Android comes with several features designed to make it easy for people with disabilities to use devices running the OS. One of these is TalkBack, which can help people with vision problems by allowing them to interact with their devices without relying on sight.

What is TalkBack? TalkBack is an accessibility feature on Android that lets you get information from your device without having to look at it. It does so by reading out loud whatever is on your screen at any given time when you tap on the screen. This lets you tap on buttons, open links, and go through web pages without having to look at them. In fact, TalkBack can let you know about images by describing them.

However, you will not be able to interact with your phone as you normally do by tapping the screen when using TalkBack. You will have to use the TalkBack gestures when using the feature. While it is designed to help those with vision problems, you can also use it in other situations. Here is how to use it.

Setting up TalkBack on your device

You can set up TalkBack on your device while setting up your device for the first time, but if you haven't done so, here is how to enable it later.

  1. Activate Google Assistant by using the gesture, long-pressing on the home screen, or using the voice command Hey Google.
  2. Then ask it to Turn on TalkBack.
  3. If you don't want to use Google Assistant, open the Settings app and tap on 'Accessibility'.
  4. Tap on the 'TalkBack' toggle to turn it on.
  1. After enabling TalkBack on your device, tap on 'TalkBack Shortcut'.
  2. You can then choose a shortcut to launch TalkBack quickly by tapping on the TalkBack shortcut menu. You can set shortcuts like the volume key and floating accessibility button.
  1. Tap on 'More options' next to the toggle to control how the button will show up and behave. You can reposition the floating button and use it as an overlay or on the navigation bar.
  2. You can also activate TalkBack by pressing both volume keys at the same time and holding them down for three seconds. Once you enable TalkBack on your Android device, a tutorial will appear explaining how to use the feature.
  1. When a section is selected on your device, it will be highlighted and TalkBack will read its contents out loud. The selected area will change as you tap elsewhere on your screen.
  2. To perform an action, such as opening a link or pressing a button, you will have to double-tap instead of the usual single tap. You can swipe and scroll using two fingers while swiping from one side to another will change how TalkBack functions.

Using TalkBack on Google Chrome

After enabling TalkBack on your Android device, you can use it in applications on Chrome.

  1. Swipe up from the bottom or double-tap on the navigation bar to go to the Home Screen. Double-tap on the Google Chrome logo to open the browser from the Home Screen or App Drawer.
  2. If you cannot do that, swipe left or right with three fingers until you hear the phone say 'Controls'. Then swipe up or down using a single finger until TalkBack says 'Chrome' before double-tapping on the screen to open it.
  3. When Chrome opens, swipe left or right with three fingers again to go to the 'Controls' mode again. Then swipe up or down using one finger until TalkBack says 'Search or type URL'.
  1. Double-tapping the screen again will launch the keyboard, Type in what you want to search and double-tap again.
  2. When the website opens, swipe left or right with three fingers until you get to 'Links'. Then you can swipe up or down and TalkBack will speak aloud the names of the links on the page.
  1. You can double-tap on your screen after hearing the name of a section to navigate to it quickly. Once inside a section, swipe left or right with three fingers until you see 'Headings', which will let you browse the page easily. Then swipe up or down with a single finger and TalkBack will read aloud the contents of the page.
  2. To read an article, double-tap on it and then you can use TalkBack to read just the headings or the entire article. It can read one character at a time, one word at a time, one line at a time, or one paragraph at a time. Swipe left or right with three fingers to select your preferred mode and then swipe up or down with one finger.
Note: Swipe left or right with three fingers to get to 'Links' when you want to return to the Homepage.
  1. To move to the next character, word, line, or paragraph, swipe on your screen, while you can switch to 'Headings' and swipe up and down when you need to move between headings.

Things to know

  • Depending on your device, you may find TalkBack within the Accessibility Suite, if you do not see it directly.
  • Because the taps on your phone work very differently when TalkBack is enabled, it can take some time before you get used to it.
  • If you use the TalkBack Accessibility button as a shortcut, you can tap on it at any time to disable and enable the feature. However, it is best to use the volume keys if you cannot see or understand what is on your screen at all.