GoPro Voice Commands – How to Use GoPro Voice Control

Getting the right footage at the right time can most times be exhausting especially if you have to scroll through your GoPro menu.

GoPro voice commands have made it easy for you to capture memorable moments without any hassle.

Voice control is the ability to give specific commands to your GoPro camera and have it perform these commands without having to scroll through your menu or press buttons.

The use of voice control gives you a hand-free option; meaning, you get to capture better footage with your GoPro.

Before the release of Hero5 in September 2016, GoPro cameras did not have the voice command feature. Since September 2016, all other GoPro cameras after Hero5 come with the voice command feature as a standard.

GoPro Voice Control Uses

While there might still be people who believe that the use of voice commands on your GoPro camera might not be necessary, there are various reasons the voice command has come to stay and also the importance it plays in your outdoor or indoor activities.

The voice control feature can be used to start and stop recording videos, take photos, shoot time-lapses, take photo bursts, set a HiLight tag, and change modes.

Voice control is really helpful while you are performing activities such as:

Surfing. While surfing, it’s almost impossible to get a perfect shot or video of a moment if you need to run through the GoPro menu. The voice command has made it easy for you to surf and capture images or videos of yourself and your environment without restriction.

Cycling. Cycling can sometimes be for fun or competition. Imagine wanting to win a cycling race and also make a video of yourself. If there is nothing like a voice command; you would either lose the race or win the race without capturing such memorable moments.

Climbing. Climbing anything high can be a risky task or adventure. If you are one who loves mountain climbing, you should know it’s not safe to scroll through your GoPro menu to select your picture or video recording while climbing – this is where a single voice command saves the day.

Paddling. Deciding to make a video of yourself while paddling might become frustrating for you, especially if you have to scroll through your GoPro menu. A beautiful moment like a fish jumping in-and-out of the water might be missed if you need to run through your device menu before you can make a video.

Skiing. Skiing is fun and being able to have every moment captured on camera will only make it more exciting. With the voice control feature, you have your hands free to ski safely, while also taking pictures and videos of yourself to create memories.

Fishing. Fishing is one of those activities that have a calming effect on people – at least till you catch something really big. With the GoPro voice control, you can start a video of yourself bringing in a big catch without taking your hands off your fishing pole.

Which GoPro Cameras have Voice Control?

Since the release of Hero5 in September 2016, it became a standard for GoPro cameras that came after to include the voice control feature.

Below are the models that have the voice control option:

• Hero9 Black
• MAX
• Hero8 Black
• Hero7 (White, Silver and Black)
• Hero6 Black
• Fusion
• Hero5 Black
• Hero5 Session
• Hero (2018)
• Remo

How to Enable or Disable Voice Control on a GoPro

Before you begin barking out voice commands to your GoPro camera, you need to enable voice control from the menu option by swiping down on your screen, click on preferences then select the voice control feature and enable it.

Once you have gotten this right, your GoPro voice control is enabled.

To disable it, simply repeat the above steps, but select off.

How to turn off your GoPro using Voice Command?

Depending on your GoPro model, you can turn off your camera either by:

• Using a voice command (GoPro Turn Off)
• Pressing and holding the mode button for 2 seconds
• Using the auto power-off option

Some other devices (like the GoPro Hero5 session) will turn off on their own if you are not recording or taking pictures.

How to Use GoPro Voice Control

In recent times, we have seen various technologies that use voice commands.

Siri, Alexa, and Google are some of the commonly used ones. Using GoPro voice commands should not seem unusual if you have used any of the voice commands mentioned above.

Your GoPro camera understands up to ten different languages.

Before giving out voice commands, ensure you set your GoPro to your preferred language. To change the language, go to GoPro settings, select voice command, and select your preferred language.

As soon as voice control is enabled, you can give out commands when your camera is powered on; it’s also effective even when your camera is on standby. When giving out orders, every command must begin with you saying “GoPro.”

As easy as it is to use the voice control option on your GoPro camera, you need to learn the voice commands on your GoPro model and what it is used for first.

You do not want to miss capturing a special moment because you barked out a wrong command.

GoPro Voice Command list for Various Models

Since the release of Hero5 in September 2016, all GoPro cameras afterward have voice control as a standard feature.

