Disable android accessibility features. How to turn off TalkBack

Data-lazy-type="image" data-src="http://androidkak.ru/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/talkback..png 400w, http://androidkak.ru/wp-content/ uploads/2016/05/talkback-300x178.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px"> Sometimes novice users of the Android operating system, out of curiosity, decide to try out what the talkback function is or activate it completely by accident. As a result of unusual changes in the use of a smartphone or tablet, returning to the previous functionality is often extremely problematic. Manufacturers, as a rule, do not provide a detailed description of this feature, leaving everything to intuitive development by the owner of the technical device.

To avoid wasting several hours or even days fruitlessly struggling with your device, first familiarize yourself with the features of the talkback program. Knowing its location and settings details for your Android model, you can easily return your usual settings.

Why is this function needed?

Data-lazy-type="image" data-src="http://androidkak.ru/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/babuwka-i-telefon.gif" alt="babuwka-i -telephone" width="300" height="200"> !}
The Talkback program is designed as a special opportunity for people with low or no vision. It makes working with the phone a little easier and voices almost all the owner’s actions. This feature is convenient for those who have previously only worked with computers, because the controls become similar to clicking a mouse.

Keys that are pressed with one touch are spoken, and text is typed using the keyboard. The program also notifies about incoming calls, and when shaken, it can begin to read out all the information that the screen displays.

If you hold your finger on one of the letters for a few seconds, talkback will first pronounce the letter itself, and then the word that begins with it. This option helps you better understand certain sounds by ear for error-free typing of a message. Among other devices, talkback is useful with audio prompts that provide auxiliary information on certain phone objects. It is also possible to execute commands with gestures and synthesize human speech into text.

Read also: How to set up and improve the camera on Android

How management has changed

Similar to standard clicks of a computer mouse, first of all the user needs to select the desired object on the monitor - with one touch. Interaction with it begins with a double quick click.

To scroll the menu list, browser page up or down, or scroll the menu left or right, you will need to pull the screen in the desired direction by touching it with two fingers. The screen will not respond to a single touch!

Removing the screen lock also follows this principle: press the pads of two fingers against the base of the screen and, without releasing, gently pull up. You may need to enter a password to unlock. A similar method is to double-click on the unlock button at the bottom of the screen, in the very center. However, sometimes you need to follow voice instructions.

Procedure for turning off

Below is the most common algorithm suitable for most device versions:

Double-click to go to the main menu;
Find the settings icon and double-click on it;
Scroll through the list (pressing the screen with two fingers) to the “System” section;
Open “Accessibility” by double clicking and find the “Services” section;
Open the talkback subsection, there you will see a brief description and an on/off button (it is located in the upper right corner of the screen);
Double-click the toggle switch to off to disable the function;
In the window that appears, “Stop the talkback service?” Click the "ok" button by quickly tapping it twice.

This is a recommendation for new users of the Android operating system to set the necessary checkboxes and items in the Accessibility section and TalkBack settings. The test device was Galaxy S3, Android 4.3.

In the accessibility section you can access:

On Android 4.1: Settings/Accessibility;
On Android 4.3: Settings/My Device/Accessibility;

Now a description of the items and checkboxes in the accessibility section.

