# Solved: Nexus 7 keyboard -- microphone icon key missing



## wgreene

Suddenly, and inexplcably, the microphone icon key is missing from my Google Nexus 7 keyboard, which means I no longer have the voice-to-text function. The microphone icon was located at the bottom left of the keyboard, two keys to the left of the spacebar. Now a comma is pictured there and the microphone icon key has disappeared. 

I called ASUS support which was unable to figure out how to solve this problem. The ASUS tech told me to check with GOOGLE support. That's when I decided to post at this forum, hoping to get a quicker answer.

I removed some recently installed apps, but that didn't work. Also, I went into Settings > Language and input, and noticed that "Google voice typing" was already checked. I didn't try making any changes in Settings. 

I would greatly appreciate hearing from anyone who may have an answer. Thank you very much.


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## Triple6

What keyboard are you using? Have you recently installed a third part keyboard?

http://www.androidguys.com/2011/03/07/android-1-change-keyboard/


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## wgreene

Thank you for your response. I haven't installed a third-party keyboard. I'm using the standard keyboard that automatically pops up when I attempt a "Find in Page." I had been using the microphone key daily for a year or so only to find out yesterday that it had disappeared. 

I have two Nexus 7's, one from each generation. Both have recently been upgraded to version 4.4.4.. Oddly, the missing mike key is a problem only on the newer unit. On my older Nexus 7 the mike key is still there in its original location both for Find in Page and for e-mail. I can't understand why there would be a difference between the two units.. 

Now things get even stranger. Last night I noticed on my newer Nexus 7 that the mike key was still available for e-mail, but that it had been moved to a different location on the keyboard. Well, guess what?! Just now I attempted to send an e-mail on my newer unit only to discover that the newly-relocated mike icon was no longer there!! There one day, gone the next! Things are really getting mysterious.

Finally, I keep getting an annoying "Application has crashed" pop-up every time I go to use my newer unit. I figure this is unrelated to the keyboard change, but I guess anything's possible.


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## Triple6

Have you put the two devices side by side and looked through all the "Keyboard & Language" under Settings to verify that the settings are set the same? If you click About does it show the same version?


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## wgreene

They appear to be essentially the same. The same Google Keyboard (English-US) for both units. Also, they have the same Android version (4.4.4) and the same Build number. Different Kernel version, although I assume that's normal. Both have Google voice typing checked.


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## Triple6

What about the keyboard version, it should list that under the Keyboard section under About.


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## wgreene

If you're referring to "About tablet," under that heading I see mention of a keyboard. When I go to Settings > Apps, I see that while both tablets have Google Keyboards, the versions are differently numbered. The older unit has a 3.0 version while the newer one has a 3.1 version. Whether or not that makes any difference, I have no idea. Perhaps the version nos.should be different since the tablets are from different generations. 

Also, for what it's worth, not only is the microphone icon missing from the newer Nexus 7's keyboard, but also the comma and the "back slash" are in different locations on the two keyboards. Frankly, I find all of this quite confusing. I'm currently on hold with Google. If I learn anything from them I'll post it here.


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## Triple6

I was actually referring to the About Google Keyboard under the Keyboard & Language section. In that same section there's also an option to enable the Voice Input Key, is that on?


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## wgreene

In Settings I don't see any mention of either Keyboard & Language or About Google Keyboard. Instead, I see Language & Input, under which I see English (US) - Google Keyboard as my default keyboard.


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## Triple6

Ok, little different then the phones I looked at but that's the spot. Did you get anywhere with Google support?


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## wgreene

Not really, although I must've talked with the tech guy for nearly an hour. We tried several things but nothing worked. He said he'd never encountered this particular problem before. He finally said he'd discuss the problem with his supervisor and get back with me if they come up with a possible solution, then sent me an e-mail to respond to in case I happen to come up with something new in the meantime.

I did learn something that holds true for both E-mail and G-mail: whenever I_ respond to_ an e-mail the microphone key is available. However, when I _compose_ an e-mail the mike key is not available. I find it strange that on my older Nexus 7 the mike key is _always_ there, both for responding and composing.

Well, I just did a factory reset on my newer unit, but, unfortunately, that changed nothing.

Okay, someone from Google just e-mailed me with two suggestions: (1) try a different keyboard; and/or (2) use Google Now to send talk-to-text e-mails. Neither of those, of course, solves the problem of the missing mike key.


