Google was in effort to release a service that you may “interact with your Android device using one or more switches or a keyboard instead of the touchscreen….!!” Therefore they have produced an App named Switch Access a standalone app, that is built specially to serve Android devices. Google avail the App on the Play Store last week.
Switch Access highlights items on your screen until you make a selection:
- Linear scanning: Move between items one at a time.
- Row-column scanning: Scan one row at a time. After a row is selected, move through items in that list.
- Point scanning: Use moving lines to select a specific horizontal and vertical location, then press “Select”.
- Group selection: Assign switches to different color groupings. All items on the screen will be assigned a color. Press the switch corresponding to the color around the item you want. Narrow down the size of the group until you reach your choice.
You’ll visualize the menu with available interactions, like select, scroll, copy, paste, like options when selecting an element. By the top of the menu Broader device control is also made available (in the status bar next to the physical camera) that lets you open notifications, go to the homescreen, change the volume, etc.
How you can access Google’s Switch Access App?
A number of physical methods, including volume buttons, keyboards, or dedicated buttons either via USB or Bluetooth in which input is accepted. Camera switches are another option that involves the user looking left/right/up or opening their mouth, smiling, and raising eyebrows. There are options to “customize the sensitivity and duration of each gesture to better fit your needs.”
Google has not yet provided any upgrade instructions from the previous Accessibility Suite. Presumably, Switch Access being broken out of the Android Accessibility Suite will allow for faster and more dedicated updates. Version 1.13.0.495213089 is the latest release from Friday.
Although preference now also appears in the “Downloaded apps” section of the menu, alongside Action Blocks. One can access it with the system Settings app > Accessibility > Switch Access. Hope you like the content, you can share the experience if you tried to excess the service.
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