Google is expanding its efforts to make technology more accessible by releasing a set of new AI-powered accessibility capabilities for Android and Chrome. These enhancements, announced on Thursday, seek to empower individuals with visual or hearing impairments by improving the intuitiveness and accessibility of digital interactions.
TalkBack Gets Smarter with Gemini
One of the most major upgrades is TalkBack, Android’s screen reader. Previously, TalkBack users could obtain AI-generated picture descriptions via Google’s Gemini model, which was particularly useful when alt text was absent. Users may now ask Gemini questions regarding photos and on-screen material.
Consider getting a snapshot of a friend’s new guitar; TalkBack can explain the visual and answer follow-up queries such as the brand and colour of the instrument. Beyond photographs, users may also gain AI-powered insights over their full phone screen. Shopping online? Enquire with Gemini about the material of a product or whether there is a discount available.
This innovation is a significant step towards hands-free, eyes-free engagement with visual data.
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More Expressive Captions for Real-Time Conversations
Google is also enhancing Expressive Captions, Android’s real-time AI-generated captions feature. The upgrade includes a new length function that measures how users emphasize words, such as drawing out a syllable for emotional impact. Expressive Captions will now represent voice subtleties, whether it’s a sportscaster shrieking “amaaaazing shot” or someone saying “nooooo” forcefully.
Furthermore, the function now classifies nonverbal noises like whistling or throat clearing, making discussions more contextually rich for users who are deaf or hard of hearing.
These features will be accessible in English in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia on smartphones running Android 15 or above.
Chrome Gets Accessibility Boosts Too
On the desktop, Google is improving PDF accessibility in Chrome. Until today, scanned PDFs were practically unintelligible by screen readers. Chrome can now recognize and transform scanned text in PDFs into selectable and searchable material, thanks to the incorporation of Optical Character Recognition (OCR). This modification enables users to highlight, copy, search, and view PDF material using assistive capabilities just like they would on a conventional webpage.
Meanwhile, on Chrome for Android, users may benefit from enhanced Page Zoom. This allows users to raise the font size without changing the website layout. The zoom level may be adjusted and applied globally or to individual pages, resulting in a more personalized and consistent reading experience.
To use this function, users need touch the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of Chrome and alter their zoom settings.
Meanwhile, on Chrome for Android, users may benefit from enhanced Page Zoom. This allows users to raise the font size without changing the website layout. The zoom level may be adjusted and applied globally or to individual pages, resulting in a more personalized and consistent reading experience.
To use this function, users need touch the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of Chrome and alter their zoom settings.
A Future That’s More Accessible for Everyone
Google’s latest features use AI to build more inclusive digital environments. The enhancements, which range from explaining photographs to recording expressive voice and enhancing text readability, demonstrate Google’s dedication to accessibility as a basic design philosophy, rather just an afterthought.
As these functionalities become available, they promise to help millions of people traverse the digital world more easily and independently.
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