Google announced today that it now offers a Braille keyboard integrated directly into Android. The company says the new feature will make its operating system more accessible for people who are visually impaired, without requiring extra hardware.
Google says the keyboard will be familiar to anyone who has typed using braille before. Once TalkBack is turned on in the Accessibility section, you’ll swipe up with three fingers to open the keyboard. It has a standard six-key layout, and each key represents one of six braille dots. To type an “A” for instance you’d press dot one, and to type “B”, dots one and two together.
The keyboard is rolling out to all devices that run Android 5.0 or later starting today. To enable it, go to Settings > Accessibility and select TalkBack. You can see full instructions on the Android Accessibility Help website.
