This problem is mentioned in following sources:
- twice on Google Groups:
- and once in CNet: http://reviews.cnet.com/operating-systems/google-android-4-1/4864-3671_7-35339167-1.html
In short: after update to Android 4.1 you have two voices in Google Navigation:
- clearly sampled, human voice, giving you driving directions,
- ugly, crapy, TTS (Text-to-Speech) computer voice, trying to read nearly everything.
What is the worst, the second voice does not rely on driving or location data received from Navigation. Instead, it tries to read everything, what it "sees" on screen. So, if you have 350 meteres to turn, you'll hear "turn left in 350 em" (yes, "em", not "meteres", just "em")!
Of course, as nearly everything in Google, you can't turn in off.
Simply because they removed in Android 4.1 the option to disable Text-to-Speech. And there was never any option for controlling voice guide in Navigation itself. Our wonderful, bellowed Google again (over and over again) has decided that they know better, what user wants or needs. And that Text-to-Speech will be always on.
People complying (in posts like above) around the world, that Google has sold them shit with Android 4.1, and what has Google (Support) to say about it?
We're always working on improving Android's text-to-speech capabilities; our latest release (Android 4.1/Jelly Bean) made some big strides in that area. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences!
Yeah, right! Big stride toward giving user not tested, buggy, crappy functionality and disallowing him to turn it off! I've never seen bigger piece of shit in my entire life!
Possible, not working solution
On some systems (most 4.0 ICS and some 4.1 JellyBeans) you can:
- turn-off Pico TTS itself or
- turn off TalkBack functionallity (look for ease of use options, one of the last in settings).
On most 4.1 JellyBean this does not work and there is no way to get rid of second, crappy voice in Google Navigation, on system level. Even turning off TalkBack and introducing many other solutions discussed in the Internet won't help here.
The real, working solution
It was tested and proven by me that installing Polish IVONA TTS system fixes above mentioned problem. It seems that IVONA wins, where Google and Pico fails. It does not try to read things in Google Navigation, leaving it its own voice guide.
IVONA is purely Polish product, but you can use voice packs for many languages:
- British English (Amy),
- American English (Kendra),
- German (Marlene),
- Romanian (Carmen),
- French (Celine),
- Spanish (Conchita),
- Italian (Giorgio)
and some more.
Even, if you're language is not there, you can always install IVONA, select it as default TTS engine and use in in English. It for sure (1000%) gives you a far better, HQ TTS quality in exchange for extremely poor, crapy Google's Pico guy.
Once again, small company from Poland has beaten up gigant Google and provided simple solution, where Google failed completely! I still can't believe, and will never understand, how can someone introduce beta, not tested, not working and totally crappy solution and don't give users any ability to turn it off?