Skip to main content

Screen Reader (TalkBack) for Android

Manual accessibility testing is crucial to ensure that your mobile apps and websites are fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). This guarantees that your websites are usable by people with disabilities, regardless of their device or browsing capabilities.

LambdaTest's Live Screen Reader feature empowers you to perform manual accessibility testing on real Android devices, allowing you to navigate through app elements with spoken descriptions of the UI—similar to the Google TalkBack functionality. This feature enables comprehensive accessibility testing to ensure compliance with WCAG standards.

This feature is currently in Beta

Accessing Screen Reader in Real Device App Testing

Step 1: Click on the Real Devices > App Testing

Step 2: Select your required device and upload your application and click on Start button.

Step 3: Click on the screen reader option from toolbar and use toggle to enable and disable talkBack feature on your device.

Supported Devices

Screen feature is available on below android devices only to ensure a smooth rollout. We'll expand support to more devices based on feedback and performance insights only.

DeviceAndroid Version
Google Pixel 8 ProAndroid 14
Samsung Galaxy S23Android 13
Google Pixel 7 ProAndroid 13
Samsung Galaxy S22 5GAndroid 12
Google Pixel 6 ProAndroid 12

How to Navigate using Keyboard Shortcuts

Users accessing your mobile website on an Android device with TalkBack enabled can interact through touch gestures or by using keyboard shortcuts via a Bluetooth keyboard. Both options enable them to carry out "TalkBack actions," such as navigating between elements or having content read aloud.

These two navigation methods function similarly, performing the same actions within the UI, ensuring that your site remains fully accessible, no matter the approach. Once your website meets WCAG standards using one method, it will be compatible with the other as well.

For the Screen Reader feature on android devices , use the following keyboard shortcuts to trigger the different actions :

TalkBack ActionMacOS Keyboard ShortcutWindows Keyboard Shortcut
Move to previous/next itemControl + Option + (Left/Right arrow)Ctrl + (Left/Right arrow)
Activate/open elementControl + Option + SpaceCtrl + Alt + Space
Go backEscEsc
Pause or resume speechControl + Option + ZCtrl + Alt + Z
Read from next itemControl + Option + PCtrl + Alt + P
Move up the sliderControl + Option + UCtrl + Alt + U
Move down the sliderControl + Option + DCtrl + Alt + D
Go to home screenControl + Option + HCtrl + Alt + H
Go to recentsControl + Option + RCtrl + Alt + R
Go to quick settingsControl + Option + QCtrl + Alt + Q

Test across 3000+ combinations of browsers, real devices & OS.

Book Demo

Help and Support

Related Articles