The "Auto-rotate screen" checkbox - I personally turned it off so that it doesn't interfere when you rotate the device vertically or horizontally, with this checkbox the screen rotates to one position or another. At the same time, TalkBack announces the accepted screen position.
“Screen timeout” - I set myself a longer time, two minutes. After this time, the display goes dark and the device is locked. Of course, everyone decides for themselves what and how will be more convenient for them. But I still recommend not setting it for less than two minutes, otherwise it will be annoying by constantly blocking the screen.
"Listen to passwords" flag - Set to have TalkBack pronounce characters on the virtual keyboard when entered in password edit fields.
“Answer end calls” - In this section you need to check the following boxes:
- Answer incoming calls with the (Home) key;
- Finish with the power key;
This is necessary so that, firstly, when there is an incoming call, you can pick up the handset with the physical button (Home) home, which is located at the bottom of the display. And secondly, hang up while talking with the power button, which is located on the right side of the device.
"Show shortcut" - In this section I have two checkboxes:
- Special abilities;
- TalkBack;
both can be noted. They are needed so that when you hold down the power button for a few seconds, when the shutdown screen opens, these same items will be added to this selection on the shutdown screen.
"TalkBack" - Here you can enable or disable the TalkBack program service, as well as get into its settings.
“Web scripts” - Or the same item may also have the name “Improve special features for the Internet”. This setting must be enabled. It is designed for reading Internet pages and emails. Unless, of course, the application itself that you use for these purposes has support for web scripts. For example, programs such as
AquaMail,
this is for email. And for surfing the Internet
Firefox.
They have such support from developers. This setting is relevant for inclusion in Android 4.1 and possibly 4.2, but I can’t tell you for sure, I don’t know. On 4.3 this item is no longer present; it is turned on automatically along with the activation of TalkBack.
“Show shortcut” - You can, in principle, turn it on, generally if you wish. When this setting is enabled, it becomes possible to launch TalkBack on the lock screen. That is, you decided to completely disable TalkBack in the accessibility section in order to allow a sighted person to use your device. Then the person gives you the device, and you hold the power button for a few seconds until the shutdown screen appears. Place two fingers on this screen and hold them for about five seconds until TalkBack starts and notifies you of this completed action. This setting appeared with version Android 4.2 or 4.3, I don’t remember exactly.

Description of the TalkBack settings you can access:

On Android 4.1: Settings\Accessibility\TalkBack\Settings;
On Android 4.3: Settings\My Device\Accessibility\TalkBack\Settings;

Attention! TalkBack settings may vary depending on the version of Android, as well as the version of the program itself.
The description took place on the latest version of TalkBack at this time: V3.5.1.

“Speech volume” - This section adjusts the volume of the speech synthesizer, but it is better not to touch it, leave it at the “At the sound volume level” selection. If you need to adjust the volume, you can read the instructions here:
Flag "Change tone when voicing, lower tone when voicing text" - This may not be such an important setting, but I have the flag checked.
“Sound the keys you press” - This section, in my opinion, applies to virtual keyboards. That is, as I understand it, you can select the “Never” action. And when we write on the virtual keyboard, after we lift our finger from the character, TalkBack pronounces the entered character. And with the selected action “Never”, this symbol will not be pronounced. So I personally left the default selection "Always".
"Speak when screen is off" flag - This setting allows TalkBack to speak some notifications when the screen is locked. Sometimes it can be useful, so I have the flag checked.
Flag "Distance sensor" - You need to check it. This flag allows TalkBack to interrupt spoken speech. On my Galaxy S3 this sensor is located at the top of the display. And if I need to interrupt TalkBack, I simply move my hand over the top of the screen, a distance of about five to ten centimeters. It will also be useful when talking with your interlocutor, the screen is blocked, and TalkBack is silent like a guerrilla, without making a noise in your ear.
“Shake to Read” - This section offers you to select the shaking sensitivity from off to very strong. If you configure this setting, then when you shake the device, TalkBack will start reading from top to bottom, everything that is on the screen you are currently on.
Flag “Voice Caller ID” - The abbreviation stands for: Voice Automatic Number Identification, but I don’t like this kind of voicing of an incoming number using TalkBack, so my flag is unchecked. I've been using this lately:

