Hi,
Below's an article I got from another list; some may be interested.
Jeanne
Android updates TalkBack screen reader with new voice commands,
language options – CNET
"Screen reader" - Google News - Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at 12:56 PM
Android updates TalkBack screen reader with new voice commands,
language options - CNET
Updates to Android's TalkBack screen reader are coming.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Google on Tuesday shared a series of updates to its TalkBack screen
reader for Android. First launched in 2009, TalkBack reads aloud
what's on a screen for users who are blind or low vision, navigates
through apps, and facilitates communication with braille, voice and
keyboard input. The new, "highly requested" features include expanded
gesture and navigation options, simplified menus, new voice commands
and more language options. (Read more about changes Google also made
to Maps, Messages and Assistant.)
Users now have a dozen "easy-to-learn and easy-to-use multi-finger
gestures," Google says, which make it easier to interact with apps and
perform actions such as selecting and editing text, and controlling
media. For instance, instead of going through several menus and
announcements to start or stop a podcast, you can now just double tap
the screen with two fingers. This update is available via the latest
version of TalkBack on Pixel and Samsung Galaxy devices from One UI 3
and up.
Google is also replacing the multiple menus -- which it says users
found confusing -- into a single menu that adapts to the current
context and offers regular access to important functions. So, for
example, actions like link navigation or editing controls only show up
if they're relevant to the current context, the company says.
Additionally, users can now read or skim by swiping. For example, they
can swipe right or left with three fingers to just hear headlines,
listen word-by-word or character-by-character. With a single swipe up
or down, they can navigate through text.
With TalkBack 9.1 and up, swiping up and right launches the new voice
commands, which will lead the screen reader to stop talking and listen
for your instructions. There are more than 25 commands, such as "find"
to locate text on the screen or "increase speech rate" to make
TalkBack speak faster.
Users can also add or remove options in the TalkBack menu or reading
controls and can assign or reassign gestures to different settings,
navigation controls and actions. Google is also adding support for
Arabic and Spanish in TalkBack's braille keyboard.
In the last several months, Google has updated other accessibility
offerings including Voice Access, which lets people navigate their
phones with their voice, and Lookout, which helps people who are blind
or low-vision identify food labels, pinpoint objects in a room, and
scan documents and currency. Other big tech companies, including
Twitter, Facebook and Apple, have also launched more accessibility
features amid growing awareness of the disparities that exist for
people with disabilities, particularly as the coronavirus pandemic has
made people more reliant on virtual interactions.
https://www.cnet.com/news/android-updates-talkback-screen-reader-with-new-voice-commands-language-options/
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