Google is testing Voice Access app for voice control in Android

Google has given some Android users access to the Voice Access Beta app. The app should make it possible for people who have difficulty operating a touchscreen to control Android completely by voice.

Interested parties could sign up to participate in the beta test, but Google now says it has enough testers and it is no longer possible to participate in the test phase. It is not known if and when Google wants to bring the feature to Android.

With Google Now it is already possible to control some Android functions by voice. For example, apps can be opened, contacts can be called or alarms can be set. The Voice Access Beta seems to give users full access to the operating system, by translating actions normally done with touch into voice commands. For example, it is possible to give commands such as ‘scroll down’ or ‘go home’.

Google has probably already planned Voice Access for some time. At its I/O event in May 2015, where Android 6.0 was presented, the company already hosted a developer session on the feature. Until now, however, the app has not appeared publicly.

Voice Access beta testing is mentioned in a Google blog post about accessibility. In it, the company also writes about its Accessibility Scanner; an app that allows developers to see how ‘accessible’ their app is. For example, the tool must indicate whether buttons are large enough and whether the contrast between the text and background is large enough.