Or even this application:
Enhanced SMS & Caller ID.
Flag "Vibration response" - All actions of gesture navigation or groping mode are accompanied by vibration. I personally use this setting, so I have the flag checked.
Flag "Sound signal" - Similar to "Vibration response", only all actions are accompanied by some weird TalkBack sounds.
"TalkBack louder" flag - This flag can be set so that when TalkBack speaks while listening to music or watching a video, the player's sound is muted. But this will not be possible in all programs. Because this action must still be implemented by the programmer in the music or video player itself. In stock applications for video and music on my Galaxy S3, this works to its fullest extent.
"Volume" - This section controls TalkBack sounds, which include the "Beep" flag. If the action sounds are too loud, then select a lower value there.
"Explore by touch" flag - Must be checked; without this flag, gesture navigation and touch mode will not work. And without all this, a completely blind person will have nothing to do there.
"Auto-scroll lists" flag - Can be checked. This is required so that when you move through gesture navigation through elements, that is, swipe left/right or similar duplicate up/down gestures. In general, there is no difference here. Then vertical lists of settings, contacts, files, and so on, will scroll on the screen automatically.
Flag "Select with one click" - You can wish it. This setting makes it possible to activate elements not with a double tap, but with a single tap in the palpation mode. That is, if you touch any element with your finger, then if this flag is disabled, activation occurs from a double tap; if this flag is enabled, activation will occur from a single tap. You only need to tap specifically on the selected element; with other activation options, this setting will not work. And it will only happen from a double tap.
“Guide to learn by touch” - Some kind of training help for new users of the Android operating system on learning how to navigate the device.
“Gesture control” - The section is responsible for setting the assignment of actions for corner gestures and vertical two-way gesture up/down or down/up.
"Manage personalized shortcuts" - Appeared in android version 4.3. Here you can view and edit shortcuts to the buttons to which you yourself have assigned a label. Read in more detail:
"Resume" - Here you select the choice after which action TalkBack should resume. TalkBack has the ability to temporarily pause it. I have “When the screen turns on” selected. This is done like this:
1. An angular gesture is made down and to the right on the screen;
2. After a certain notification, place the club in the middle of the screen and, without releasing your finger, move it to the upper left corner, where the user should hear “Pause reviews”, release the club and, if necessary, confirm the selected action;
3. Now, if you need to launch TalkBack, lock the screen and immediately unlock it, after which TalkBack should start.
Attention! I don’t encourage anyone here to make identical settings according to these instructions. Everyone decides for himself what will be better and more convenient for him. I just tried to describe their meaning, and what I basically use myself. And then try, experiment and figure it out.

That's it, good luck everyone, train.

Currently, the Android operating system is the most popular. It is installed on more than 1.2 billion devices worldwide. But few people know that this OS contains hidden features. The Internet project “Be Mobile” has studied “secret functions” and prepared a list of the most interesting of them.

1. Hidden mini-game

id="sub0">

Starting with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, Google will place so-called “Easter eggs” on all Android smartphones - hidden secrets that can be seen by performing a series of non-obvious actions. Like the names of the OS versions, Easter eggs in it are also usually associated with sweets: in Android 4.1 Jelly Bean there were flying jelly beans, in Android 4.4 KitKat there was an OS logo in the style of the Nestle sweet of the same name, and in Android 5.0 Lollipop there was a hidden Flappy Bird style game. Android 6.0 Marshmallow has not been left out either.

To access the mini-game, open Settings. Go to “About phone” or “About tablet”. Quickly click on “Android Version” several times.

A marshmallow stylized as an android's head will appear on the screen. If you quickly click on it a few more times, a mini-game will open.

Like Android 5.0, the mini-game in Android 6.0 is in the style of Flappy Bird, but the lollipops are replaced with marshmallows shaped like a robot's head. The game has funny graphics and, although it looks simple, it is quite difficult to score at least 10 points in it. I got a maximum of 4 points. I couldn't do it anymore.

2. Remote control of a smartphone

id="sub1"> Lost Android mobile devices can be found and blocked, but Google hid this option quite deeply. It is activated in the menu“Settings -> Security -> Device Administrators”

in the "Android Remote Control" section.

Check the box next to “Remote device search” and “Remote blocking”.

Activate extended rights for the device manager upon request. Now you can manage your device from google.com/android/devicemanager in your Google account or through the Android Remote Control application People who are familiar with Android will easily recover deleted files if you do not encrypt your mobile device. To activate this option, open“Settings -> Security -> Device encryption”

. Set up encryption.

