Audio Email Apps - Listening to Emails and Replying to Emails Via Voice
Audiobooks have inspired me to bring more audio opportunities in my life to get things done.
One is reading and answering emails.
There is an iOS and Android app, Speaking Email.
Here is the website.
iOS
Android
Pros
It allows you to read out emails sequentially from your inbox and decide what to do from there.
- Email-by-email mode: after reading the subject,
- say "next" to go to the next email or
- wait to continue listening to the body of the email or
- say "reply" to reply to the current email
- Inbox mode
- read out the subjects of each email
- decide to reply to which email by stating the index of that email
- Navigate around the app by voice commands
Cons
- A bit unwieldy; the voice recognition is not that sensitive and can miss commands.
- You can only give commands every 30 seconds due to the technological constraints of the app.
- It is inherently hard to browse an email client designed for a visual rather than audio interface.
Further Exploration
I have not decided whether reading and replying to emails via audio is a good idea.
It could be a matter of habit and getting an intuition of how to navigate emails via audio rather than via visual.
The narration of emails by audio is pretty easy to use and listen to.
I am planning to start with that to go through and think about replies to emails.
I can always type out my replies after listening and thinking them through with the app.
Other Apps
I cannot seem to find another app that does something similar to Speaking Email.
I would be keen on exploring other options so that I can answer emails while walking or doing laundry for example.
Cool!
Let us know if you will keep using this option, or discard it.
Sometimes there is a risk of using technology for the sake of it, rather than because it adds real value, so one must be careful it really saves time / add value.
Sometimes there is a risk of using technology for the sake of it, rather than because it adds real value, so one must be careful it really saves time / add value.
I am fully on the same page as this.
I have 2 objectives of doing this:
- Finding out unexpected ways of doing things more efficiently. Or unexpected new ways.
- Saving time on email.
I am exploring ways to cut down time on emails.
Going audio may not be the most optimal way.
Maybe I will start another thread on how to handle emails.
- Inbox zero: personally works for me; others say it's not for them
- Schedule exact times to check emails. Big blocks and in-between breaks.
- Block your email. Resist temptation through productivity blockers.
I have not figured out the best email system for myself.
I have researched and thought about it.
However, I never seemed to find any that deeply resonates with me.
Matthew: Inbox zero: personally works for me; others say it's not for them
What's this, Matthew?
Like you seek to get to the bottom of your emails, and have zero unread emails?
One step further. No emails in inbox.
Whenever I check my email, I move all my emails to other folders. So there are absolutely no emails left in the inbox.
I treat my inbox like a physical mailbox. I take all the letters out of it.
This forces me to not overthink emails. Act now: reply, ignore, or find out how to reply.
Usually I have 0-5 emails in my inbox. Helps to manage my attention span.