Find videos with voice search

Use voice search to find videos.

Manage audio recordings from YouTube voice search

Important: Based on other settings, audio recordings may be saved in other places.

When you speak to YouTube voice search, a Google service, Google uses its audio recognition technologies to process your audio and respond to you.

The YouTube audio recordings setting saves audio recordings from your YouTube voice search interactions in your Google Account with your YouTube History. As detailed below, Google can use your YouTube History to improve Google's audio recognition technologies. Unless you turn it on, this audio recording setting is off.

How audio recordings are used

If you choose to save audio recordings with your YouTube History, Google uses this audio to develop and improve its audio recognition technologies and the Google services that use them, such as YouTube voice search.

For some audio technology improvements, trained reviewers listen, transcribe, and annotate saved audio samples so Google services can better analyze the audio. Google takes steps to protect your privacy, which includes the separation of your audio from your account when reviewers analyze it.

Start a voice search

  1. Sign in to YouTube.
  2. Tap Search Search.
  3. Tap Mic .
  4. Allow access to the microphone. Recording starts immediately.
    • To end the recording: Tap Mic .
    • To go back or cancel the recording: Tap Remove Remove.

Change microphone permissions

If you previously denied microphone permissions, you may get a request to allow microphone permissions in your phone settings.

  1. If you have a prompt to allow microphone permissions: To go to Settings, tap the prompt.
  2. If you don’t have a prompt to allow microphone permissions: On your phone, go to Settings.
  3. Tap Apps and Notifications.
  4. Find the YouTube app.
  5. Tap YouTube settings.
  6. Tap Permissions.
  7. Tap Microphone.
  8. Tap either Allow only while using the app or Ask every time.

When you return to the YouTube app, you should be able to search with your voice.

More ways you can use your voice

Currently, these commands are available only on Android. Some may not be available in every language.

Watch or listen to specific content

  • Go directly to a random music track or video: "Play some music."
  • Play a video or music track from a specific artist: "Play songs from Ariana Grande."
  • Play a video or music track from a specific genre: "Play heavy metal music."
  • Play a video or music track based on how you’re feeling: "Play relaxing music."
  • Play a video from your recommended list: "Play recommended videos."

Go to a specific page on YouTube

  • Go to subscriptions: "Show me my subscriptions" or "What's new from my subscriptions?"
  • Go to your watch history: "Show my watch history."
  • Go to your library: "Show me my library."
  • Go to a creator’s recent uploads: "Show me the latest videos from TeamYouTube."
  • Go to related videos based on the current video you’re watching: "Show related videos."
  • Get lucky with a new video: "What’s on YouTube?"

Turn audio recordings on or off

  1. Open your device's Settings app and then Google.
  2. Tap Manage your Google Account.
  3. At the top, tap Data & privacy.
  4. Under "History settings," tap YouTube History.
  5. To turn the setting on or off, check or uncheck the box next to "Include audio recordings."

Google only saves audio recordings in your Google Account with your YouTube history when all of these are true:

  • You’re signed in to your Google Account.
  • The audio recordings setting is on.
    • If this setting is off, even if you’re signed in, Google won’t save audio recordings in your Google Account with your YouTube history.
  • You use voice search within YouTube.
    • When you use Google Search or Assistant to search YouTube, the audio recordings setting doesn’t save audio.

When the audio recordings setting is on and you activate voice search from within YouTube while signed in to your Google Account, Google saves audio recordings in your Google Account with your YouTube History. When you use Google Search or Assistant to search YouTube, this setting doesn’t save audio.

When the audio recordings setting is off and you activate voice search from within YouTube, even if you’re signed in, Google won't save audio recordings in your Google Account with your YouTube History. When you speak to Google services, in order to help us respond to you, Google continues to process your audio.

