1. Introduction
  2. Cheat sheets
  3. Off and on again
  4. Conclusion

Introduction

I was watching a Deque talk on how to use Talkback and some of the sections stuck with me:

And it got me thinking, “How do developers use TalkBack?” I have to admit learning how to use it was not a fun experience for me, and normally learning it comes from necessity. I only learned about actions a year ago, and I’ve been doing this for a while as a specialization.

Cheat sheets

Android

GESTURES
Next element
Single finger swipe
left to right
ALT + → 		Previous element
Single finger swipe
right to left
ALT + ← 		Tap or activate
Single finger
double tap
ALT + ENTER
Scroll down
Two finger swipe
lower to higher
↓ 		Scroll up
Two finger swipe
higher to lower
↑ 		Back
Single finger swipe
down then left
ALT + BACKSPACE
Choose granularity
Single finger swipe
"V" or "^" shape
CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + ↓ 		Next at granularity
Single finger swipe
lower to higher
ALT + ↓ 		Previous at granularity
Single finger swipe
higher to lower
ALT + ↑
Open menu
Single finger swipe
Up and right
ALT + SPACE

iOS

GESTURES
Next element
Single finger swipe
left to right
VO + → 		Previous element
Single finger swipe
right to left
VO + ← 		Tap or activate
Single finger
double tap
VO + SPACEBAR
Select reading control (rotor)
Two fingers
Bottle cap "twist"
VO + CMD + → 		Next reading control
Single finger swipe
higher to lower
↓ 		Previous reading control
Single finger swipe
lower to higher
↑
Back
Two finger swipe
"Z" shape
ESCAPE 		Scroll down
Three finger swipe
lower to higher
OPTION + ↓ 		Scroll up
Three finger swipe
higher to lower
OPTION + ↑
Switch apps
Four finger swipe
Horizontal swipe
VO + SHIFT + [ 		Use actions
Open rotor, select action reading control, double tap
VO + CMD + →, ↑, VO + SPACEBAR

VO = the modifier for VoiceOver commands: the Control and Option keys.

Turning on and off

Turning off your assistive technology tools can be the most frustrating thing, so being prepared to turn it off is paramount to productivity and success. I recommend turning on, navigating a little and turning off just to try it out. Both devices offer a variety of shortcuts that borderline into the problematic when you try to document them all - discover what works best for you.

Android

The most default mechanism folks use to turn TalkBack on and off is the “Double volume key shortcut” - you can set it up that pressing and holding both volume keys can activate and deactivate TalkBack.

Off

adb shell settings put secure enabled_accessibility_services \"\";
settings put secure accessibility_enabled 0; 
settings put secure touch_exploration_enabled 0;

You may only need the first line, but I’ve tested on my fair share of devices to know it’s not the same everywhere

On

On most phones:

Open settings -> Accessibility -> TalkBack -> Use TalkBack

adb shell settings put secure enabled_accessibility_services "com.google.android.marvin.talkback/.TalkBackService";

adb shell settings put secure enabled_accessibility_services "com.samsung.android.accessibility.talkback/com.samsung.android.marvin.talkback.TalkBackService";

iOS

The most common shortcut for turning VoiceOver on in iOS is to use the triple tap the home (or side) button.

On and off

Open settings -> Accessibility -> VoiceOver -> Toggle on and off

Conclusion

These cheat sheets are by no means exhaustive. Screen readers are complicated and how they are used even more so. There are far more comprehensive sheets out there, but I found them cognitively overwhelming. It’s my hope that developers get better at using assistive technologies, as it empowers us to create better apps. I hope this is not overwhelming, but just enough to get you started and excited.