Adjust accessibility
Make Android work for you by using the Accessibility settings to change the way your phone or tablet works.
Accessibility is often presumed to only be useful for those who have specific disabilities, but the truth is that all of us can benefit from the features available in any Android device. There are tweaks that will help those who have hearing problems by changing the way sounds emanate from the phone or tablet.
Others change the visuals greatly and let you zoom in to specific areas or change the colour schemes presented which can make all of the difference between enjoying an Android device and struggling while using it. The list of options is almost endless and can be difficult to manage at first, but this is where asking a friend will help greatly. Android devices are initially set up in a standard manner and so they may be unsuitable for some users, but simply taking time to ensure that the right accessibility tweaks are enabled will pay dividends in the long run. It is likely that you will be able to use an Android device more effectively than any computer you have used in the past.
HOW TO Make your device accessible 1
After you have gone to the Settings app, scroll down to find Accessibility, then tap the More icon and select ‘Add to Home screen’. This creates a shortcut to the Accessibility settings from your device’s Home screen.
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‘Single tap to swipe’ is useful for dismissing alarms, calender events and answering or rejecting calls with one tap. You can find the option under ‘Interaction and dexterity’ then ‘Assistant menu’.
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The Assistant menu itself can be helpful. It creates several shortcuts for gestures and commands, such as screenshotting, volume controls and zooming. You can access these shortcuts from the icon in the bottom-right corner.
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Enabling ‘Voice Assistant’ could make all of the difference to how you use your device. Once activated, you will hear guides for every part of the screen you tap so you will find that you are never in the wrong place.
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After enabling the Voice Assistant, you can use its tutorial to ensure that you know how it works. You can also go into the Settings for Voice Assistant. Here you can alter the volume, vibration and more to fit your needs.
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The ‘Font size’ option is very handy if you find that you are struggling to see some web pages or buttons. Tap it and then play around with each of the choices to see which offers the best visual balance for you.
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Alongside increasing the font size, making use of Magnification will also help you see everything in crisp detail. Use the ‘Magnification gestures’ option to enable triple-tapping to zoom in on whatever is displayed.
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When magnified, even the most complex web pages will be viewable by simply tapping a specific screen area three times. You can then move around the page with your finger to explore every section.
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The ‘Text-to-speech’ function is hugely useful for reading aloud the text in web pages or books. It sounds fairly realistic and only requires the installation of a language pack to use it immediately.
There are four styles of keyboard to choose from and as you select a style, you will see a live preview of the keyboard.
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Some devices may have more than one text-to-speech option. Brands such as Samsung include its own, but you can choose between its own and Google’s by tapping on the ‘Preferred engine’ option.
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If you use one earphone, the ‘Mono audio’ feature will improve the sound quality by forcing all of the sounds through the one speaker. This feature is a good example of how complete Accessibility in Android is.
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If you like to use headphones, but have hearing sensitivity that is markedly better in one ear than the other, the sound balance options let you adjust audio output to suit your hearing perfectly.
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The ‘Google subtitles’ option is designed to help if you have difficulty reading standard black on white text. Not only can you choose from a selection of different colour schemes, but you can also set the exact size of the font.
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Enabling the ‘High contrast keyboard’ option changes the size and colour of the keys. There are four styles of keyboard to choose from and as you select a style, you will see a live preview of the keyboard.
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For some, tapping and holding the screen can be a difficult task. This is where the ‘Tap and hold delay’ option helps. Found under ‘Interaction and dexterity’, you can set it to any suitable duration of your choice.