The GoPro voice command list has remained the same since 2016 with very minimal changes between models.

GoPro Hero9 Black Voice Commands

GoPro Hero9 Black was released on 16th September 2020 and it is a successor to the Hero8 Black.

The camera came with several upgrades including a front-screen and a new image sensor among others.

You can use the voice control feature to give the Hero9 Black commands in both Action performance and Mode changes.

The following is a list of all the commands available for this camera:

• GoPro, start recording
• GoPro, HiLight
• GoPro, stop recording
• GoPro, take a photo
• GoPro, shoot burst
• GoPro, start time-lapse
• GoPro, stop time-lapse
• GoPro, turn on
• GoPro, turn off
• GoPro, Video mode
• GoPro, Photo mode
• GoPro, Time Lapse mode

The last three commands are for switching to the respective modes, all the other commands are for specific actions e.g. when you say ‘GoPro, take photo’, the camera will capture a photo.

Please note that you will need to activate the ‘Wake on voice’ feature in the camera settings for you to use the ‘GoPro turn on’ voice command.

GoPro MAX Voice Commands

GoPro MAX is the newest 360 camera and can shoot in 5.6K video resolution. The MAX has 13 voice commands that include standard-setting adjustment, start and stop commands for videos, shoot photos, burst, and time-lapse.

• GoPro video mode
• GoPro stop recording
• GoPro start recording
• GoPro time-lapse mode
• GoPro start time lapse
• GoPro stop time lapse
• GoPro take a photo
• GoPro photo mode
• GoPro burst mode
• GoPro turn off
• GoPro shoot burst
• GoPro HiLight
• That was sick

GoPro Hero8 Black Voice Commands

GoPro Hero8 Black is the latest device in the Hero series and can shoot in 4K video resolution. The latest in the GoPro Hero series comes with 14 voice commands:

• GoPro video mode
• GoPro stop recording
• GoPro start recording
• GoPro time-lapse mode
• GoPro start time lapse
• GoPro stop time lapse
• GoPro take a photo
• GoPro photo mode
• GoPro burst mode
• GoPro turn off
• GoPro turn on
• GoPro shoot burst
• GoPro HiLight
• That was sick

GoPro Hero7 (White, Black, Silver) Voice Commands

Hero7 has two distinct features that are not present in the new Hero series: “GoPro Capture” and “GoPro Stop Capture”. The Hero7 Black camera was released in September 2018 and can shoot in 4K video resolution.

There are also two other Hero7 cameras, the Silver and White.

The GoPro Hero7 has 16 voice commands – making it the GoPro camera with the most number of commands. The commands include start and stop function for video, burst, time-lapse, and photos.

• GoPro video mode
• GoPro stop recording
• GoPro start recording
• GoPro time-lapse mode
• GoPro start time lapse
• GoPro stop time lapse
• GoPro take a photo
• GoPro photo mode
• GoPro burst mode
• GoPro turn off
• GoPro turn on
• GoPro shoot burst
• GoPro capture
• GoPro stop capture
• GoPro HiLight
• That was sick

GoPro Hero6 Black Voice Commands

The GoPro Hero6 Black was released in 2017 and can shoot in 4K video resolution. It has 14 voice commands that include start and stop features for time-lapse and video, and also taking still shots and photo bursts.

• GoPro video mode
• GoPro stop recording
• GoPro start recording
• GoPro time-lapse mode
• GoPro start time lapse
• GoPro stop time lapse
• GoPro take a photo
• GoPro photo mode
• GoPro burst mode
• GoPro turn off
• GoPro turn on
• GoPro shoot burst
• GoPro HiLight
• That was sick

GoPro Fusion Voice Commands

The GoPro Fusion is GoPro’s first 360-degree action camera that was released in November 2017. The GoPro Fusion has 13 voice commands.

• GoPro video mode
• GoPro stop recording
• GoPro start recording
• GoPro time-lapse mode
• GoPro start time lapse
• GoPro stop time lapse
• GoPro take a photo
• GoPro photo mode
• GoPro burst mode
• GoPro turn off
• GoPro shoot burst
• GoPro HiLight
• That was sick

GoPro Hero5 Black Voice Commands

GoPro Hero5 Black has 14 voice commands and was released in September of 2016.