This YouTube voice search audio setting doesn’t affect audio saved and managed by other Google services you can use to search for YouTube videos with your voice, such as Google Search and Assistant. You can control whether audio from Google Search, Assistant, and Maps is saved with your Web & App Activity at activity.google.com.

If you turn the audio recordings setting off, previously saved audio isn’t deleted. You can delete your audio recordings at any time.

Find or delete your audio recordings

Find your audio recordings

Important: If you get the "Transcript not available" message, the recording may have had too much background noise.

Based on your Google Account settings, audio recordings may be saved in other places.

To find YouTube voice search audio saved with your YouTube History:

  1. Open your device's Settings app and then Google.
  2. Tap Manage your Google Account.
  3. At the top, tap Data & privacy.
  4. Under "History settings," tap YouTube History and then Manage history. You can:
    • Review a list of your past activities. Items with Audio have a recording.
    • To play the recording: Next to the Audio , tap Details and then View recording and then Play Play.
Tip: To add more security, you can require an extra verification step to view your full history.

Delete recordings from your YouTube History

Delete one item at a time

  1. Open your device's Settings app and then Google.
  2. Tap Manage your Google Account.
  3. Tap Data & privacy.
  4. Under "History settings," tap YouTube History and then Manage history.
    • You can find a list of your past activities.
    • Items with Audio have a recording.
  5. Next to the item you want to delete, tap Delete Remove and then Delete.

Delete all items at once

These steps delete all of your YouTube History items, not just items that include a recording.

  1. Open your device's Settings app and then Google.
  2. Tap Manage your Google Account.
  3. Tap Data & privacy.
  4. Under "History settings," tap YouTube History and then Manage history.
    • You can find a list of your past activities.
    • Items with Audio have a recording.
  5. Above your activity, tap Delete Down Arrow.
  6. Select All time.
  7. To delete your activity, follow the instructions.

Delete your audio recordings automatically

The auto-delete option removes all of your YouTube History items, not just items that include an audio recording.

  1. Open your device's Settings app and then Google.
  2. Tap Manage your Google Account.
  3. Tap Data & privacy.
  4. Under "History settings," tap YouTube History and then Auto-delete.
  5. Choose an auto-delete option for your YouTube History.
  6. Tap Auto-delete activity older than.
  7. Select how long you want to keep your activity.
  8. Tap Next.
  9. Tap Confirm.

Google may delete audio sooner if it's no longer needed for development and improvement. For example, less audio may be needed for some languages over time.

Manage audio recordings

You can manage audio recordings, saved with YouTube History, at activity.google.com. For example, you can:

  • Under the YouTube History setting, turn the audio recordings setting on or off anytime.
  • Listen to your audio.
  • Choose an auto-delete option or delete audio manually.
    • Google may delete audio sooner if it's no longer needed for development and improvement. For example, less audio may be needed for some languages over time.

  • Download your audio at takeout.google.com.

You can learn about other data Google saves and why and how data is used to improve our services at policies.google.com. This includes how technologies keep your info safe and how controls help you manage your privacy across our services.

Other places audio recordings may be saved

The YouTube voice search audio setting doesn’t affect audio saved and managed by other Google services you can also use to search for YouTube videos with your voice, such as Google Search and Assistant. You can control whether audio from Google Search, Assistant, and Maps is saved with your Web and App Activity at activity.google.com.

This setting also doesn’t affect audio saved on your device for other purposes, such as when you set up and fine-tune your personal voice match or otherwise personalize audio technologies on your device.

To improve audio recognition technologies with federated learning or ephemeral learning, Google may use other machine learning processes not controlled by this setting. For example:

  • When the Improve Gboard setting is on, to help improve speech recognition for everyone, Gboard may save and process audio on your device. It doesn't send what you say to the server. Learn how Gboard gets better.
  • To improve its audio recognition technologies that use ephemeral learning, Google may process and analyze your audio in real time. This process doesn’t save audio with your YouTube History. Learn more at yt.be/speechlearningmodels.

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