3. Safe Mode

id="sub2">

To start “safe mode”, hold down the power button. When the menu for turning off the smartphone and activating airplane mode opens, hold your finger on the “Power off” item for a long time. Then confirm to boot into safe mode.

The smartphone will boot into “safe mode”. The icons of all third-party applications will be gray. If something happens, you can safely remove them.

4. Synchronization and push notification settings

id="sub3">

When installing certain applications, you don’t think about permissions for sending push notifications or any others. Over time, these applications begin to spam you with unnecessary information. Games especially suffer from this, but quite ordinary applications can also suffer from this. Luckily, notifications can be turned off.

To do this, open “Settings -> Applications -> All”, find the culprit and select “Notifications”. Here you can either disable all notifications at once (“Block all”), or allow only “swipe” notifications (“Short notifications”), etc.

5. Advanced WLAN settings

id="sub4">

On Android there is a settings section with additional Wi-Fi options that is completely invisible to most users. To get to it, you need to go to “Settings -> Wi-Fi”, then press the menu key and select “Advanced features”. Here you can turn off notifications about detected networks, turn off Wi-Fi in sleep mode, prohibit using Wi-Fi networks with a poor signal, and set up Wi-Fi Direct (direct pairing of devices without using an access point).

6. Setting up mobile Internet traffic control

id="sub5">

On Android, you can monitor Internet traffic without third-party programs. For example, now many mobile operators provide a limited package of free traffic for a month. To control this traffic and not exceed the quota, or to understand how much traffic is left, you can set limits.

For this purpose, there is a separate “Data transfer” item in the settings. There you can set a traffic limit, upon reaching which a notification will appear, as well as a limit, after which data transfer will be automatically turned off. For each application, separate statistics are kept on data in the background and active modes, and a graph is built. Starting from Android 5.0, this interface is also available in quick settings by touching the mobile network icon.

7. Block calls from specific numbers

id="sub6">

It happens that you need to block calls from a specific number. There are no special blacklists in Android, and applications available on Google Play implement blocking of numbers using dirty hacks and not always correctly.

However, you can block individual numbers in the basic version of Android; all you need to do is simply send unwanted callers to voicemail. To do this, click on the desired contact, then click the edit icon, then the menu and select “Voice only.” mail". There, by the way, you can set a separate ringtone for the unfortunate subscriber.

8. Disabling pre-installed applications

id="sub7">

It happens that the manufacturer preinstalls many incomprehensible programs and applications that you do not use. They occupy a certain memory, and you dream of getting rid of them.

On Android, you can disable many pre-installed applications. To do this, go to “Settings -> Applications” and open the “All” tab. Now you can view the list of available utilities. Select the required application, and then click “Disable”. Now you can click on “Erase data”. For “frozen applications” that cannot be simply deleted, there is a separate “Disabled” tab. Unfortunately, not all applications can be frozen. Which ones depend on the manufacturer.

9. Expanding internal memory

id="sub8">

Android has always had a problem with expanding the internal memory of a smartphone. The connected SD card did not allow this, remaining external storage. The function of transferring applications to a memory card, which appeared in Android 2.2, also did not really save the situation. Finally, with Android 6.0, Google finally decided to correct the situation. Now, after connecting a flash drive or SD card, the system offers two options. The first is to use it as removable storage. The second is to make it an internal drive.

In the second case, the smartphone will format the flash drive in the ext4 file system using 128-bit AES encryption and mount it as a system partition. Next, a test for reading and writing speed will be carried out. Now, unfortunately, all memory cards are significantly inferior in speed to built-in memory, which in theory can lead to sluggish operation of the device. Fortunately, only the time it takes to open a specific application or load part of it depends on the performance of the disk subsystem. And all calculations are carried out outside the disk.

10. Quickly change letter case

id="sub9">

It happens that the text has already been written and you need to change the case of individual letters or entire words. Android has its own secret about this. To change the case of letters or make words or sentences in an already entered message begin with capital letters, just select the message and press the Shift button one or more times until you get the desired result.