• GoPro video mode
• GoPro stop recording
• GoPro start recording
• GoPro time-lapse mode
• GoPro start time lapse
• GoPro stop time lapse
• GoPro take a photo
• GoPro photo mode
• GoPro burst mode
• GoPro turn off
• GoPro turn on
• GoPro shoot burst
• GoPro HiLight
• That was sick

GoPro Hero5 Session Voice Commands

GoPro Hero5 session has 14 voice commands and was released in September of 2016.

• GoPro video mode
• GoPro stop recording
• GoPro start recording
• GoPro time-lapse mode
• GoPro start time lapse
• GoPro stop time lapse
• GoPro take a photo
• GoPro photo mode
• GoPro burst mode
• GoPro turn off
• GoPro turn on
• GoPro shoot burst
• GoPro HiLight
• That was sick

GoPro Hero (2018) Voice Commands

The GoPro Hero (2018) is the most basic of all the models, and it has 13 voice commands.

• GoPro video mode
• GoPro stop recording
• GoPro start recording
• GoPro time-lapse mode
• GoPro start time lapse
• GoPro stop time lapse
• GoPro take a photo
• GoPro photo mode
• GoPro burst mode
• GoPro turn off
• GoPro shoot burst
• GoPro HiLight
• That was sick

GoPro Remo

It is a voice-activated waterproof remote for Hero5 Black and Session.

It enhances the voice control of your camera in a noisy or windy environment.

It can easily be clipped to your clothes, or you can strap it to your wrist or gear. You can also use it as a one-button remote from a distance of 10m.

Here’s What Each Voice Command Does

GoPro video mode: This sets your camera to video mode in preparation for a video recording.

GoPro stop recording: This command ends a video recording.

GoPro start recording: This command starts a video recording.

GoPro time-lapse mode: The command puts your camera in the time-lapse mode to capture time-lapse videos.

GoPro start time-lapse: This command starts recording your time-lapse.

GoPro stop time-lapse: The stop time-lapse command ends a time-lapse recording.

GoPro photo mode: The photo mode sets your camera in Photo mode.

GoPro take a photo: This command makes the GoPro take a photo.

GoPro burst mode: The burst mode command sets the GoPro in photo burst mode.

GoPro shoot burst: This command takes a burst of photos.

GoPro turn off: The turn off command shuts down your camera.

GoPro turn on: This command turns on your GoPro and it is only available with Hero9 Black, Hero8 Black, Hero7 Black, Hero6 Black, and Remo + Hero5 Black)

GoPro HiLight: The HiLight command adds a HiLight tag to your video while recording.

That was sick: This command performs the same function as your GoPro Hi-Lite

How to Troubleshoot your GoPro when Voice Commands Don’t Work

The first step is to ensure your voice control is set is “ON.” If your voice control is on, but your camera still doesn’t respond to commands, you might need to do a manual firmware update.

• Go to the update page and select your camera model.
• Under the option “other ways to update” at the base of the page, press “update your camera manually.
• Input your serial number and other requested information, then click the next step.
• Select “download update.”
• Choose the option “click here to download firmware.”
• Follow the steps on the screen for detailed instructions for your operating system.

Languages Supported by GoPro Voice Control

The GoPro camera supports ten languages, and they are:

• English (USA, UK, and Australia)
• Italian
• French
• German
• Spanish
• Japanese
• Chinese
• Portuguese
• Korean
• Russian

Here’s a video by Robert Wilson showing how to use voice control on a GoPro:

To Conclude

GoPro voice commands make using your camera more convenient, especially if you love outdoor activities.

You can make memories with your camera without the help of anyone around you.

Another advantage of voice commands is that you don’t need to use your phone or a remote – just bark out the order, and you are good to go.

The only disadvantage I see from using voice control is draining the battery quickly, so if you don’t need voice control, it would be better to turn it off using the cameras’ preferences.

I hope you liked my post and found it informative. How often do you use the GoPro voice commands? Do you find them useful like I do?

Let me know in the comments section below 🙂