The TalkBack screen reader speaks text and image content on your screen. On your Android device, you can turn this setting on or off.
A screen reader is an accessibility tool designed for people with vision impairments. It can read any text, buttons, or image descriptors aloud on a wide variety of devices, including the phones or tablets that run Android.
On most Android devices, the screen reader tool is called TalkBack, and there are several ways you can enable it. On Samsung devices with software versions earlier than One UI 3.1, TalkBack is occasionally labeled as “Voice Assistant.” Despite having different names, Samsung says TalkBack and Voice Assistant offer the same functionalities, so your experience might be slightly different depending on which type of Android device you’re using.
Turn TalkBack on or off with the volume key shortcut
You can use the volume key shortcut to turn TalkBack on or off. Use the shortcut the first time you turn on and set up your device or after your device is set up.
On the side of your device, find both volume keys.
Press and hold both volume keys for 3 seconds.
To confirm that you want to turn TalkBack on or off, press both volume keys for 3 seconds again.
The volume key shortcut won’t work if you haven’t enabled it. On a Pixel or other Android phone, you can toggle on the shortcut by going to Settings > Accessibility > TalkBack > TalkBack shortcut.
On a Samsung phone, you can do this by navigating to the Settings app, choosing Accessibility > Advanced Settings > Volume up and down keys. From here, ensure the Selected service is set to TalkBack, and then toggle it on.
Turn on TalkBack using Google Assistant
To switch on TalkBack using Google Assistant, first make sure you have Google Assistant’s voice command features enabled.
Choose “Settings” > “Google Assistant” > “Hey Google & Voice Match.”
Toggle on “Hey Google.”
You can turn on Google Assistant by opening your device’s Google app, selecting your profile picture in the top-right corner of the screen, and choosing Settings > Google Assistant. Select Hey Google & Voice Match and toggle on Hey Google to start using the feature.
After that, to turn TalkBack on, simply say “Hey Google, turn on TalkBack.” Conversely, you can also say “Hey Google, turn off TalkBack” to disable the screen reader.
How to enable the screen reader through settings
You can turn on the screen reader through your device’s settings. Here’s how to turn on TalkBack — or Voice Assistant — through your phone’s settings.
If you have low vision or you help someone who is blind, you can navigate with settings to turn TalkBack on or off.
Important: When TalkBack is on, to activate, double-tap instead of single tap.
On your device, open Settings
Select Accessibility and then TalkBack.
Turn Use TalkBack on or off.
Select Ok.
On Samsung devices toggle “Voice Assistant” on.
Open the Settings app on your device and choose Accessibility.
Select Screen reader (this might appear as TalkBack on your device), and then toggle on Voice Assistant (this might appear as Use TalkBack).
To turn this setting off, double-tap the Voice Assistant (or Use TalkBack) toggle, and then double-tap the OK button to confirm.
For more help with Talkback, contact the Google Disability Support team.
