Last updated on 15 April 2024
Introduction
Browse by Touch, also known as Explore by Touch in TalkBack, is a feature that allows users to navigate onscreen items and activate them by double-tapping anywhere on the screen using accessibility focus. It also allows users to perform specific tasks using screen reader gestures.
It’s recommended for blind users to keep Browse by Touch enabled as disabling it makes exploring the screen impossible and lets the system handle taps and gestures. However, there are situations when suspending Browse by Touch may be useful, such as when the user wants to type by directly touching the keyboard elements. This method can result in improved typing speed and responsiveness.
In Jieshuo, it is easy to suspend/resume Browse by Touch. By default, users can press the two volume keys together to toggle the Browse by Touch state. Note that the first volume key should be pressed and held without releasing, then the second key should be pressed directly, and both keys should be released together without waiting.
When Browse by Touch is suspended, any function assigned to simultaneous press of the volume keys will not work temporarily, and using this gesture will instead resume Browse by Touch.
Typing while browse by touch is off
To hear characters when typing with Gboard and Browse by Touch suspended, follow these steps:
1. Go to Jieshuo settings > Advanced settings > Typing settings and make sure that the “Read Candidates” option is enabled.
2. Go to Gboard settings and explore the screen to find where “Preferences” is located. Tap it by using a direct click, which can be activated by default with a two-finger tap or from the main menu. Do not use the normal double-tap to open preferences.
3. Disable the “Popup on key press” option.
Notes:
– Currently, there is a bug when enabling the option to automatically suspend browse by touch when the keyboard is shown, found in typing settings, that is preventing the screen reader from announcing the typed characters.
– If the popup on key press does not appear despite following the mentioned steps, you may need to suspend Browse by Touch, tap the position of the preferences button directly, and then resume Browse by Touch for the option to appear.
– When typing with Browse by Touch suspended, users cannot move their finger to find the character they want to type. They must tap the character’s position directly, as sighted users do. However, when a character has more than one alternative character, the user can long-press the character and then slide their finger to select the desired character.
– Unfortunately, Jieshuo is no longer able to announce the typed characters when typing with browse by touch suspended in the latest Gboard versions. you can download the last Gboard version that still supports this capability from
here
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