---
title: Categorized Overview
slug: voice-apis/categorized-overview
docTags: 
createdAt: 2026-01-20T03:15:23.282Z
---

# Description

Bridge Actions allow you to control **media playback, announcements, recordings, and event routing** for all participants connected to a bridge.
 These actions apply **at the bridge level**, not to individual legs.

All Bridge Actions are executed using:

:::BlockQuote
POST /v2/accounts/{AccountSID}/bridges/{BridgeSID}/actions
:::

## A. Media & Interaction Actions

These actions control what **all participants in the bridge hear**.

### \<StartPlay>

Plays an audio file (from a URL) to **every leg currently joined** to the bridge.

### \<StopPlay>

Stops any currently playing audio on the bridge.

### \<StartSay> (Say)

Converts text to speech and plays it to **all participants** in the bridge.

### \<StopSay>

Stops an ongoing text-to-speech playback on the bridge.

## B. Recording Actions

These actions control **bridge-level recording**, capturing audio from all participants.

### \<StartRecording>

Starts recording the bridge audio.
&#x20;Supports configurable format and storage destinations.

### \<StopRecording>

Stops the ongoing bridge recording and finalizes the recording file.

## C. Event Routing & Control

These actions control how **bridge events** are delivered to external systems.

### \<Refer>

Registers a gRPC endpoint to receive **external events** for the bridge.
&#x20;Used for real-time monitoring, analytics, or orchestration engines.

## Summary — Bridge Action APIs

| Category            | Actions                                |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| Media & Interaction | StartPlay, StopPlay, StartSay, StopSay |
| Recording           | StartRecording, StopRecording          |
| Event Routing       | Refer                                  |

## Key Differences vs Leg Actions

| Aspect         | Bridge Actions   | Leg Actions        |
| -------------- | ---------------- | ------------------ |
| Scope          | All participants | Single participant |
| Media playback | Broadcast        | Individual         |
| Recording      | Conference-level | Per leg            |
| Event routing  | Bridge-wide      | Per leg            |

## Notes for Developers

- Bridge Actions are **asynchronous**&#x20;
- Action success/failure is communicated via **Bridge External Events**&#x20;
- Media actions affect **current and future participants**&#x20;
- Use **Leg Actions (JoinBridge / LeaveBridge)** to manage membership&#x20;