What’s new with TalkBack 16.2

This update improves keyboard and braille display controls, and introduces new text-input methods. The reorganized settings menu also helps you find features more easily.

Understand enhanced keyboard & braille features

This section covers new ways you can interact with physical keyboards and braille displays.

Use the enhanced keymap for physical keyboards

For physical keyboards, you can use the Enhanced keymap which includes new commands and shortcuts. To make web navigation more efficient, the new keymap features Browse mode.

To switch to enhanced keymap:

Open your device’s Settings app.
Select Accessibility TalkBack Settings.
Select Advanced settings Keyboard shortcuts Choose a keymap.
Select Enhanced keymap.

Turn on Smart browse mode

You can optimize your keyboard experience while you browse the web with Smart browse mode. This feature disables browse mode in editable text fields so you can easily type, and re-enables browse mode in non-editable fields.

Open your device’s Settings app.
Select Accessibility TalkBack Settings.
Select TalkBack settings Advanced settings.
Turn Smart browse mode on or off.

Use braille display browse mode shortcuts

If you use a braille display, to navigate through content directly from your display, you can use Browse mode shortcuts. There are changes to some braille display shortcuts to accommodate this new feature.

You can find a list of braille display shortcuts in braille display settings.

To get a full list of braille display shortcuts:

Open your device’s Settings app.
Select Accessibility TalkBack Settings.
Select TalkBack settings Braille display.

Access the new keyboard tutorial

A new keyboard tutorial helps you learn the commands and shortcuts for the enhanced keymap when you use a physical keyboard.

Open your device’s Settings app.
Select Accessibility TalkBack Settings.
Select TalkBack settings TalkBack tutorial.

Explore new text-input methods

This section details new gestures and features that improve the typing and dictation experience.

Use a shortcut for voice dictation or typing

While you use Gboard, to start or stop voice typing, double-tap with 2 fingers.

Use Split-tap

To activate items across the entire screen and even outside of the on-screen keyboard, use the Split-tap gesture.

To activate Split-tap:

Move one finger to find an item.
Without lifting that finger, touch the screen with another finger.
- This activates the focused item.

Understand usability & settings updates

This section covers updates to how TalkBack announces text. It also details improvements to the settings menu organization.

Announce text formatting changes

To provide more context, TalkBack can now announce changes in text formatting like bold, italics, underline, font size, text color, and background color. Changes in text formatting include a hint that lets you know formatting changes.

To hear formatting descriptions:
1. Open your device’s Settings app.
2. Select Accessibility TalkBack Settings.
3. Select Verbosity Speak text formatting.

To change how formatted text is announced:
1. Open your device’s Settings app.
2. Select Accessibility TalkBack Settings.
3. Select Verbosity Text formatting options.

Alternatively, you can add "Speak text formatting" to your reading controls. When this is added, you can toggle the announcement on or off.

Navigate the new TalkBack settings

To make features easier to find, there are updates to settings groups and new setting categories like keyboard settings.