11. Quick access to settings

id="sub10">

In Android 5 and Android 6, you can access quick settings by pulling out the curtain with two fingers. Of course, you can access Quick Settings the old fashioned way: by swiping down the screen twice from top to bottom. But this is not a secret at all.

12. Quickly switch to silent mode

id="sub11">

You can quickly turn on vibration mode in Android 5 and Android 6 by pressing the volume key and then clicking on the icon on the left side of the slider that appears. In practice, this option turns out to be much faster than repeatedly pressing the volume down key on the end of the smartphone.

13. Calling Magnifier

id="sub12">

Android has a screen magnifier. To enable it, you need to sequentially go to “Settings -> Special”. options -> Gestures to zoom in.” Now you can enlarge any part of the screen by clicking on it three times. This feature may be especially useful among people with low vision and the elderly.

14. Disable adding shortcuts to the desktop

id="sub13">

To disable automatic creation of desktop icons, launch the Play Store. Then go to settings and uncheck the “Add icons” option. Now, by default, program icons will appear only in the general list.

15. Hidden game in the Chrome browser

id="sub14">

We conclude our selection with another hidden game, this time in the Chrome mobile browser. Try turning off Wi-Fi and mobile Internet on your smartphone (tablet). Next, open Chrome.

When you try to exit to any address, the browser will display an error with its code. A dinosaur will appear above the text. If you click on the dinosaur at this moment, the character will come to life and begin to move across the screen. It's like an old PlayStation: you can tap the screen to control a dinosaur as it jumps over cacti, and like any game like this, your goal is to survive and score as many points as possible. Of course, the game is quite primitive, but it hooks you for a long time. Tested for yourself!

By the way, this game is now available for download on the Google Play Store and it’s called Dino Run - Dinosty.

TalkBack is a very useful and functional application for Android. We will tell you in detail what this program is and why it is needed. Find out how to use it and why everyone asks - “How to turn off TalkBack?”

There are many applications on Google Play that help make life easier for both ordinary people and people with disabilities. One such application is TalkBack.

What is TalkBack?

TalkBack is an application that will literally voice all your actions on your smartphone. The program is a Google service and is built into the Android operating system by default. It is automatically updated and improved every time.

TalkBack is a great way for visually impaired people to get the most out of their phone. TalkBack is also perfect for car drivers who don’t particularly like to be distracted on the roads.

What Google TalkBack can do:

Convert text to speech and vice versa
When typing, the program speaks each key;
With each incoming call, information about the caller is announced, and there is also auto-scrolling of contact lists.
Voiceover of selected or launched applications;
The application can read any text located both in a text file and in the browser.
Gesture control.
You can select a specific keyboard shortcut for a particular action.
Using the distance sensor, you can adjust the tone and volume of the sound.

In fact, the functionality of the program is much more than described, and understanding how this application works is not difficult. When the application is activated, scrolling is done with two fingers.

This program is very specific and is unlikely to be useful to a healthy person. The constant sound of all actions quickly gets boring and users want to quickly turn it off on their devices.

How to turn off TalkBack on your phone?

I hope you understand what this program is. Let's now figure out how to turn off Google TalkBack on your phone:

Go to “Settings” of your phone;
Scroll down where you will find "Accessibility";
In the Services field you will see TalkBack;
Click on the application, slide the switch to OFF mode and confirm the action.

With the same sequence, you can enable this application. In order to configure the application, you need to go to TalkBack Settings there. Access to the application and its settings may vary depending on the model and brand of the phone and the version of Android. So, for example, on Samsung (TouchWiz) with Android version 4.3, the application settings are located in Settings - My device - Accessibility - TalkBack.

Turn on accessibility features

Devices with Android 4.0

On devices running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and above, accessibility features can be enabled from the initial setup screen. After turning on the device for the first time, you need to draw a closed rectangle with your finger, starting from the upper left corner of the touch display: draw a straight line from the upper left corner to the upper right corner, then a horizontal line from the upper right corner to the lower right corner, then to the lower left corner corner and again to the upper left corner. The device will respond with a beep when it recognizes the user's gesture. It may take a few tries to get the rectangle to fit within the screen.