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## Triple6

Try turning "Google Voice Typing" off then back on. Go to Language & Input and flip the slide off then back on. Then under Google Keyboard do the same thing.

After the factory reset did you reinstall the Google Keyboard from the Play Store or are you just using the default Android keyboard. Check the Google Play Store to make sure the Google Keyboard is installed and updated.

Also, "Mike" is a person's name, "mic" is the short form of "microphone".


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## wgreene

Triple6 said:


> Try turning "Google Voice Typing" off then back on. Go to Language & Input and flip the slide off then back on. Then under Google Keyboard do the same thing.
> 
> After the factory reset did you reinstall the Google Keyboard from the Play Store or are you just using the default Android keyboard. Check the Google Play Store to make sure the Google Keyboard is installed and updated.
> 
> Also, "Mike" is a person's name, "mic" is the short form of "microphone".


I turned on and off "Google Voice Typing" but nothing changed.

In Google Play Store I see that Google Keyboard has a check mark next to it, indicating that I already have it. It is up-to-date. Since I've never added any extra keyboards, I'm assuming that's the one that pops up automatically before I start to type. If the Google Keyboard and the default Android keyboard are not one and the same, then perhaps I should uninstall the Google Keyboard, which I have the option to do, and go with the default. That could be the answer.

I'm not sure what you mean by "flip the slide."

Obviously, you're correct in pointing out that capitalized "Mike" is a male name. On the other hand, lower-case mike is the original--and still an acceptable--abbreviated form of microphone. Of course, I realize that "mic" has long been favored by audio professionals (and, more recently, rappers), and since this forum tends to be a bit technical, I can understand the overall preference here for "mic." It's just that I'm old enough to remember when "mike" was the only officially recognized abbreviation. It's certainly more acceptable phonetically.


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## wgreene

I failed to mention that, in addition to their suggestions, Google Support said they're still searching for a solution. 

Actually, I feel like I'm making this missing microphone key into too big of an issue. The only reason I've continued to pursue it is because I just can't understand why this "problem" exists on my newer tablet but not on my older one. I feel like there has to be an answer.

However this turns out, I truly appreciate your offers of help. Thank you very much for continuing to stay with me.:up::up:


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## Triple6

Sorry, I meant slider as in the on/off.

You can uninstall the Google keyboard and it should go back to the standard Android keyboard. I assume the Nexus 7, like the Nexus 5 and other non-Google Android phones, comes with standard keyboard. 

I guess another thing to try is switch the keyboard to English(UK) and see if that changes anything.


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## wgreene

Well, I finally decided to just follow Google Play's advice and chose another keyboard--SwifKey. At first I couldn't figure out how to activate the SwiftKey microphone, but quickly learned that long-pressing the key was the answer. The keyboard's format and appearance are quite different from what I've been accustomed to, but I actually believe I may end up liking it better than the Google. Heck, while I'm at it I may even try out a few more keyboards. Even so, it's a bit disappointing to realize that perhaps I'll never have the answer to the mystery of the disappearing microphone key!

Thank you once again for your advice and suggestions


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## plodr

Nexus 7 is a tablet, not a phone.

I just got an ASUS Memo 7" (2014 model) tablet which is similar to the Nexus 7. Since I don't have a smart phone and it is my first tablet, I'm still stumbling around.

I fired my Memo up and the "mike" appears at times and disappears at others. I was trying out things to see when it disappears but didn't stumble in that direction so far. If I discover something, I'll add to this thread.


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## Triple6

Wait, have you tried long pressing the "." key on the Google keyboard even though the icon is not there?

I have used Swift key and liked it but I didn't want to pay for it, then I switched to the Google Keyboard and now like it.


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## plodr

I don't have any keyboards installed. So that means I'm using the one that came with KitKat.
I went to googleplay and noticed that went I went to search, there was no "mike".


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## Triple6

plodr said:


> I don't have any keyboards installed. So that means I'm using the one that came with KitKat.
> I went to googleplay and noticed that went I went to search, there was no "mike".


You would have to search Keyboard or Google Keyboard, the microphone is just a feature of the keyboard.

You also have Google Now.


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## plodr

I don't use google now.
The microphone is also a feature of the default android keyboard, which so far is fine for what I am learning to do.


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