Google gives Android and Chrome new operating aids

As part of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), Google is expanding the accessibility features on Android and Chrome. Among other things, website text can be enlarged on smartphones without destroying the layout. According to the company, Gemini in Talkback also helps to improve accessibility.

Chrome for Android with improved page zoom

As Google writes in its announcement, the “Page Zoom” function can now enlarge the text “without affecting the layout of the web page or the browsing experience”. Previously, enlarging a web page in Chrome for Android enlarged the entire page in such a way that navigation was impaired.

As with the desktop version of the Chrome browser, this option can be used either for all or only for certain websites.

The “Zoom” function can be found in the three-dot menu in the top right-hand corner of the browser. If this is activated, the app displays a slider at the bottom that can be used to change the font size between 50 and 300 percent.

In addition, the Chrome desktop browser now supports optical character recognition (OCR). When using the screen reader or screen reader, it is now possible to interact with PDFs. From now on, users can highlight, copy and search text in PDFs just like on websites. Google initially introduced this function as a beta version at the beginning of the year, and it is now available for all users to use on the desktop.

Google expands Talkback function

Google is also expanding the integration of Gemini with Talkback on Android on the occasion of GAAD. Gemini has been part of the screen reader since last year and is used to identify and describe images on the screen.

According to Google, with the update it is now possible to ask Talkback follow-up questions about an image – such as what color an object is, what material it is made of and what else can be seen in the image, the company says.

Google is also rolling out the so-called “Expressive Captions” function, which was announced in December 2024. This feature is “real-time captions for anything with sound”. The function will be available in most smartphone apps and will use AI to not only transcribe “what someone says, but also how they say it”.

Subtitles are intended to reflect the mood of a situation. Google uses a soccer match as an example: If the presenter shouts “Amaaazing shot”, or shouts an emotional “Noooo” instead of “No”, it should also be translated into text in this form.

Google is also adding subtitles for other sounds, such as people whistling or clearing their throats. Initially, the function will only be introduced in English in the USA, UK, Canada and Australia on devices with Android 15 and higher. Google has not revealed when it will be available in other languages.

(afl)