Lookout for Android gets smarter
Lookout, an app designed for blind and visually impaired users, is getting an update with a new “Search” mode. This feature, currently in beta, allows users to search for specific objects in their surroundings using their phone’s camera. Attention will then provide the direction and distance to the requested object. Lookout will also generate captions for images captured in the app.
Look to Speak, another Android app, introduces a text-free mode. This mode targets users with communication difficulties by allowing them to select and customize emojis, symbols and photos to activate speech.
Project Gameface comes to Android
Project Gameface, an open source hands-free control system originally designed for PC gaming, is now available for Android developers. This allows developers to create apps where users can control features with facial expressions, gestures, and cursor speed.
Improved AI-powered accessibility features in Maps
Google Maps is receiving several updates to improve accessibility for blind and visually impaired users. One of them is the turn-by-turn voice guidance and screen reader capabilities for Lens in Maps., now available worldwide on Android and iOS. This feature reads aloud the names and categories of nearby places, as well as their distance.
Accessibility information for more than 50 million places is now available on Maps. This information, including details on entrances, restrooms, parking and wheelchair accessible seating, can be found under the ‘About’ tab.
Third, the wheelchair accessibility icon now extends to the desktop version of Maps, allowing users to find accessible locations across all platforms.
Project and sound notifications receive updates
Project Relate, an app designed to improve speech recognition for users with non-standard speech patterns, now allows users to import phrases from other apps as custom cards.
Sound Notifications, an app that alerts users to home sounds like doorbells and smoke detectors, has been redesigned based on user feedback.
