Android 15 Beta 1 Introduces TalkBack Audio Guidance for Fingerprint Reader

Recently, Damien Wilde from 9to5 Google reported an exciting update regarding Android’s TalkBack screen reader, which now provides audio hints when using a fingerprint reader. This new feature is available in Android 15 Beta 1. Steven Clark on Threads, who is blind first noticed this feature.

In previous versions of Android, audio hints were only available during the registration of biometric data. This process provided on-screen text hints for positioning, placement, and progress, as noted by Wilde. Clark recently submitted a feature request to Google, which seems to have been granted, as TalkBack now offers audio prompts while using the fingerprint scanner.

Android 15 Beta 1 Introduces TalkBack Audio Guidance for Fingerprint Reader

Wilde explained that with TalkBack enabled, when enrolling a fingerprint or updating biometric data, users are prompted to slide their finger over the screen. They receive vibration-based feedback along with spoken prompts on where to move their finger to locate the in-display scanner. Throughout the process, users receive updates on the percentage of completion to aid in the enrollment procedure. Clark also mentioned in their original Thread post that users will receive audio prompts to “press more firmly” in addition to the advice to “move left,” “move right,” and “move up.”

This news about TalkBack’s improvements comes shortly after Abner Li, another 9to5 Google colleague of Wilde, reported that Google had released Android 15 Beta 1 for Pixel phones. According to Li, this update is an “initial beta-quality release” and is available for installation over-the-air for those in the Android Beta Program. Li also mentioned that Google will have “lots more to share as we move through the release cycle” at its annual developer conference, Google I/O, scheduled for May 14 this year.

Google introduced TalkBack initially to Android in 2009. In February 2021, Google announced an “all-new version” of the software, co-developed with Samsung. The key feature of this upgraded version was the ability to use multi-touch gestures in TalkBack’s user interface. Google also added the ability to customize controls and menus to create a more personalized experience.

Interestingly, 2009, the year of TalkBack’s debut, also saw the introduction of Apple’s counterpart, VoiceOver, which made its first appearance as a flagship feature of the third-generation buttonless iPod shuffle. Additionally, in 2009, Apple brought accessibility features to iOS (then known as iPhone OS) for the first time with the release of the iPhone 3GS. These pioneering accessibility features included VoiceOver, Mono Audio, Zoom, and White-on-Black contrast.

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