Overview
This guide provides a brief overview of Android accessibility features and situations when they might be helpful. Android is constantly updating the available features. Refer to the Google support website for the most current information on features.
| Feature | User Characteristics/Support needs | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Dictation | Cognition, mobility, vision, everyone | Use your voice to type |
| Reading Mode | Cognition, vision | Reduce distractions and simplify and read content aloud |
| Select to speak | Cognition, vision | Hear on screen text spoken aloud |
| Remove animations | Cognition, vision | Reduce system and image transitions |
| Action Blocks | Cognition, mobility, vision | Customizable buttons on home screen for actions and navigation |
| Feature | User Characteristics/Support Needs | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Talkback Screen Reader | Blind, low vision | Spoken feedback and descriptions of what you touch on your device |
| Braille Display Support | Blind | Refreshable braille connection support, 6 finger braille keyboard with talkback |
| Audio Descriptions | Blind, low vision | Descriptions of on-screen visuals for videos |
| Display size & text controls | Low vision, cognition, anyone | Size & font customizations |
| Dark theme & color inversion | Low vision, color blindness, light sensitivity, cognition | Display customizations for dark theme and color inversion |
| Screen magnification | Low vision | Zoom in on all or portions of the screen |
| Select to speak | Low vision | Read or describe all or some items on the screen |
| Reading mode | Blind, low vision, cognition | Customize color, contrast, and font size of websites/apps, and read content aloud |
| Contrast & colors | Low vision, light sensitivity | High contrast text, dark theme, color inversion, color correction, and grayscale |
| Extra dim | Light sensitivity, cognition | Dim screen beyond the device’s minimum |
| Large mouse pointer | Low vision | With an external mouse or touchpad, a larger pointer |
| Accessibility menu | Low vision, mobility, cognition | Large, on-screen menu for navigation and control |
| Color correction | Light sensitivity, color blindness, low vision | Color correction and grayscale of on-screen displays |
| Lookout | Blind, Low vision | Uses camera to read text aloud, provide descriptions of objects, and more |
| Feature | User Characteristics/Support needs | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Custom Caption Styles | Deaf, deaf, hard of hearing, cognition, low vision | Customize size and style |
| Flash notification | Deaf, deaf, hard of hearing, everyone | Light pulse cues for notifications using the LED flash or screen, even when the phone is in silent mode or locked |
| Live Caption | Deaf, deaf, hard of hearing, cognition | Automatic live caption on media and calls |
| Mono Audio | Unilateral hearing loss, hard of hearing, everyone | Combine audio channels to one side in headphones |
| Vibration and Haptics | Deaf, deaf, hard of hearing, everyone | Physical feedback cues for ring, notifications, and touch |
| Hearing Aids Connectivity | Unilateral hearing loss, hard of hearing | Connection to hearing aids |
| Real Time Text (RTT) | Deaf, deaf, hard of hearing | Text communication during phone calls |
| Feature | User Characteristics/Support needs | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Button Navigation | Mobility | Use buttons or gestures to navigate the device |
| One-handed mode | Mobility, amputee, everyone | Set device navigation to one hand and pull the top of the screen down to the bottom half |
| Automatic Click | Mobility, external mouse use | Dwell timing when using mouse with device |
| Keyboard Accommodations | Mobility, physical keyboard use | Bounce keys, mouse keys, slow keys, sticky keys (devices with physical keyboard only) |
| Switch Access | Mobility | Camera switches and switch connectivity |
| Voice Access | Mobility, everyone | Control device with your voice |
| Physical Button to end calls | Mobility | Push bower button to end a call |
| Screen rotation | Mobility, cognition, everyone | Control orientation of screen when phone rotates (auto or manual) |
| Accessibility Menu | Mobility, cognition | Large, on-screen menu for navigation and control |