How can I make the voice on Google maps navigation male?

[BringOnAutumn]

I read (on here) how all of the ‘assistant' voices are set to female as default, which is subliminally teaching our child/ boys that 'servant voices' should be female - or teaching them that they can demand things of females. This has been playing on my mind and I want to change everything to male. I’ve started with Google maps and I’m already stuck 🤦‍♀️

There should be a ? after (on here)

Hmm, I just looked for how to do it, and as far as I can see it's not possible. Which is odd, because for a while DHs google maps via applePlay in the car was male, but then it changed to the same female voice as I've got on my iPhone.

OTOH, perhaps navigation is the one 'assistant' that it's ok to leave female, to counter the persistent myth that women can't read maps.

A woman navigating is pretty good modelling I'd say.

That's just reinforcing the idea that women can't navigate though! Do you want your directions mansplained to you?

I don't think you can. I've been through quite a number of languages and every single one has a female voice. In TomTom I think you have a wider range of options.

I have gone in and changed the voice of the Google assistant (the person who speaks to you when you say "hey Google") to male - I hoped it might carry through to Google Maps but no joy

I was seeing it from the other way - why is it always up to the woman to have the mental load of knowing where to go all of the time 😅.

I'm just more interested in changing where I can

I think there's a practical explanation for the preponderance of female voices for these apps - they're usually clearer than a male voice. (Apparently Churchill insisted on women operating the control rooms during the war for this reason - I I heard that at the Radar museum in Norfolk last weekend)

I'd prefer it to be in the style of Malcolm Tucker. :)

Especially if the driver chooses not to follow its directions.

Female voices are more audible while driving, so I'll be leaving it on default.
This goes for radio presenters too. Some of the male ones on R4 are so deep they can't be heard at all.

I use an Android app for navigation when I'm in the car, and it has a female voice. But after reading this thread, I did some searching around on the phone, and it seems that the app is actually using the phone's default voice. It's possible to change that, and just looking at "UK English" voices, there are 7 different ones available, 4 women and 3 men. So now I'm going to try out one of the blokes.

As for the relationship between the navigation system and the user, I'm not sure which is ordering the other around!

I use Waze and you can so many voices, male female, celebrities etc
You can even have Father Christmas and Arnold Swarzenegger (DHs current favourite).

Waze is also the best Sat Nav I've ever used, highly recommend. Free as an app on your phone and works with Apple Car Play.

I think you can change your assistant voice in general on Android:

Go to your Google app
Tap the circle on top right (with your initial in it)
Tap setting
Tap Google Assistant
Scroll down to Assistant Voice and Sounds and play around in there to find a voice you want.
That will definitely change the voice you get when you use Hey Google, not sure if it affects the Google navigation voice.

I agree that Waze best navigation app though. Works with Android Auto as well as Apple Car Play as a PP said.

When I first got a TomTom I changed the voice from male to female. I wasn't having a male telling me where to go or what to do!

I find the Google map female voice calming!

I'm female btw!

Weirdly, our Google maps sometimes randomly changes to a male voice for a couple of instructions before reverting to female again. I assume it's a power struggle of some sort

I prefer to take instructions off a female voice. Although many years ago, I did have Uncle Bryn as the navigator voice.

This sounds like some cod psychology that someone has come up with. You could equally argue that it is teaching people that female voices are highly knowledgable.

I have a female voice because I don't want a man telling me where to go!

On my TomTom, back in the day, I did have Homer Simpson for a while - it was hilarious.

Clearly internalised misogyny. Smh

This is interesting. I suffer from moderate hearing loss and do indeed find women's voices easier to understand now.

Yet the audiologist says I am losing hearing in the higher frequencies - in common with most older people. I should find it harder to hear women and children? Just have to live with the mystery !

My sister had Basildon Dave. If you took a wrong turning he'd say : Oi ! Where you goin' ?

I thought voices were female because it's been shown that more people pay attention to a female voice - and because the technology of radio meant female voices were less affected by static and noise ?

The reason the computer in Star Trek was female was because there had been a USAF study into it, and they wanted to be as scientific as possible.

Voice operated instructions work better with female voices because men are slightly less likely to shout and use abuse at a female system. It's therefore more likely that the software understands what is being said to it when the initial instructions are being given by a woman. It's misogynistic at every level: users, coders, society!

This board gets crazier!!