Once you enable accessibility, you'll see introductory help about accessibility features supported in Android 4.0. You can skip reading this help by clicking the Skip button in the lower right corner of the screen.

After this, you will be returned to the initial setup screen and the user can finish setting up the device.

Devices with Android 3.1 and below

By default, devices running Android 3.1 (Honeycomb) and below have accessibility features disabled. A completely blind person will not be able to independently (without the help of sighted people) enable special features on such devices. However, once you turn on accessibility features, you no longer need assistance from a sighted person, since accessibility features will remain enabled the next time you boot your device.

To enable accessibility features, do the following:

If your device asks for Google account settings, or is in learning mode, you should click the button to skip this step (and make these settings later).
Press the Menu button. An Android device usually has a menu button on the front panel or at its end.
Click Settings or System Settings.
Open the Text-To-Speech settings (this can be inside the “Voice input and output” item). Click “Listen to an example”. If there is no speech, then click Install voice data. Here too You can adjust the speech speed and language of the synthesizer.
Return to the Settings screen and open Accessibility.
Check the box for Accessibility. Click OK in the warning dialog.
Check the box for TalkBack. Click OK in the warning dialog.
It is also recommended to check the box for KickBack. Click OK in the warning dialog. KickBack provides haptic feedback through vibrations. This is especially useful when you need to use the touch screen from time to time.

After a few seconds, the device will begin to voice the user’s actions (pressing navigation keys, etc.).

Additional options that may be useful for a visually impaired user can be found under Sounds or Sounds & Display.

If accessibility features are not preinstalled on your device

Some phones do not come pre-installed with accessibility features (such as TalkBack, KickBack, and SoundBack). You will have to install these applications from Google Play (Android Market) yourself. This cannot be done without visual control, so the help of a sighted person is necessary.

After you check the Accessibility checkbox, you will see a warning in Settings that says “No Accessibility Related Applications Found.” You will also be asked to install a screen reader from the Android Market. If you click OK, you will be prompted to sign in. into the system under a Google account or create such an account. After logging into the system or creating a new account, you will be able to access the Android Market and install a screen reader.

Attention! When creating a new Google account, you will have to enter a graphical verification code at the last stage.

Quick installation of applications for Accessibility

IDEAL Apps4Android has released an installation package with a set of applications for Accessibility. The set includes all applications from the Eyes-Free suite (Talkback, Kickback, Soundback, Accessibility Preferences, Eyes-Free Shell, Talking Dialer, Rock Lock, Walky Talky, Intersection Explorer), and useful applications from other developers (such as IDEAL Web Reader, IDEAL Magnifier and K9 Mail). Using such an installer greatly simplifies the installation process, but does not make it accessible to a blind user (unless the device has a screen reader preinstalled and accessibility features are enabled). Here's how to use this installer:

Go to Google Play (Android Market).
Search for "accessibility installer".
The list of results will contain "IDEAL Accessibility Installer" (practically the first line).
Install and run the application.
Follow the instructions of the application. Click install/OK for all applications. There may be error messages because not all applications are available on all phones. You can ignore these messages.

Let's get started

Once accessibility features are enabled, you can start using your phone. The following describes some of the most common ways to interact with your device and explains some terms.

It is especially worth emphasizing that the placement and behavior of user interface elements (such as application icons or notifications) on the screen of specific devices may differ from those discussed below. We can say that this article is about a “pure” version of the Android OS, free from modifications by the device manufacturer.

Navigate by touch

On devices running Android 4.0 and higher, the user can listen to information about the contents of the screen that was under his finger during a touch. This screen navigation mode is classified as accessibility and is called Explore by touch. You may need to first check this box in the Accebility settings. When you select this checkbox, a dialog will appear with a description of this option, a button to go to training help, and a button to enable the option.

The tutorial consists of two lessons: the first one teaches you how to feel and activate an element, and the second one teaches you how to scroll through a list. If “Russian” is selected as the system language on the device, then the text of the lessons will be in Russian.

