Visually impaired Android 15 options – getting better all the time

Visually impaired Android 15 options, when added to Google Gemini AI, can make life in a sighted world a little easier.

Now, a disclaimer – I am not visually impaired and cannot begin to imagine what that life is like. But reader John from Victoria is, and he asked Charlie Brown and me to see what we could find as his decades-old Parrot Voice Mate is on its last legs. So please take this as exploratory, and we value reader feedback. Let’s get it right!

When you lose one sense, the others try to compensate

In this case, Parrot started in 1994 in France and was built on very early voice recognition technology. That company now makes military and professional drones!

Digitalisation – converting analogue voice to digital speech – has come a very long way, so much so that Android 15 visually impaired options now offer almost instant transcribing and translation.

Key features include the Accessibility Menu, TalkBack, Switch Access, and various visual and audio adjustments. Accessibility settings can be customised to suit individual needs, including options for screen magnification, font size, colour correction, and sound notifications. 

• Accessibility Menu: A floating menu that provides quick access to various settings and actions, including screen screenshots, volume control, and opening Google Assistant. 
• TalkBack: A screen reader that reads aloud what’s on the screen, allowing users with visual impairments to navigate their devices. 
• Switch Access: This feature enables users to control their device using various input methods, such as switches, voice commands, or specialised input devices. 
• Visual Adjustments: Options for adjusting font size, colour correction, colour inversion, and display brightness to improve readability. 
• Audio Adjustments: Features like Sound Amplifier, Live Transcribe, Sound Notifications, and Live Caption to enhance audio accessibility. 
• Navigation Features: One-handed mode and improved gestures for easier navigation. 
• Braille Support: Braille driver for enhanced accessibility for visually impaired users. 
• Improved Screen Magnification: Users can now easily access screen magnification by using the Accessibility Menu, pressing and holding the volume keys, or triple-tapping the display. 
• Fingerprint Unlock Audio Guidance: Enhanced fingerprint unlock with audio guidance for blind users. 
• Quick Settings: Add accessibility services to Quick Settings for easy access. 

Setting Up Accessibility Features:

• Open the Settings app on your Android device.
• Navigate to Accessibility.
• Explore the available options and select the features you want to enable or customise.
• For features like TalkBack, follow the on-screen instructions to set them up.
• Consider using accessibility shortcuts to quickly activate features. 
• Add things like a Password Manager (like LastPass), and it can open with a fingerprint and fill in most forms.

AI

With the progress from Google Assistant to Google Gemini, it now offers conversational voice commands and the ability to control apps. “Gemini, book me an Uber going to the train station” is a pretty simple task. Gemini can also research, transcribe, summarise, set calendar events, reminders, to-do lists and assist with everyday tasks in many languages. It is also taking over Google Assistant at home.

A recent Google Pixel feature drop included reading the expiration date of products, the flavours, etc.

The next step is multi-modality, where it can use commands on different apps to achieve a goal.

It represents a philosophical shift — from passive assistive tech that reads aloud to an intelligent system that understands, adapts, and explains. We understand that its capabilities far exceed Synapptic.

Gemini is part of modern Android 15 phones with a minimum of 12GB RAM and mobile internet connections like the Pixel 9 (not 9a), Samsung S25 Ultra, Motorola Edge 50 Pro and 60, and OPPO Reno 13.

We understand that the Google Pixel 9 has more feature drops, and not all features may be available on all brands. Some features require the Google 9 Pro Fold or the upgrade to Gemini Ultra.

CyberShack’s view: Explore the visually impaired Android 15 options

We hope this is the first article to highlight visually impaired options, because as the sighted often say, ‘Out of sight, out of mind’.

If any reader or listener has any suggestions to assist the visually impaired, please use the comments section below.

We have covered quite a few devices for hearing-impaired people. You can search Cybershack for these articles here.

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