Ever wanted to send Chat-Messages like Whatsapp, Telegram, Facebook, Viber and so on using your Google Home or Alexa enabled device?
(If you are tired of hearing me and the GH speaking english with a horrible German accent, feel free to record a demo and send me the link, so I can put it here)
What will you need for this tutorial?
- Tasker
- AutoVoice
- Touchless Chat
This tutorial expects you to already have AutoVoice configured. If you didn't link it follow this tutorial first: https://goo.gl/cBF3ag
I'm using Whatsapp as example for this tutorial. You can easily adjust it for your Chat-Client, changing Whatsapp for whatever Service you want (as long as it's supported by TouchlessChat)
STEP 1 - ADD A NEW AUTOVOICE COMMAND
- in Tasker, add a New Profile with AutoVoice Recognized (Event -> Plugin-AutoVoice)
- Tap the pencil for configuration
- Under commands write send Whatsapp to $contact message $content
- under responses write okay. sending Whatsapp to $contact with the message $content . Do you want to send it? (Make sure to write dots, not commas. Commas would split it to different responsen)
- click the ✔ and go back to the Tasker Main Screen
- A Menu will open, tap New Task and write Set WA Variables as a name, tap the ✔ to accept
- In the Task add a new Variable Set (under Variable)
- Set Name to %Contact and To to %contact
- Add another Variable Set with %Content (Name) and %content (To)
- Go back to save the new Task
When a command with the matching pattern is recognized Contact Name and Message Content are read for checking the result and then they are set as global variables.
STEP 2 - TASK TO ACTIVATE TOUCHLESS CHAT
- open Tasker, go to Profiles and tap the +
- Choose AutoVoice Regognized (under event -> Plugin -> AutoVoice)
- tap the pencil for configuration
- Under commands write yes
- under responses write okay. message is being sent
- Tap the ✔ and than go back to the Tasker Main Screen
- A Menu will open, hit New Task
- Name it send Whatsapp, tap the ✔ to accept
- tap the + and Choose Send Message (under Plugin -> Touchless Chat)
- tap the pencil for configuration
- tap App and Choose Whatsapp
- tap Contact and write $Contact
- tap message Text and write $Content
Important: When testing the Task for the first time better check "confirm before sending". When checked your phone will again speak to you with your contact name and message before sending it. If it proved to work for you several times, you can go and uncheck it for more convenience. See why below (downsides)
- Go Back to Save the new Task
When you say "yes", TouchlessChat will send a new Whatsapp Message using the variables defined before.
STEP 3 - ADD AUTOVOICE COMMAND "NO"
- Open AutoVoice, Go to Personal Assistant -> Commands
- tap the + again
- Under commands write no
- under responses write okay. Repeat the command. (Make sure to write dots, not commas. Commas would split it to different responsen)
- click finish
- In the following screen (End conversation) Click No
- Give it a name (e.g. Message not correct
If you say "no" (for example if the message isn't correct), it does nothing and awaits you to speak your command again
STEP 4 - SET FIRST COMMAND AND NO COMMAND TO NOT END CONVERSATION
- search for the Command you configured in step 1 and 3 (Name should be something like "From Tasker (...)" - you might have to refresh by swiping down
- Long press on it and choose Toggle End Conversation
- back out from AutoVoice
Sets the first and third command to not end Listening so you can respond if you want to send the message or not.
You are ready to go! Just say "tell Autovoice Send whatsapp to *contacts name here* message *your message here*"
Should work with other messaging apps, too! Just make another task chosing another app.
Downsides:
When starting TouchlessChat on your phone (without GH) your input is recognized, interpreted and the result is read to you for confirmation (so it searched for a matching contact and tells you which was chosen, or informs you if it couldn't find any).
