Google Expands AI Accessibility on Android, Chrome

Google has launched new AI-powered accessibility features on Android and Chrome in celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day. The TalkBack screen reader is now integrated with Gemini AI, enabling users with visual impairments to ask follow-up questions about images and receive detailed, context-rich descriptions. The Expressive Captions feature leverages AI to transcribe words, emotions, and non-verbal sounds in real time for users who are deaf or hard of hearing. Chrome supports Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for scanned PDFs, allowing for text selection, copying, searching, and enhanced screen reader compatibility. A new Page Zoom feature on Chrome for Android lets users increase text size without disrupting page layout, matching desktop functionality. These updates reinforce Google's commitment to making digital content accessible for the 1.3 billion people with disabilities worldwide.