Android smartphones are not just smart because of the hardware and all the stuff that can be done on them. They are also smart because they allow people with low vision or low sightedness, a great way to use and explore the devices. They have an inbuilt TalkBack or voice assistant feature. With this, users can get audio feedback for the content on the screen and other options that are available there. This way it becomes easy for people who have low vision or are visually impaired to operate the device.
It will provide audio feedback for every part of the screen they touch making it a reliable method to use smartphones. Now activating or switching on talkback on Android device is really easy, but switching it off can be a little out of the box as the device in talkback mode works differently than the normal. Here we are going to provide the steps that will be required to turn on/off talkback on Android devices.
Contents
TalkBack Mode/Voice Assistant
We have used Samsung Galaxy S8 to demonstrate how to turn on and off talkback on Android devices. The steps will be similar to all the other Android devices but the term TalkBack may differ. In our case, it is Voice assistant.
Turn On TalkBack
- TalkBack mode can be easily activated by going to the Settings menu. Here navigate and search for Accessibility and then tap on it.
- Inside the Accessibility menu, from the given categories select Vision. Now, you will be able to see Voice Assistant. Select it.
- Here turn on the toggle switch as shown in the right image above. Then it will ask for permission and show how it will function. Tap OK and you have successfully turned on talkback on your Android device.
Some of the devices may not have a toggle switch, instead, there will be other option like On/Off. The device will function differently in this mode. For e.g. you will have to double tap to select an option on the screen, use two fingers to swipe or navigate through the pages and few others. The device will also give you tutorials for using the TalkBack mode properly. We would recommend taking the tutorial to understand the usage more clearly.
Turn Off TalkBack
Now as the device functions a little differently in the talkback mode, follow the given steps to turn it off or deactivate it.
- To unlock the phone in talkback mode, swipe the lock screen with two fingers. Then provide the pattern or password to unlock your device if you have set any. If you have a passcode then double tap on each digit/word to select it.
- Now, use two fingers and swipe down to open the notification panel. Here tap once on the settings icon. This will mark the settings icon. Now tap twice on the same icon or anywhere on the screen to open the settings menu.
Note: On other devices, tap on the app drawer icon once and when a box will appear on that icon double tap it to open the app list. Now do the same to open the settings menu from the app list.
3. Similarly, open the Accessibility menu by tapping once and then double tapping it and reach to Voice assistant menu by opening the required option by double tapping.
4. Then turn the toggle switch off in the same way i.e. tap on the option and box will appear around that option, then double tap to open or apply the desired settings. Then select OK from the pop-up menu and it will turn off.
Also Read: How To Change DNS Settings On Android
Wrapping Up
With the given steps you can easily turn on and off the TalkBack or voice assistant feature on your Android devices. Remember, your smartphone will work in an unusual way in the TalkBack mode so it is advised to take the tutorial that the device provides after activating it.
