New AI Accessibility Features Rolled Out By Google

Google has released new accessibility features for Android, Chrome, and More. It always comes with some stunning AI features or a tech update. Now it has rolled out an update for the Android platform and Chrome web browsers.

Summary:

1. Google has introduced new accessibility features for Android and Chrome, including AI-powered real-time Creative Captions and the ability to zoom into text without changing the web page layout.

2. Chromebooks already have accessibility features, like face gesture navigation and customized Reading mode. Chrome now recognizes scanned PDFs using optical character recognition (OCR) and allows users to adjust text size without changing the web page layout.

3. Additionally, Google has introduced a “docked bar” in Gmail for Android, replacing the quick reply interface with a toolbar with various options.

It involves new features like AI-powered real-time Creative Captions, Chrome’s option to zoom into text without changing the web page layout, and other features. According to the latest AI tech news, Google is also improving existing capabilities, such as TalkBack, which can now answer searches about images without alt text.

What are these Accessibility Features?

Gemini and Talkback: Google is expanding Gemini integration in the TalkBack feature. While previously bound to providing descriptions of photos without alt text, the tool now allows users to ask questions about them. For example, if a friend sends you a new guitar photo, you can get a description and ask follow-up questions about the manufacturer and colour, and what else the photo has.
Creative Captions: The Creative Captions feature for Android uses artificial intelligence to capture what people say and how they express it. Users can tell when a commentator on sports calls out an “amazing shot” or when the video message is “nooooo” rather than “no.” Users will get additional sound labels to recognize whether someone is whistling or clearing their throat.
The feature is now available in English in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia for smartphones running Android 15 or later.
Better Speech Recognition: Google’s project Euphonia, which debuted in 2019, is growing globally to make speech recognition more inclusive, particularly for distinctive speech. Developers may now use Google’s open-source tools on GitHub to construct and train models for various speech patterns.

Accessibility Features on Chromebook: Chromebooks already have various accessibility features, including face gesture navigation and customized Reading mode. Google is now adding similar tools to the College Board’s Bluebook testing program, which allows students to take online tests.

Accessibility Features in Chrome Browser:

Google’s Chrome web browser will receive two new features:

Screen Reader for PDFs: Chrome will recognize scanned PDFs using optical character recognition (OCR), letting users highlight, copy, and search for content. Previously, Chrome blocked users from interacting with scanned PDFs on their desktops.
Page Zoom in Chrome: Google Chrome for Android allows users to adjust the text size without changing the web page layout. Users can pick how much they wish to zoom in and then apply the preference to all visited pages. To access this function, users can tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of Chrome.

Aside from these new accessibility features, Google has included a simple “docked bar” to its Gmail for Android. According to 9To5Google, the quick reply interface introduced last year is being replaced by a toolbar docked at the bottom of the screen. This toolbar has reply, reply all, forward, and emoji options.

Similarly, Microsoft is also testing the “Hey, Copilot” feature on Windows for users who signed up for Insider Builds to activate Copilot by saying “Hey, Copilot.” The testing is yet to be completed to identify possible bugs and the scope of improvements. So, it will be interesting to see this new update from Microsoft.