As there is no way (yet?) to send the processed information back to the Google Home it works different here:
Your GH just repeats what it understood and what will be sent to TouchlessChat. While this works for me, it could make problems, because processing is made afterwards (so, if you have 2 Toms in your contacts it will fail or send it to one of it - maybe the wrong one - without you noticing that.). This could make problems, that's why I recommend to use "confirm before sending" for some time, so your phone tells you what it actually gonna do.
Alternative: Split commdand
If you find it to difficult to say the whole command as one, you can perform the following steps. Then you would be able to say "Tell AutoVoice send Whatsapp to X", the Google Home/Echo will ask you what Message you want to send and then it will be send. Will leave you more time for thinking
Note: you can't have both at the same time with this tutorial! If you want to use both you would need to assign different commands (e.g. "send Whatsapp to.." for the long command and "send message to" for the short one)!
STEP 1 - Add a new AutoVoice Command
- in Tasker, add a New Profile with AutoVoice Recognized (Event -> Plugin-AutoVoice)
- Tap the pencil for configuration
- Under commands write send Whatsapp to $contact
- under responses write okay. what do you want to write to $contact ? Say write and then dictate your message (Make sure to write dots, not commas. Commas would split it to different responsen)
- click the ✔ and go back to the Tasker Main Screen
- A Menu will open, tap New Task and write Set Contact as a name, tap the ✔ to accept
- In the Task add a new Variable Set (under Variable)
- Set Name to %Contact and To to %contact
- Go back to save the new Task
STEP 2 - add part 2 of the command
- in Tasker, add a New Profile with AutoVoice Recognized (Event -> Plugin-AutoVoice)
- Tap the pencil for configuration
- Under commands write write $content
- under responses write okay. sending Whatsapp with the message $content . Do you want to send it? (Make sure to write dots, not commas. Commas would split it to different responses)
- click the ✔ and go back to the Tasker Main Screen
- A Menu will open, tap New Task and write Set Content as a name, tap the ✔ to accept
- In the Task add a new Variable Set (under Variable)
- Set Name to %Content and To to %content
- Go back to save the new Task
STEP 3 -Task to activate Touchless Chat
- open Tasker, go to Profiles and tap the +
- Choose AutoVoice Regognized (under event -> Plugin -> AutoVoice)
- tap the pencil for configuration
- Under commands write yes
- under responses write okay. message is being sent
- Tap the ✔ and than go back to the Tasker Main Screen
- A Menu will open, hit New Task
- Name it send Whatsapp, tap the ✔ to accept
- tap the + and Choose Send Message (under Plugin -> Touchless Chat)
- tap the pencil for configuration
- tap App and Choose Whatsapp
- tap Contact and write $Contact
- tap message Text and write $Content
- Go Back to Save the new Task
When you say "yes", TouchlessChat will send a new Whatsapp Message using the variables defined before.
Step 4 - Add AutoVoice command "No"
- Open AutoVoice, Go to Personal Assistant -> Commands
- tap the + again
- Under commands write no
- under responses write okay. Repeat the command. (Make sure to write dots, not commas. Commas would split it to different responsen)
- click finish
- In the following screen (End conversation) Click No
- Give it a name (e.g. Message not correct)
If you say "no" (for example if the message isn't correct), it does nothing and awaits you to speak your command again
Step 5 - Set first, second and forth command to not End Conversation
- search for the Command you configured in step 1,2 and 4 (Name should be something like "From Tasker (...)" - you might have to refresh by swiping down
- Long press on it and choose Toggle End Conversation
- back out from AutoVoice
Sets the first, second and third command to not end Listening so you can respond if you want to send the message or not.
Now you should be able to speak your command as one or seperated like this:
you: tell autoVoice send whatsapp to mom
GH: okay. sending Whatsapp to Mom. Say write and then dictate your message
you: write gonna visit you this weekend
GH: okay sending message with the text gonna visit you this weekend. Do you want to send it?
you: yes
GH sends it

Send Chat-Messages (Whatsapp/Telegram...) with your Google Home or Echo
Lets you send Chat-Messages using your Google Home or Amazon Echo and Touchless Chat