I went into "Settings"> tap "More" tab> tap "Application manager"> swipe the screen to the right until you see the "All" screen> scroll until I found "Google Text-to-speach Engine">clicked on "Google Text-to-speach Engine"> selected "Uninstall Updates".

    I was then able to go into my keyboard and select the microphone.

    Hopefully this helps!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Meshe,
      Thanks for coming and share your useful experience here. I really appreciate it :)
      Well, to make it easier for those who are still having no-mic issue, I'll summarize all the needed actions to resolve this issue:
      1. Make sure the Google search app has been installed. You can check it via Play Store app.
      2. If the Google search app has been installed, make sure it is not disabled. You can check it via App manager.
      3. Make sure the "Google voice typing" option in the Language and input menu is enabled.
      4. If needed, uninstall the latest update of the "Google Text-to-speach engine" from the App manager.

      Again, thanks Meshe. May God always bless you :)

      Delete
  11. Hi. Mine dissapeared the other day and now I can't get it back. I tried what you said, it still did not work! 😕 I even updated that program and still not there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi HeatherV,
      Thanks for coming.
      Try the following actions to resolve your issue:
      1. Make sure Google search app has been installed in your phone.
      2. Make sure Google app is not disabled.
      3. Make sure Google Voice typing option in the settings menu is enabled.

      Delete
    2. You rock. Been searching Google for 2 weeks for a solution. Finally! !!!!!

      Delete
  12. Installing Google Keyboard, then starting to enable it put the Google Voice Typing option under Keyboards and inputs. This fixed the same issue of missing mic icon on Galaxy Note 4.

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  13. Thanks for the post. Ilsuddenly the mic option disappeared and it was driving get me crazy. Couldn't figure out the problem at all. Now it's done. I had disabled Google search.

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  14. Thanks so much for posting this! I've been trying to add this microphone for months and could never find it. Thank you

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  15. OK took me awhile and drove me nits but finally figured it out. I had to download goggle voice typing app.then turn it on through settings, my device, language and input, turn on the new app goggle voice typing. Then it came back onto the keyboard. I would think that I deleted it some how. Or maybe another app took it out. Hope this solved the problem for others. Because I tried everything besides downloading the app.

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  16. Big help man! It was driving me nuts.

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  17. Thanks for the fix. This is so frustrating. It almost makes me want to change phones. This kind of stupid problem makes the Iphone look better and better

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  18. My clipboard disappeared and I can't use my emojis unless I'm in my messaging app please help me!!

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    1. Same problem on my note 5, any solutions?

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  19. Thank you! Android is has put on so many apps I no longer have room for what I want and turned off things I didn't recognize and lost the mic months ago and couldn't get it back.
    What can I turn off on android is for S4.

    ReplyDelete

Hi the insiders,
Thanks for coming and I hope you can get something useful here.
Before submitting your comment to ask about an issue, please make sure to provide information as much as possible (at least write your model number and Android version) and describe the problem clearly.
Also, since all comments will be moderated, all comments with irrelevant links(if any) or contain with offensive/harsh word will be deleted.
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