Accessibility features aren’t the most well-known components of the modern smartphone puzzle. And yet, they might be the components with the most significant potential to impact someone’s life substantially.
For anyone facing problems with hearing, vision, or other senses, Android’s accessibility options can help bring the outside world nearer and authorize forms of Interaction that wouldn’t be feasible without such technology.
Here’s a stint of Android’s most influential accessibility features and what they can do for you.
Make Reading Easier
You can increase the Text size throughout Android by unlocking the Accessibility section of your system settings and then clicking Text and display > Font size. If you’re employing a Samsung phone, click Visibility enhancements > Font size and style.
If you’d instead magnify Text only as required, tap the Magnification option within the main Android Accessibility settings menu and trigger the toggle next to the Magnification shortcut. The same alternative can be found on Samsung phones within the Visibility enhancements menu of the Accessibility area. Once activated, a small accessibility switch will appear on your screen; tap it and then tap the spot you wish to get magnified.
Android’s “Magnification” option allows you to zoom in and magnify any screen area. In addition, you can add a floating shortcut to stretch Text at will.
You can make the Text on your mobile bold by default and thus more manageable to see by skimming for the Bold text toggle in that exact Text and display area — or with Samsung, scanning for the Bold font toggle in the Font size and style menu.
Alternatively, you can boost high-contrast Text — which counts a highlight-like layer around the exterior of every letter to get it to stand out more from the background — by desiring out the High contrast text switch in the Text and display area of Accessibility settings. On Samsung phones, the comparable option is within the Visibility enhancements area of the Accessibility settings.
If you have trouble seeing specific colors, the Color correction and Color inversion options may help. Both are within the Text and display area of Android’s Accessibility settings or Visibility enhancements area with Samsung.
If you want to boost the size of everything on your screen — not just the words but all visual aspects — pull up the Display size alternative in the Text and display space of Android’s Accessibility settings or the Screen zoom alternative in the Visibility enhancements area of Samsung’s Accessibility settings.
The “Display size” feature permits you to raise the size of everything on your screen. Using the control at the bottom, you can alter the size to small or large.
Text-To-Speech Features
The TalkBack feature allows you have everything on your screen read aloud. First, open the Accessibility unit of your phone’s settings and tap TalkBack to get it up and to run. Then, toggle it on; a tutorial on how to use TalkBack will be immediately spoken to you.
Try Android’s Select to Speak system for a more selective text-to-speech understanding. It lets you tap or outline specific items on your screen and have those — and only those — areas read aloud by employing an on-screen accessibility button. You can locate and enable it within the main Accessibility settings menu on devices operating Google’s version of Android; for some reason, Samsung has opted to skip this option from its software version.
Suppose you’re having trouble comprehending your phone’s text-to-speech dialogue, dart for the Text-to-speech output alternative at the bottom of Android’s Accessibility settings for the Text-to-speech alternative with the General Management section of Samsung’s system settings. You’ll be able to modify the specific speech rate and pitch of the voice that chats to you there.
Speech-To-Text Features
The Live Caption system available on any phone driving 2019’s Android 10 release or higher will form real-time captioning for any audio playing on your mobile — video, a podcast, or an active call. Just press either of your phone’s physical volume keys and then, employing the pop-out volume panel, tap the icon that seems like a rectangle at the bottom of the panel to enable it.
Android’s Live Caption system gets real-time captioning to any audio playing on your phone — including voice calls. Live Caption has several settings you can enable, including the capability to type responses.
Live Transcribe can create on-the-fly captioning for anything you hear around you in the real world. First, go to Accessibility in your phone’s settings > Live Transcribe, or dig for it within settings. Toggle it on, and you’ll allow an accessibility button that will live on your screen; tap it to begin the transcription. If you can’t discover the feature, you can download the Live Transcribe app to add it to your mobile.
Android’s Sound Notifications plan is precisely what you require if you want to be made aware of sounds. It’ll monitor for essential sounds like smoke alarms or baby cries and then provide you with a visual alert whenever these noises are noticed. Look for Sound Notifications in your phone’s primary Accessibility settings menu or the Hearing enhancements subsection on a Samsung phone to enable it.
Audio Adjustments
Sound Amplifier enriches the audio around you to reduce background noise and make remote conversations more comfortable when wearing headphones. You’ll discover it in Android’s Accessibility settings menu or within the Hearing enhancements subsection of those settings on Samsung devices. You can switch it on to create an accessibility button or open the app and adjust it to suit your needs once on the Sound Amplifier page.
If you have limited listening ability in just one ear, tap Audio adjustment in the main Accessibility menu — or look toward the base of the Hearing enhancements subsection on Samsung devices. You can stage all audio to the left or right speaker and enable a Mono audio option that ensures all audio plays to both sides.
Sound Amplifiers can reduce background noise and make distant conversations easier to hear. In addition, Android lets you direct all audio to the left or right speaker. And if you sport hearing aids, search your system settings for Hearing aids to get them paired with your phone and find all the associated choices.
On-Screen Interaction Enhancements
Voice Access is an extended version of Android’s voice control system. It offers you a whole host of extra commands for driving around your system, scrolling through web pages, and reworking Text. First, search your system settings for Voice Access, then toggle Use Voice Access to enable it. What will ensue will be a series of explanations of what it can do and how you can nip it to serve your requirements best. In addition, you may expect to check out this Google support document for a complete inventory of available commands.
Android’s Camera Switch settings let you employ facial gestures to control your phone. You can also link a physical switch through USB or Bluetooth.
If you can’t interact instantly with your phone — in other words, if you need to utilize something other than touch or voice — you can attempt Android’s Switch Access attribute, which can be seen in the Accessibility > Switch Access section. It permits you to either attach a physical switch, USB or Bluetooth to assist you in navigating your phone or use facial gestures like raised eyebrows. Once you’ve enabled the attribute, you should find yourself in an automatic setup guide; facial gestures will allow you to select which gestures will perform which tasks. So, for example, if you don’t immediately see the handbook, tap the Settings button on the Switch Access page and then tap the Open setup guide.
The Accessibility Menu option sets system management into an easily accessible on-screen menu — from volume and brightness controls to a Google Assistant activation switch and even a one-tap screenshot function. You can find the button to enable it in the main Accessibility settings menu or the Samsung equivalent under the Assistant menu in the Interaction and dexterity area of Samsung’s Accessibility settings.
Android’s timing controls permit you to increase the time it takes for a long press to be registered. For example, you may increase the time for pop-up notifications and alerts to remain visible before disappearing and instruct your phone to automatically tap on something when you bear your finger onto it for a certain number of seconds.