With the passage of time, technology progresses by leaps and bounds and in the case of mobile phone manufacturers it was not going to be less. Every year, the big brands launch more and more models that are innovating and increasing the features they offer , such as the camera, performance and many other possibilities in order to be the best in this field.
In the not too distant future, the terminals will have a calculation capacity and many utilities that until a few years ago it was thought that only computers could perform. What’s more, nobody thought until recently that you could make a Word document and then send it by email …
Beyond that, on the other hand, we always forget one of the most important and, above all, useful sections on a mobile phone: accessibility options . If software features keep getting better and better, this section does too.
This section is intended for all users who use a smartphone, but it is especially useful for people with visual, hearing and motor impairments. In it we can find different types of functions to have a more comfortable and simple experience with our device: improve vision, shortcuts for certain functions, different forms of interaction …
How to access the Accessibility menu
To access these functions on Android , we must go to the Settings section of our mobile phone and, once there, you will see the Accessibility option. Within it we find different sections that we are going to explain one by one.
What do we find in this menu?
Each layer of customization shows some options and others but, in general, all of them are very similar since Android is the operating system on which they run. With them we can improve the visibility of texts, sound, and much more.
Recommended for you
In the latest Android update and on its most recent devices, we find a section that can be very useful. In this case, it includes recommended actions to have a more satisfactory experience with our phone. For example, the actions that appear most frequently are the dark background or the blue light filter , in order to reduce eyestrain.
TalkBack
This feature provides voice prompts so you can use the device without looking at the screen or for people who are visually impaired. When you press an area of the screen or simply scroll through it, the device repeats it out loud to let you know what you are pressing. It can be activated through shortcuts , such as raising or lowering the volume at the same time or with the Accessibility button, which can be activated from the menu with the same name.
Vision enhancements
It probably includes the most useful functions of the entire menu, since we spend many hours in front of screens such as mobiles, tablets or computers, among others. High contrast is applicable to the phone theme, fonts, or keyboard to make them stand out for the visually impaired. Regarding the color , we find the inversion (to give another different approach) and the general adjustments (grayscale, protanomaly, deuteronomaly and tritanomaly for colorblind people). A color filter can also be added to make it easier to read.
On the other hand, we find other functions , such as eliminating the animations for people with sensitivity to movements, the magnifying glass, the magnification and the screen zoom, as well as the size and font style , one of the functions that are most edited in the phone.
Hearing improvements
This section collects everything related to the sounds projected by the mobile. The use with hearing aids , to regulate the sound of the mobile while wearing them. Then we find Adapt Sound , a system that allows us to adapt the sound for Multimedia and calls. Within it, we find three different age ranges : less than 30 years old, which amplifies the high frequencies; between 30 and 60 years, which amplifies the high middle frequencies; and more than 60 years, which amplifies all frequencies.
Continuing with this section, we find the left and right sound balance , to receive the loudest sound on either side and the mono audio, to reproduce the same sound with both speakers. Then we find the instant transcription , and the subtitles , to have a more comfortable experience with the phone. Finally, we find the section to silence all sounds , which its own name already indicates its task.
Interaction and dexterity
Here we find many useful actions to improve the relationship with the phone itself. We start with the assistance menu , which shows a menu of buttons as a shortcut that performs actions such as turning off the screen, screenshots or volume. We also find the answer and end of calls , where you can read brand new names aloud, answer automatically and with the volume up button, or end calls with the Function button. Finally, the interaction control , which blocks the touch interactions of the Back, Home and Recent apps buttons.
In the touch settings , we can configure the long press, the duration of the press and ignore the repeated presses. And finally, in the mouse and physical keyboard section, these are functions designed to use the mobile as if it were just another element of a computer.
Advanced settings
The advanced settings include several sections. The first one is the Accessibility button , which we have already explained above and can be activated in the previous section, the function buttons and the volume up and down buttons, to perform actions such as amplifying the ambient sound or instant transcription, among others. Regarding notifications, you can activate the flash of the camera and the screen for notifications or when the alarm sounds. There is a preview button to see the result.
We find others such as the time to perform an action , which chooses how long the messages asking you to perform an action will be displayed. The keyboard input out loud , Bixby Vision (provides very useful information when taking pictures) and voice tag are the other functions in this section.
Installed services
In the last section, all the accessibility functions that the device has been adding during the relevant updates appear, although that does not mean anything, since then you have the option to activate them or not.