00;00;00;14 - 00;00;20;00
Speaker 1
Here's something that has happened to me, and I'm pretty sure you've had that same experience. You're out to dinner. The light is low and the menu is written in a font so small there's a thousand words to a page. You hold it at arm's length, you tilt your head back, you bring it closer and squint like you're trying to read the bottom line of an eye chart.
00;00;20;00 - 00;00;44;01
Speaker 1
Or maybe it's not the menu. Maybe it's the tiny print on a bottle of medicine, or a phone number on a text that you can barely read. Here's the thing. Your phone already has a whole set of tools built into it for exactly that, and almost nobody turns them on because they're tucked away in a menu that most people never open, with a name that makes it sound like they're made for somebody else.
00;00;44;05 - 00;00;56;19
Speaker 1
Well, today we're going to fix that. So grab your phone, sit back, and let's get this going.
00;00;56;22 - 00;01;15;17
Speaker 1
Welcome to your Tech Makeover, the podcast that gives you tips and tricks to help you simplify and get more out of the technology in your life. I'm your host, Frank Bravo. Today's topic is the accessibility settings on your device. That word sounds like it only applies to certain people, but I promise you that it doesn't and I use mine all the time.
00;01;15;20 - 00;01;36;25
Speaker 1
These are some of the most useful features on your phone, and they are for everyone. We're going to walk through how to make them easier to use, how to make the screen easier to see, how to turn your phone into a magnifying glass, how to have it read things to you out loud, something that I had forgotten about, and how to make the sound and the video easier to follow.
00;01;36;25 - 00;01;57;18
Speaker 1
And then a couple of shortcuts that make this whole process easier. Then I'll show you that your computer has the very same tricks. You don't have to be an expert to do any of this, and you don't have to change everything. You just need to know where those switches are. So let me start by clearing up what the word accessibility means, because it trips people up.
00;01;57;18 - 00;02;19;25
Speaker 1
When your phone says accessibility, a lot of people think that it means for people with disabilities and they're skipping right past it. And yes, these features were originally designed to help people who have trouble seeing, hearing, or maybe using their hands. But somewhere along the way, the companies realize that it makes the phone easier to use, and the tools help just about everyone.
00;02;19;28 - 00;02;38;01
Speaker 1
Larger text doesn't just help somebody with low vision, it helps you read a recipe from across a kitchen counter. Having your phone read an article out loud doesn't just help somebody who can't see. It also helps you catch up on news while you're doing the dishes. I promise you that all the references won't be related to kitchen things.
00;02;38;01 - 00;02;58;09
Speaker 1
Really, I do promise that I want you to stop thinking of this menu as a medical thing and start think of it as a customization menu, the place where you make the phone fit your needs instead of the other way around, which is really the way technology should work. Here's where to find it. On an iPhone, open settings, tap accessibility.
00;02;58;10 - 00;03;17;19
Speaker 1
It's right there on the main list on an Android phone. Open settings and look for accessibility. Android phones from different manufacturers might have it arranged slightly differently, and maybe the exact word might be different phone to phone, but the accessibility menu is always in the settings, and it's your home base for everything that we're going to talk about next.
00;03;17;20 - 00;03;38;10
Speaker 1
So let's start with one of the most common complaints that I hear, which is simply that the text on the phone is too small. And this is an easy fix, and it will take care of the whole phone. And it makes a difference within seconds. On an iPhone, go to settings, then accessibility, then display and text size, and you'll find that there's a setting called Larger Text.
00;03;38;10 - 00;03;58;24
Speaker 1
If you turn that on, you'll get a slider that you can then drag to make the text as big as you like. In some spot in that same area, you can turn on bold text, which actually thickens up the letters so it's easier to see. You can also increase the contrast, which darkens the edges of things, so that buttons and words stand out more on the background.
00;03;58;24 - 00;04;22;26
Speaker 1
If you want everything a little bit bigger, not only the text icons, but the buttons to, then that's a separate setting and not in the accessibility. To do that, go to settings, then display in brightness and then Display Zoom. And that's where you'll find these larger options. On Android, you'll want to open the settings, then accessibility, and then look for font size or display size.
00;04;22;27 - 00;04;47;02
Speaker 1
Font size makes the words bigger, display size makes everything bigger, including the buttons and icons. There's usually a bold text option there as well, and the high contrast option is probably there in that same window. Slide them until the screen feels comfortable, and don't be shy about it. Nobody gets a prize for strained eyes. A quick shout out to listeners like you who helped make your tech make over possible.
00;04;47;04 - 00;05;08;00
Speaker 1
Your support helps keep this podcast going and I truly appreciate it. Want to contribute? Just click the link in the show notes or visit your technique. Overcompensate. Plus, as a thank you, supporters who give $25 or more will get $25 off a one time consultation with me to help you simplify your tech. Thanks for being part of the Your Tech Makeover community.
00;05;08;05 - 00;05;29;14
Speaker 1
Now back to what I was saying. Now here's two features that really surprise people, usually because they turn your phone into something more than a phone. The first is the magnifier. Your phone has a camera and the magnifying settings on that camera. Turn it into a magnifying glass with a big, bright, zoomable view right there on your screen.
00;05;29;18 - 00;05;50;25
Speaker 1
I use this feature all the time, pointed to fine print, a tiny serial number on the back of a router, and or an itemized total on a receipt. You can blow it up easily to read. You can even freeze that image so that it's not shaking. While you're trying to focus on an iPhone, you go to settings, then accessibility, then magnifier and just turn it on.
00;05;50;27 - 00;06;14;25
Speaker 1
After that, you can open it quickly by triple clicking the side button, or if you want to add it to your control center, which is where I have mine. It's on that first screen, and I use it all the time because tiny print is everywhere. On an Android phone, there's a similar magnification feature in the accessibility menu, and Google Pixel phones have a separate magnifying app, so you just have to figure out which one works for you.
