This Wednesday, 30, Google announced the launch of Voice Access in Portuguese, an application that allows users to control devices android using only voice. The new version will be released in the first week of December 2022 for Android 12. With this tool, you can use apps, move between screens, type messages, and even edit text with your voice.
This feature, launched in 2018, was designed to allow anyone to control a mobile phone in this way, which is especially useful for people with disabilities who find it difficult to manipulate the touch screen.
“O Brazil it’s a big market. Since July, we have a dedicated team that understands the needs of users. Brazileiros and hand them over to the global team,” said Isa Meirelles, Communications Manager at Google Brazil. The country ranks third in the number of Google Assistant users (android, iOS), which had 500 million people worldwide in 2020.
Voice Access has some basic navigation commands (“back”, “go home”, “open Gmail”), to control the screen (“tap next”, “scroll down”), or even to edit and dictate text (“type hi ”, “replace coffee with tea”). When the user says “help”, a list of commands is presented at any time.
The tool can be launched by the Google Assistant by saying “Ok Google Voice Access”. You can also tap the Android app notification or the blue voice access button and start talking.
Google Maps
About Google Maps (android, iOS) launches a function to identify establishments with available entry. In this case, they are identified by a wheelchair icon in the company profile. If the location is not available, the icon looks like a dash above it. This function also allows you to find out if there are places for people with disabilities, toilets and parking in the hall.
The tool shows the accessibility features of the institution. (credit: advertising)
“A person can see the proposed accessibility solutions on the establishment’s page, such as ramps and elevators. It is already available in Google Maps settings as an opportunity to help people with reduced mobility better plan where they can go,” said Bernardo Barlach, accessibility partnerships manager for Latin America.
This feature was launched in Australia, Japan, the UK and the US in 2020 to help people know if a given location is wheelchair accessible. It is now available worldwide, online as well as on the app. Over 120 million local experts, users, and merchants worldwide have provided over 1 billion accessibility information in object profiles.
To use it, you need to activate the “available places” setting in the Google Maps application. To enter accessibility information on Google Maps, simply find the establishment’s business profile, click “About” and then “Edit Resources”. Then just click on the availability information and add the details to your profile.
