> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.tellius.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.tellius.com/tellius-6.4/kaiya/kaiya-conversational-ai/voice-mode.md).
# Voice mode
Talk with Kaiya out loud in Kaiya chat. Ask questions by voice, hear a short spoken summary, and find the full written answer saved in the conversation.
In Tellius 6.4, voice mode lets you have a spoken conversation with Kaiya. You ask a question out loud, and Kaiya answers out loud with a short summary of the key facts and numbers. At the same time, Kaiya writes the full answer into the conversation, with its charts, citations and **How Kaiya got this**. When you leave voice mode, everything you said and every answer is there to read.
For voice mode in releases before Tellius 6.4, see [Kaiya Voice Mode](https://help.tellius.com/kaiya/kaiya-voice-mode).
{% hint style="info" %}
**Voice mode or Dictate?** Both use your microphone, but they work differently.
* **Dictate** (the microphone icon) turns what you say into text in the message box. Nothing is sent until you select **Send**, so you can check and edit the words first. Kaiya answers in writing only. Use it when you want a written question but don't want to type, or when the wording must be exact.
* **Use voice mode** (the round icon with sound waves) starts a back-and-forth conversation. Kaiya listens, answers out loud and keeps listening for your next question. Use it when you want to explore a topic hands-free, for example while you look at a dashboard or step away from the keyboard.
{% endhint %}
### Before you start
* **Voice must be turned on.** In Kaiya chat, the **Use voice mode** button appears in the message box only when an administrator has turned on the voice assistant with OpenAI as the provider. On the home page, the voice button appears whenever the voice assistant is on. With **DeepGram** or **ElevenLabs** as the provider, it opens the earlier voice window instead of voice mode in the chat. See [Kaiya Voice Mode](https://help.tellius.com/kaiya/kaiya-voice-mode) and [Turn on voice (administrators)](#turn-on-voice-administrators) below.
* **Pick your data first.** Kaiya answers voice questions from the Business View selected in the message box, in the same way as typed questions. Choose the Business View before you start, or leave **Auto detect BV** so Kaiya picks one. Kaiya can also answer from documents.
* **Allow the microphone.** If your browser asks whether Tellius can use your microphone, allow it. Voice mode can't hear you without it.
### Start voice mode
1. In the message box, on the home page or in a conversation, select **Use voice mode**. It sits beside **Dictate**, to the left of **Send**.
2. Voice mode opens over the chat, and the chat behind it is blurred. The status under the Kaiya logo reads **Connecting...** and then **Listening...** once voice mode is ready.
3. Kaiya greets you out loud. Ask your question in your own words.
If you start voice mode from a new chat, your first question creates a new conversation. It is saved in your conversation list like any other.
### While you talk with Kaiya
* **The transcript.** A panel under the status shows the conversation as you go. Your words appear under **You**, and Kaiya's reply appears under **Kaiya** as it is spoken. Older turns scroll up inside the panel.
* **While Kaiya works.** Kaiya says short lines such as "On it, checking that now" or "Just a moment", so you know it heard you. These lines are spoken only and are not added to the transcript.
* **The spoken answer.** Kaiya speaks a short summary that leads with the key numbers. It often ends by offering to go deeper, for example into one region or one product.
* **Follow-up questions.** Answer the offer, or ask your next question. Kaiya keeps the context of the whole conversation, so you can say "Now break that down by region" without repeating the first question.
* **The status.** It keeps reading **Listening...** for the whole session, including while Kaiya speaks and while your microphone is muted.
{% hint style="success" %}
**Get better spoken answers.** Ask one question at a time and name the measure and the period, for example "What were total sales last quarter by region?". The spoken answer is a summary. For a table, a chart or the exact figures, read the full written answer after you leave voice mode.
{% endhint %}
### Voice mode controls
* **Microphone.** Select it to mute your microphone. Its tooltip reads **Mute** while Kaiya can hear you. When muted, the button turns red with a line through the microphone, and its tooltip reads **Unmute**. Muting doesn't stop Kaiya. It still answers the question you already asked. Unmute when you want to ask the next one.
* **X (Exit Voice Mode).** Closes voice mode and takes you back to the conversation.
{% hint style="info" %}
**When to mute.** If you are in a noisy room or talking to someone else, mute after you finish your question. The microphone then can't pick up other speech while Kaiya works on your answer.
{% endhint %}
### After you leave voice mode
When you select **Exit Voice Mode**, voice mode closes and you are back in the same conversation. Every voice question and answer is saved there as ordinary messages:
* your questions, as you said them
* Kaiya's full written answers, with charts, tables and citations, which are longer and more detailed than what Kaiya said out loud
* **How Kaiya got this** on each answer, and the **Based on** line that names the Business View
You can carry on by typing, select a follow-up question, share the conversation, or start voice mode again. See [Kaiya responses](https://help.tellius.com/kaiya/kaiya-conversational-ai/kaiya-responses).
### What voice mode doesn't do in Tellius 6.4
* **No Apps or Missions by voice.** You can't create an App or a Mission in voice mode. Type the request in the chat instead. See [Kaiya Apps](https://help.tellius.com/kaiya/kaiya-apps) and [Kaiya Missions](https://help.tellius.com/kaiya/understanding-ai-agents-and-agentic-flows/kaiya-missions).
* **One voice provider.** In Tellius 6.4, voice mode in Kaiya chat works only with the OpenAI voice provider.
### Turn on voice (administrators)
Voice is set up under **Settings → Intelligence → Kaiya & AI → Kaiya Configuration**, in the **Voice Assistant** section.
1. Turn on **Enable Voice Assistant**. The provider fields appear below it.
2. Under **Voice Assistant Type**, choose **OpenAI**. The list also offers **DeepGram** and **ElevenLabs**, but voice mode in Kaiya chat appears only when **OpenAI** is selected.
3. Enter an OpenAI **API Key** that has access to OpenAI's Realtime API. Voice mode uses it to listen and speak.
4. Select **Save**. To leave without changing anything, select **Cancel**.
Once voice is on, users see **Use voice mode** in the message box, on the home page and in conversations. See [Kaiya Configuration](https://help.tellius.com/settings/kaiya-and-ai/kaiya-configuration).
{% hint style="warning" %}
**Don't see Use voice mode?** Check all three: **Enable Voice Assistant** is on, **Voice Assistant Type** is **OpenAI**, and the API key has Realtime access. If any one is missing, the button doesn't appear.
{% endhint %}
---
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