00;06;14;28 - 00;06;35;27
Speaker 1
The second thing is to have your phone read text out loud to you. On an iPhone, you go to settings, then accessibility, then spoken content and turn on speaking screen or Speak screen. Once you do that, swipe down from the top of the screen with two fingers and then your phone will have an option to read whatever is on the screen.
00;06;35;28 - 00;07;06;20
Speaker 1
Maybe it's a news article, a long email, or a recipe. I forgot this was there until I was recording this episode, I tried it. It's super cool. There's also a speak selection which reads just the part you highlight. On Android, the equivalent is called Select to Speak, select to speak and you'll find in the accessibility menu. It's not just for people who can't see well, it's a wonderful thing for anyone who wants to rest their eyes or listen to an article while they're folding laundry or driving.
00;07;06;22 - 00;07;30;19
Speaker 1
Since we're talking about having the phone read to us, there's one more thing that I want to talk about. And that's sound, because the setting helps in more situations than you might think. The first one is the live captions. This puts subtitles on your screen so that any audio, video, even a podcast, it will show in real time or at least close to real time what is being shown on the screen.
00;07;30;19 - 00;07;53;27
Speaker 1
And this is a life saver in noisy rooms, or a quiet one where you don't want to turn the volume up and of course, annoy everyone that is around you. On recent iPhones, you can turn this on under settings, then accessibility, then Live Captions. On many Android phones, Live Captions is in the accessibility menu as well, and you can often title it right on and off from the volume buttons.
00;07;53;29 - 00;08;24;15
Speaker 1
The second is sound recognition. Now, I've not turned this on, but when I've played with it, it's really cool. Your phone can listen for particular sounds around your home like a smoke alarm, a doorbell, maybe a knock at the door or running water and then flash a notification when it hears that. This is a great way to help if you have earbuds on, or if you're a heavy sleeper, or if you simply miss the doorbell because the TV is too loud on an iPhone, it's under the settings, then accessibility, then sound recognition.
00;08;24;16 - 00;08;48;06
Speaker 1
On Android, look for sound notifications in that accessibility menu. One important caution here is that these features are helpful, but not perfect, so don't rely on them. And it's not a safety net for something as critical as a smoke alarm. And then one small setting that helps a lot of people. People if you hear better in one ear than the other, you may only want to use one earbud.
00;08;48;06 - 00;09;08;21
Speaker 1
And when you want to do that, you want to make sure you turn on mono audio in the accessibility menu. And that's true for any kind of phone. It sends the full sound to both ears instead of splitting it so you don't miss half that conversation. Okay, so that's a lot. And but I wanted to investigate two more things that are just really convenient on your phone.
00;09;08;23 - 00;09;29;02
Speaker 1
The first is on an iPhone and it's called Tap Back. And what it does is it lets you tap the back of your phone with two taps or three taps to trigger an action. It's like taking a screenshot, maybe turning the flashlight on or opening the magnifier we just talked about. You'll find it under settings, then accessibility, and then touch, and then you'll see back tap.
00;09;29;02 - 00;09;49;14
Speaker 1
It makes it feel like a little magic the first time you use it. I use it to bring it back to the home screen on my phone. There's also a system touch which puts a small floating button on the screen, tapping that gives you an on screen menu for things that are normally a physical button press like the volume, maybe the home action or locking the screen.
00;09;49;14 - 00;10;08;20
Speaker 1
This is great if a button on your phone is worn out or you don't have a button because newer phones don't have those, or if reaching for the button is uncomfortable, it's under settings, then accessibility, then touch, and then you're going to look for Assistive Touch. Android has a similar tool called the Accessibility menu, so it's worth looking for that there too.
00;10;08;22 - 00;10;30;02
Speaker 1
Before I wrap up, I wanted you to know that none of this is limited to just your phone. Your computers have the exact same kind of menus on a window computer. Open up the settings and look for accessibility. You can make the type bigger, make the mouse pointer larger, and even spot or turn on the magnifying glass so that it's magnifying part of your screen.
00;10;30;05 - 00;11;01;09
Speaker 1
Every computer can actually read the text out loud as well on a mac, open system settings, then accessibility, and then you'll find the same family of tools the bigger text, the larger cursor highlight, contrast, zoom, all that spoken content stuff. Same idea, same payoff, and it will make your machine fit you. So none of these settings will actually change your life, but they will make your phone feel easier and more pleasant to use, which is the whole part of technology and what I continue to tell as part of this podcast.
00;11;01;12 - 00;11;21;09
Speaker 1
My favorite part is that once you find this menu, you'll start to feel like the phone is finally working for you instead of you working for it or around it. So here's what I'd love to hear. Go to the accessibility menu right now and turn on one thing this week. Which setting did you pick, and did you end up helping you in a way that you didn't expect?
00;11;21;15 - 00;11;36;29
Speaker 1
I'd like to hear that kind of feedback because it's gold, because every phone and everybody's eyes and ears are a little different. So I'd love to know what you did. Let me know. And as always, if you have ideas for topics you'd like me to cover, please feel free to contact me via email at Frank at your Tech Makeover.
00;11;36;29 - 00;12;02;27
Speaker 1
Com. That's it for now. Thanks for listening to your tech makeover, if you haven't already. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast platform. And if you're on Substack, make sure you subscribe to the newsletter so you're alerted of new content as it's posted. You can find links for both of those, as well as other stuff about my podcast, including information about each episode at Your Tech Makeover.
00;12;03;00 - 00;12;12;27
Speaker 1
And if you want to find out more about me, please visit Bravo! Until next time, I'm Frank Bravo, and this has been your tech makeover.
