For those who need their mobile OS to assist them with specific tasks, Android has plenty of features to make life a little bit more accessible.
If you have visual or hearing impairments, it's important to know that Android has plenty of features that can assist.
Also: The best Android phones to buy in 2024
Android can help people with hearing and visual impairments without having to install third-party software. Let's examine some of its features.
Note that all of these options are found in Settings > Accessibility. The feature names are based on Pixel's version of Android. If you have Samsung, I've noted alternative names for some of these features below.
The Voice Access setting puts you and your voice in control of Android. You can open apps, tap buttons, scroll, type, and more with just your voice.
Also: Your Android phone is getting an anti-theft upgrade, thanks to AI. How it works
Moreover, with the Voice Access feature, you can customize it in a way that it does or does not require verbs (such as tap or open), stops responding after 30 seconds, adds a shortcut to the home screen, and use it for incoming calls, remains active during calls, recognizes common icons, and more. On the settings page for the feature, you'll find a list of commands available for the basics of navigation, gestures, grid selection, text editing, and magnification.
The TalkBack feature reads what's on the screen. It's a bit tricky to understand because one might think the purpose of this feature is simply text-to-speech. That's not exactly the case. Instead, it's a way for the vision impaired to interact with their devices. TalkBack uses spoken word, vibration, and other types of audio feedback to indicate what's on your screen.
For example, with TalkBack on, if you tap the back arrow in Settings, it will say "Navigate Up. Button. Double-tap to activate." In other words, it helps you know what you're tapping before you actually tap it.
Also: Google's Circle to Search can identify songs on Android now. Here's how it works
To use TalkBack, you simply enable it, and it will start doing its thing.
The one caveat to this feature is that it does take some time to get used to. For example, you have to get used to giving action items (such as buttons) focus before the button can be tapped.
Also, to scroll up and down on the screen, you need to use two fingers (if you have gesture navigation enabled, you must use two fingers for that as well). TalkBack can be enabled from within Settings, or you can say, "Turn on TalkBack" with the help of Google Assistant.
Magnification is exactly what it sounds like. You can add a Magnification shortcut to your home screen, and once tapped, the feature will either magnify the entire screen or a portion of it (you enable which in the settings).
Also: Gemini is replacing Google Assistant - Here's what that means for Android users
Once you've tapped the Magnification button, the screen magnifies, and you can pinch in or out to zoom or even move the screen around to the section you need magnifying.
If you have trouble with the touchscreen, you can try the Switch Access featureby either using an external switch(such as a keyboard) or a specific switch made by companies like AbleNet, Enabling Devices, RJ Cooper, and Tecla. On Samsung Galaxy, this feature is called "Universal switch".
Such devices connect to your phone via USB and allow you to control your phone without using the touchscreen. If you don't have access to such a switch, you can plug in a keyboard or use the volume up and down buttons.
Timing Controls allows you to set the delay for touch & hold, time to take action, and autoclick. On Samsung Galaxy, this feature is called "Touch and hold delay". These options are very handy for those who struggle with touchscreens.
Also: Pixel 9 Pro XL vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra: The key differences
For example, you can change the touch-and-hold delay to short, medium, or long. If you need more time to touch & hold on your Android display successfully, change the setting from short (the default) to medium or long. The time to take action feature allows you to configure how long it takes to show a temporary message asking you to take action. This can be set to 10, 30, 60, or 120 seconds.
Live Transcribe displays speech in real time on your screen. Live Transcribe works for apps as well as real-life conversations (yes, they still happen).
Also: Android 15's Gemini overlay feature can answer questions about anything on your screen
With this feature, you can set up alerts when your name is spoken, type responses to the transcription, and search for transcriptions. Live Transcribe is very accurate and fast, so you don't have to worry so much about mistakes or lags. You can add a Live Transcribe shortcut to the home screen or open it from Settings > Live Transcribe.
Android lets you pair ASHA and LE Audio hearing devices to your phone. On Samsung Galaxy, look for "Hearing aid support".
The feature allows you to add a shortcut to the home screen and improve hearing aid compatibility through the telecoils (a wire within a hearing aid that picks up signals from a loop system and reduces unwanted noise). Hearing devices are paired like Bluetooth headphones, so connecting your hearing aids to Android should be pretty simple.
If you have a hearing or vision impairment, try one (or more) of these features and see if they improve your Android experience.
