Smartphone Accessibility Features You May Not Know About

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If you have hearing loss, you’ve probably found it challenging to take advantage of some of your smartphone’s advanced capabilities. Fortunately, both Apple and Android devices are now equipped with smartphone accessibility features to assist users who have hearing and/or vision loss. Here’s how these features can help you to use your phone more easily and efficiently.

Apple DevicesTwo women using smartphone audiology features

On iPhones and other devices, Apple offers a range of visual and audio support features, as well as mobility tools. These capabilities enable users with vision or hearing loss to receive and review notifications, watch videos, and read and compose messages more easily. With Apple’s accessibility shortcuts for iPhone, users can also add all of their most important audio and visual tools directly to the phone’s Control Center for easy access.

Visual Accessibility Features

  • Speech to text eliminates your need to type messages. Instead, you can speak directly into your iPhone’s microphone and have your message converted into text.
  • VoiceOver is a tool that uses audible language to describe exactly what’s happening on your iPhone’s screen.
  • Magnifier uses your iPhone’s camera as a digital magnifying glass, enlarging and illuminating small print and fine details.
  • You can also adjust your iPhone’s text size to make it easier to read messages and written content on apps.

Audio Accessibility Features

  • Apple offers a subtitles tool that captions videos.
  • On your iPhone, you can also enable an LED flash to make notifications easier to notice.
  • Real-time text (RTT) calls instantly transmit a message as you type it and keep a transcript of each call for later reference.

Android Devices

Android’s Accessibility Suite is a collection of accessibility tools that make it simple to use your smartphone eyes-free or with a switch device. The Suite’s Accessibility Menu uses large, easy-to-read icons to lock your phone, change its volume and brightness, take screenshots, and perform other essential actions.

Visual Accessibility Features

  • Android users can make display adjustments to make icons, images, and text more visible.
  • Using Android’s braille display and keyboard, users can type in Braille without any additional hardware.
  • Caption settings are available for adding subtitles to videos.
  • Voice Access enables users to control the device with vocal commands, including actions such as opening apps, navigating text, and editing messages.

Audio Accessibility Features

  • With TalkBack, users can interact with an Android phone using sound and touch, hearing everything from notifications to remaining battery life.
  • Sound Amplifier makes audio easier to hear while filtering out background noise.
  • Users can also adjust sound notifications to receive alerts when a doorbell rings or an alarm goes off.

Invest in Your Quality of Life

While technology can make living with hearing loss easier, untreated hearing loss can present many risks. Our team at Associated Hearing Professionals has over 70 years of combined experience, and we are eager to continue helping patients in the St. Louis metro area. We offer a full range of hearing test and hearing aid services. To schedule an appointment today, contact us online or call 314-725-2686.