Google launches a new Android keyboard for the blind

Google announced today, Thursday, the launch of a new keyboard that supports Braille to facilitate the typing of blind people on their Android mobile devices.

“More than 150 years ago, the invention of Braille was revolutionary in making reading and writing accessible to the blind,” an American tech giant said in a blog. Today, braille displays make writing available on most phones and computers through the actual Braille keyboard. But it can take a long time to connect an external device every time you want to type something quickly on your phone. “

Now comes the new TalkBack virtual braille keyboard directly integrated into the Android system, and Google said: it’s a fast and convenient way to type on the phone without additional devices, whether blind posts on social media reply to a message from text or write a short email.

Thanks to the cooperation of the Google team with Braille developers and users during the development of this feature, it will be familiar to anyone who has written using Braille before. The keyboard uses a standard 6-key layout, and each key represents one of the 6 braille dots that any letter or symbol produces when clicked. To write A, for example, points 1 and B can be pressed, and points 1 and 2 can be pressed together.

The keyboard can be used anywhere on the phone and allows users to delete letters and words, add lines, and send text. The keyboard can be turned on and off once you switch between international keyboards.

It is noteworthy that the TalkBalk Braille keyboard will be available for all Android devices with 5.0 or later, starting today. It will be initially available for English.