The process of navigation in the groping mode itself, as a rule, does not cause serious difficulties. If, when navigating by touch, the device responds with a noticeable delay or the screen reader does not speak the element under the finger, then the reasons for this may be a slow or faulty touch screen of the device; additional graphical shell installed by the device manufacturer and which does not interact well with special features; and an outdated or incorrectly installed version of the pre-installed screen reader (usually TalkBack). In the latter case, it will be enough to install a later version of TalkBack to correct the situation.

In order to use an element under your finger, for example, press a button, you need to lift your finger from the screen and touch the screen again in the place where the button is located. If the user wants to activate an element without touching the screen, then to do this, they need to quickly double-tap the screen with their finger at the location of the element of interest.

Scroll

When the user touches the screen and encounters content that does not fit entirely on the screen and can be scrolled, such as a list, the device beeps, raising its tone. To scroll content, you need to touch the screen with two fingers and, without lifting them from the screen, move them down or up. Based on finger movements, the contents of the list will scroll, and the user will hear a beep sound that increases or decreases in pitch to give them an idea of their location relative to the beginning of the list. If the user pauses after scrolling the list, they will hear a message about the current position in the list.

Navigation bar

On devices with a hardware D-pad or arrow keys, you can typically navigate user interface elements without using the touch screen. This navigation is accessible to users with visual impairments and does not require accessibility features to be turned on. However, accessibility features support on-screen readings. information, which is extremely necessary for blind and visually impaired users.

The type of hardware navigation bar depends on the device, but many phones have one of the following options:

trackball;
arrow keys;
joystick.

For devices that do not have a hardware navigation bar, the user can install an Eyes-Free keyboard, which will display a virtual navigation bar on the screen.

This panel allows you to move in four directions and press a button to select elements on the screen. Depending on the screen reader used, the user will receive speech, sound and/or tactile (currently via vibration, but soon via Braille) accompaniment of their actions and events on the screen.

There are three hardware buttons that the user will have to use more often than others. To work productively, you need to learn how to easily find them on the device body:

The Home button makes the home screen active, where you can launch apps, check notifications, and more. Navigating the home screen on Android is not particularly difficult for most users. However, if necessary, you can install alternative applications that replace the standard home screen. For example, Eyes-free shell provides an easier way to interact for users with visual impairments.
If you press and hold the Home button for a long time, a window with shortcuts to recently opened applications will appear.
The Back button allows you to return to the previous screen. For example, if the user is reading an email, clicking the Back button will take him back to the message list screen of his mailbox; Pressing the Back button again will return the user to the list of mailboxes, and pressing the Back button again will take him to the home screen. The Back button can be used to close most dialogs or exit most screens if the user has opened them by mistake or is confused about their purpose. Some devices do not have a hardware Back button (however, there is usually a virtual Back button on the screen in the lower left corner).
The Menu button opens menus related to the current screen. Some Android functions that require the use of the touch screen are also accessible through the Menu button, which should be kept in mind while using the device. The menu items that open when you press this button are usually located from left to right and from top to bottom. To move through an element, use the up, down, left, and right arrows. To close the menu, press the Back button.

Long press

An important navigation mechanism in Android is the long press. To perform a long press, you must press and hold a hardware key or your finger on the screen. If the manipulation is performed correctly, the phone will respond, for example, with vibration and perform the action associated with a long press.

A long press can be used, for example, to open menus that are specific to the active item or application (this is similar to context menus in the user interface of desktop operating systems). For example, long-pressing a track in the Music app on Android 2.2 takes you to a menu that allows you to add or remove a track from your playlist.

To perform a long press, which will open the context menu, you must press and hold the hardware (or virtual) selection key or trackball.

As mentioned earlier, the user can long press the Home button to open a window with shortcuts to recently launched applications. Long pressing the Search button activates the voice search function.

