Microsoft announces the end of support for the historic speech recognition feature introduced with Windows Vista on Windows 11. The focus is on more modern and advanced alternatives.
With version 22H2, Windows 11 was enriched with a new voice recognition service called Voice Access. Modern, efficient and versatile, it relies on AI and supports multiple languages. Fully integrated into the operating system, Voice Access is accessible from the search bar or from the settings. And it’s even connected to the virtual keyboard, allowing you to write text with your voice.
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Voice Access is currently not only available in English in countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. Microsoft plans to expand support to other regions in future updates. However, Windows 11 already benefits from a voice recognition function, function inherited from Windows Vista. What will become of it when Voice Access is pushed by Microsoft all over the world? She will disappear.
Voice Access will replace voice recognition on Windows 11
Microsoft has announced that it will no longer support Windows’ historical voice recognition. This abandonment is planned for December 2023. If you still have access to it, you only have a few days left to say goodbye. This handy feature allowed users to teach the operating system to recognize their voice to open applications or dictate commands. However, with the evolution of technologies, it is now outdated, since there is no longer any need for training.
Microsoft recommends that current users of this feature migrate to Voice Access. This decision is part of the process of Microsoft modernizationwhich favors the development of new features more adapted to the current needs of users. Speech recognition, while having served as an important tool for accessibility, is now being replaced by Windows 11’s new Voice Access system. This transition aligns with recent operating system updates and the removal old tools from Vista, like the famous Cortana, also disappeared this year.
Source: Microsoft