Android TalkBack

What do you need before turning on TalkBack?

TalkBack is included on Android devices, with setup depending on the phone and Android and TalkBack versions. Find the Accessibility setting and check how you will turn TalkBack off on that device before trying a test.

Use the built-in tutorial to learn the gestures. With TalkBack on, touching an item typically selects it and a double tap activates the selected item.

How can you find the next useful part of a page?

In Chrome, use TalkBack reading controls to move by headings, links or controls. A heading lets a visitor jump to the right part of a longer page. Controls lets them look for something they can operate, such as a button or a form field.

A section can look prominent yet be absent when you navigate by headings. A control can be reachable while its spoken name leaves its purpose unclear. Record these as separate observations.

How can you check a touch action without contacting anyone?

Use a standalone sample available in Chrome on the phone. Give it a Support heading and a Show hours button that reveals fictional opening hours on the same page. Use no contact link, account or request. If you lack the phone, sketch the sequence and leave the Android check open.

1. 1
   Find the heading

   Choose Headings in reading controls and move to Support. If it is skipped, record what TalkBack reached instead.
2. 2
   Activate the button

   Navigate to Show hours, listen for its name and role, then double-tap. Check that you can discover the newly shown hours by continuing from where you are. Listen for any change that was announced automatically and record that separately.
3. 3
   Repeat the task after a change

   Write down the device, Chrome version, TalkBack version and the first point where the flow was confusing. Repeat on the fixed sample. One successful phone pass covers this task on this setup.