9 Android Accessibility Features Every User Should Try

While Android accessibility features are designed with specific needs in mind, some of them can benefit everyone. From simple tweaks like screen magnification and flash notifications to more advanced options like live captions, here are a few helpful accessibility features that will change the way you use your Android phone.

1. Zoom in with Magnification features

While zooming in on web pages and photos is easy on your phone, sometimes you need that same flexibility to read text in an app or navigate through menus. That's where Android's Magnification feature comes in. It lets you zoom in on specific areas of your screen, making it easier to read text or interact with app content that might otherwise be difficult to see.

You can enable magnification by going to the Vision enhancements menu in Accessibility settings . You can then use a set gesture to access the magnification window and move it around to zoom in on any part of the screen.

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2. Adjust text and icon size

If you don't want to rely on the zoom feature or deal with small fonts, you can easily increase the text size and zoom in on your entire Android screen to make everything look bigger.

To do this, go to Settings > Vision Enhancements > Font Size and Style . Here, you'll see a slider that lets you increase the font size to your liking. You can also turn on the Bold font option for more clarity.

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3. Live Caption

When Live Caption is enabled, your Android phone will automatically display video captions on your screen, making it easier to follow. This feature is perfect for watching videos in noisy environments or when you don't want to disturb others.

These captions appear in real time, with minimal delay. You can even adjust the text size and color to make it easier to read. Turn it on by going to Settings > Hearing enhancements > Live Caption .

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4. Camera flash notification

Remember the notification LED? It used to be a staple on almost every Android device, but it's become a rarity these days as most modern smartphones have very thin or no bezels at all. However, you can still get a visual cue for alerts by enabling camera flash notifications in the Accessibility > Advanced settings menu .

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5. Reduce screen brightness below minimum

Sometimes, even the lowest screen brightness can become extremely bright. Thankfully, Android's accessibility settings offer a feature called Extra dim that lets you lower your screen brightness below the default minimum.

Whether you're reading on your phone in a dark room or just want to give your eyes a break, turning down the screen brightness even further can make a big difference. To enable it, go to Settings > Vision enhancements > Extra dim and use the Intensity slider to adjust the level of dimming to your liking. You can even add a shortcut to your Quick Settings panel for easy switching.

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6. Floating Accessibility Menu

You may have seen iPhone users with AssistiveTouch—a small white circle that hovers over the screen—that provides quick access to commonly used functions. Android phones offer a similar feature called the Accessibility menu, which you can enable from the Accessibility > Advanced Settings menu .

This floating shortcut allows you to easily control volume and brightness, lock, or take a screenshot. If you don't want the floating icon on your screen, you can also set up a gesture to access this menu.

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7. Reduce animation

While animations on Android are designed to be smooth and visually appealing, they can sometimes slow things down, especially on older or underpowered devices. Luckily, you can turn off most of these animations by going to Settings > Accessibility > Vision enhancements and toggling the Reduce animation toggle .

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8. Read the caller's name aloud

Why bother setting unique ringtones for your favorite contacts when you can just hear their names read aloud? Android's Read caller names aloud feature makes it easy to know exactly who's calling without having to look at your phone screen.

You can enable this feature by going to Settings > Accessibility > Interaction and dexterity > Answering and ending calls > Read caller names aloud .

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9. Answer and end calls with physical buttons

It's not always possible to interact with your phone via touch, especially if you're wearing gloves or have wet/dirty hands from cooking or working outdoors. Thankfully, Android provides an accessibility feature that allows you to use the physical volume buttons to answer and end calls.

Just go to Settings > Accessibility > Interaction and dexterity > Answering and ending calls , then turn on the Press Volume up to answer calls and Press Side button to end calls options . This feature lets you answer calls with a button when touch controls don't work.

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Android's Accessibility menu offers a number of useful features that enhance convenience, efficiency, and ease of use. Explore these settings and try them out for yourself - you might be surprised to find that many of Android's most useful features are hidden in the Accessibility menu.

Kareem Winters

Update 06 January 2025