Home screen

Settings

Android system settings are accessible through an item in the home screen menu (that is, you need to press the Menu button when the Home screen is active and select System Settings). There will be many different settings here; The following are those that are relevant to the ease of use of the device by persons with physical disabilities:

Accessibility. Used to enable or disable basic accessibility options.
Language & input (Android 4.0 and above) or Voice Input & Output (Voice input and output) in earlier versions. Controls general text-to-speech settings, including speech rate and synthesizer language.
Sound (or Sound & display) Sets sound and vibration (haptic feedback).

Notifications

Notifications are the main way to communicate something to the user without interrupting his work with the active application. For example, a notification can indicate that emails, SMS messages have arrived, or warn that the battery is low. Any application can send a notification.

If a screen reader (such as TalkBack or Spiel) is active, it will read notifications the first time they appear on the screen. Moreover, at any time

the user can open the notification panel from the Home screen menu to read all notifications. Most notifications respond to a touch (click) - when pressed, either the message itself, the application that sent the notification, or more detailed information about the alert will open.

Launching applications

One of the important functions of the home screen is to provide access to installed applications. From the Home screen, select "All Applications". This will allow you to

open a screen with a list of all installed applications.

On this screen, application icons are arranged from left to right and top to bottom, with four icons per row. That is, to bypass all the icons on this screen, you first need to go through the four icons in a row, then go down a row, and so on.

Alternative apps that replace the standard Home screen, such as Eyes-Free Shell, provide an easier way to navigate through the app list.

Screen lock

When your phone goes into sleep mode, the screen automatically locks. This means that the screen is turned off and the phone does not respond to user manipulations.

Depending on your display settings, your device may go into sleep mode after a specified amount of time and will be locked shortly thereafter. You can set the screen to turn off and lock your device when you press the power button.

By default, when the screen is locked, a screen reader (such as TalkBack) does not support speech and/or audio. You can change this behavior in the screen reader settings page.

Unlocking your phone requires two steps: you need to turn on the screen and then unlock the phone. To turn on the screen, you need to press the power button.

When the screen is on, unlocking your phone usually requires a gesture on the touchscreen, but this may vary depending on the settings made by the device manufacturer.

To perform an unlock gesture on a standard Android device, you need to do the following:

Keep the screen in portrait mode.
Tap your finger on the bottom left of the screen. If the KickBack program is running, then when you touch correctly, the device will respond with a quick vibration.
Swipe right across the screen. The device will vibrate again when it is unlocked.

To practice your skills, you can turn off the screen and lock your phone by pressing the power button. The TalkBack screen reader (if running) will say "Screen Off." You must press the power button again to turn on the screen. You can now perform the unlock gesture.

To prevent the phone from beeping about incoming calls when it is turned off, you need to perform a gesture similar to the gesture of unlocking the phone, but the movement should be from right to left.

Muting the ringer volume does not disable speech support for the screen reader.

The user can change or disable the above behavior, or choose a different unlock method.

Phone calls

To answer a phone call on most phones, the user must swipe from left to right, just like the unlock gesture described above. To reject a call, you must press the power button or perform the unlock gesture in the opposite direction, that is, from right to left.

Some phones (such as the HTC G1 and LG Ally) have physical call and end buttons that can be used instead of gestures.

To end a call on your phone without a physical button, you must press the button on the touchscreen. The button is accessible so you can use the navigation bar to find and click the button. However, this cannot always be done quickly.

If your device is running Android 2.2 or later, there should be a checkbox under Accessibility that allows you to use the power button to end a call.

The end call button on the touch screen can be pressed directly: it is located in the center of the screen and slightly downwards. However, we must remember that some phones turn off the screen during a connection (if you bring them close to your ear) (it is assumed that during a conversation the user cannot see the screen and the system turns off the screen in order to save energy). For this reason, before pressing the end call button on the touch screen, you need to move the phone some distance from your head.

Conclusion

Most questions regarding accessibility have been discussed above. Answers to other questions about using the device and applications can be found in the user manual that came with the device, on the Internet, etc. After enabling and configuring the necessary accessibility features, the experience of blind and visually impaired users with applications is generally not much different from the experience of sighted users.