Q: Can I compose new emails?
A: Yes, you can compose new emails, replies and forwards while driving using Speaking Email CarPlay. To get this feature you will need to first purchase two extras: Voice Commands, and Sending.
To compose a new email, just say "compose" at any command listening trigger point, or on the main menu tap 'compose'. (Make sure you have the app open in the foreground on your phone as well as the carplay screen - the operating system only allows speech recognition if the app is in the foreground on the phone)
Speaking Email CarPlay asks you "who to?". Say the first and last name of anyone in your phone contacts (sometimes known as your phone address book). Speaking Email will ask for permission to access your contacts the first time, and you have to tap OK to give your permission.
Speaking Email CarPlay searches your contacts for the name you said and any similar sounding names. If there is more than one choice it shows a list of possibilities. If you can't remember the last name, say just the first name and see all the options. And if a contact has more than one email address, the alternatives are displayed. In all cases of picking from a list, you can say "list" to have the options read out to you, and say the option or its number to select.
If you don't want to use your phone contacts this can be switched off in the preferences, and we allow you to set up your own list of favourite recipients (in preferences > replies, forwarding, compose). If you switch off phone contacts, Speaking Email will instead display the favourite recipients list for you to pick from. Say the number or first part of the email address to select it. If you are using phone contacts you can still use the favourites list as well, by saying "favourites".
After choosing the recipient, you are asked to say the subject. Speaking Email then asks you to compose the message. Here you can dictate your message, including punctuation.
If you pause for 5 seconds Speaking Email CarPlay will ask you to say a dictation command. You can say "subject" to change the subject, or "recipients" to change or add additional recipients to your message. Say "help" for a list of command you can say here. Or look in the Command Quick Reference under the Support menu.
What is Speaking Email CarPlay?
An app for iPhone and Apple CarPlay that reads your email out loud to you. It intelligently extracts content from emails (minus the signatures, disclaimers and threads). And it lets you action your email - archive, mark-as-read, trash, flag - using the CarPlay interface controls. It works Office 365 and Gmail email accounts, as well as most other providers including any standard IMAP server.
Who is it for?
People who are busy and run out of time to get through their inbox. People who want to make productive use of time when driving between appointments.
What if I don't have CarPlay?
See our other product Speaking Email for iPhone and Android for anyone who doesn't have CarPlay.
Is is free?
Yes it is free to download and you can do a lot with the free version. Free features:
- Email text-to-speech (TTS) with smart content detection (this is awesome, you will be blown away!)
- CarPlay buttons next/prev, archive, flag, delete
Do I have to upgrade?
Nope, but you can upgrade for:
- Multiple accounts
- Attachment reading
- Voice commands (you will love this!)
- Dictation - reply/forward/compose (you will love this even more!)
