Voice Commands

This article is written for: ✅ Zello Work ❌ Zello Friends & Family.

Voice Commands let you operate Zello with a quick tap, then keep your hands free and your eyes up. Tap your accessory button (or the waveform icon on the talk screen), say what you want to do, and Zello takes care of the rest: sending a message to a teammate, switching channels, replaying the last message, or starting an emergency. Zello confirms every action out loud, so you always know what happened without looking at your screen.

Voice Commands are designed for frontline work where your hands and eyes are already busy, like driving, carrying equipment, or caring for a patient. Because all speech processing happens on your device, no audio or transcript ever leaves your phone.

Before you begin

To use Voice Commands, make sure you have:

A Zello Work account on a network where an admin has enabled Voice Commands.

Notification sounds enabled on your device for Zello. Voice Command audio cues play through notifications, so they must be on for you to hear them.

You can start a voice command with the on-screen button in the Zello app, a dedicated hardware PTT button (such as supported Zebra devices), or a supported Bluetooth PTT accessory (such as Shokz).

How to use Voice Commands

Start a command. Single-tap your accessory or device button, or tap the waveform icon on the talk screen.
Wait for the beep, then speak. You'll hear a short intro beep letting you know Zello is listening. Say your command, for example "Message Maria" or "Open Floor 2."
Listen for confirmation. Zello confirms what it's doing out loud (for example, "Floor 2" when switching channels, or "No recent messages" if there's nothing to replay).

You don't need to memorize exact wording. Each command understands several natural phrasings. To start a message to a contact you already have open, just press and hold PTT as usual.

Important: If Zello hears the wrong person or channel, tap your accessory button once to cancel the command before it goes through. If Zello doesn't catch your command the first time, it will automatically listen once more.

Voice Command reference guide

Voice Commands cover the actions you'll use most in the field: reaching a teammate, moving between channels, replaying what you missed, and calling for help. Each command works with several natural phrasings, so you don't need to memorize exact wording. Below is each type of action you can perform by voice, along with what to say to trigger it.

Send a message to someone

What it does: Starts a push-to-talk message to a contact or channel in one step.
What to say: The person's or channel's name after a phrase like "Message," "Talk to," or "Send a message to." For example, "Message Maria" or "Send a message to Floor 2."

Open a contact or switch channels

What it does: Opens a contact or switches to a channel without sending a message.
What to say: The name after a phrase like "Open," "Switch to," or "Go to." For example, "Open Floor 2" or "Switch to Maria."

Replay the last message

What it does: Replays the most recent message you received.
What to say: "Replay," "Repeat," or "Replay last message."

Start or cancel an emergency

What it does: Triggers or cancels a Zello emergency alert, fully hands-free.
What to say: "Help" or "Start emergency" to trigger an alert; "Cancel emergency" to stop one.

Note: When you start an emergency, Zello confirms with "Starting emergency alert" and plays an audible 3-2-1 countdown before the alert is sent, giving you time to cancel if needed.

Understanding audio cues

Voice Commands guide you entirely by sound using audio cues, so you can keep your eyes on your work:

Intro beep: Zello is ready and listening for your command.
Spoken confirmation: tells you whether your command succeeded (for example, the channel name) or failed (for example, "Failed to change channel").
Emergency countdown: a spoken confirmation followed by a 3-2-1 countdown when you start an emergency.

Note: Because these cues play through notifications, they'll still sound even if your device is set to silent or vibrate. Keep Zello notifications enabled so you never miss a confirmation.

Enabling Voice Commands

Voice Commands are turned off by default and are enabled per network by an admin. At the moment, Voice Commands are a Beta feature and can be enabled via the beta console.

Sign in to the Management Console at [yournetworkname].zellowork.com.
Select Administration, then Settings.
Locate the Voice Commands setting and enable it using the toggle.(Note that a green toggle means that Voice Commands are enabled.)
Click Save and Apply.

Note: If your users don't see the change right away, have them sign out and back in. Zello applies network settings at sign-in.

Troubleshooting

If Voice Commands aren't working the way you expect, find the symptom below that matches what you're seeing and follow the steps to fix it.

Your command wasn't recognized
Rephrase your request using one of the examples in the command reference guide, and be sure to start speaking after the intro beep. If a command is missed, Zello automatically listens once more so you can try again.

Your commands work less reliably on a wired headset
Wired headsets pick up your voice less strongly than Bluetooth accessories do. Speak clearly and directly into the mic, and in loud environments consider using a Bluetooth accessory for more reliable results.

You reached the wrong person or channel
To make sure your command reaches the right contact or channel, say the full, exact name of that person or channel. This helps when several names sound alike, and it's especially important when two contacts share the same first name, since Zello won't guess between them.

Nothing happens when you tap your accessory
Confirm your accessory is connected and supported for Voice Commands, and check that your network admin has enabled the feature for your network.

You can't hear the spoken confirmations
Voice Command cues play through notifications, so make sure Zello notifications are enabled on your device.