Latest news with #screenmagnifier
Android Authority
4 days ago
- Android Authority
Here are the new features for Pixels in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 3
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority Google has released the third and final beta for Android 16's first quarterly platform release (QPR1). Android 16 QPR1 Beta 3 is available without a detailed changelog, which is typical for these releases. We've already started digging into the build to find out what's new, though, and here's what we've discovered so far. Note: At the time of this article's publication, Google has only released the Generic System Images (GSIs) for Android 16 QPR1 Beta 3. The update has not yet begun to roll out for Pixel phones. Once it does, we'll be able to dive more deeply into the release to see what's new. The screen magnifier can now zoom into the keyboard In Android 16 QPR1 Beta 3, there's a new 'magnify keyboard' option under Settings > Accessibility > Magnification. This feature lets you 'zoom into the keyboard to see emojis and letters when using full-screen magnification.' Screen magnification options in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2 Screen magnification options in July Android Canary/QPR1 Beta 3 build We first spotted this in the Android Canary release earlier this week, but its availability in Beta 3 suggests it'll be included in the upcoming stable QPR1 release. Other Android Canary features not enabled in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 3… In case you were wondering what other new features from the Android Canary release are available in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 3, I'm afraid there aren't many. The new screen saver features designed for phones with Qi2 charging are missing, as is the 'enhanced HDR brightness' option that lets you control how bright your screen gets when HDR content is visible. The dedicated 'Parental controls' menu is also not present on the Settings homepage, and the new 90:10 split-screen ratio is not available. The stable release of Android 16 QPR1 is scheduled for September 3, 2025, but the beta program for QPR2 will likely kick off before then. If you're currently in the Android 16 QPR1 beta and want to receive the public stable release, now is a good time to unenroll from the program. Staying enrolled will likely result in your device being automatically updated to the next beta track (QPR2) instead of the stable build. This article will be updated as we find new features. Check back later for more information! Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
7 days ago
- Android Authority
Android's screen magnifier can't zoom the keyboard, but a fix is finally on the way
Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority TL;DR Android is updating its screen magnifier to finally allow users to zoom in on the on-screen keyboard, addressing a major accessibility limitation. A new 'magnify keyboard' toggle enables the full-screen magnifier to enlarge the keyboard and navigation bar, which were previously fixed in size. Contributed by an Amazon engineer, the feature is now live in the Android Canary channel and is expected to arrive in a future update for Pixel phones. The Android operating system is used by billions of people, many of whom face challenges interacting with their phones. For those with visual impairments, reading or inputting text can be a struggle, which is why Android offers accessibility features like text sizing and screen magnification. However, Android's current screen magnifier doesn't zoom into the keyboard, making it difficult to see emojis or individual letters while typing. Thankfully, the latest Android Canary release addresses this limitation. Android's built-in screen magnification tool can enlarge either the entire screen or just a portion of it. In the full-screen mode, you can pinch with two fingers to zoom and swipe to pan. Previously, no matter how much you zoomed, the keyboard and navigation bar remained fixed in size because Android didn't support zooming in on layers above the app. For example, here's a screenshot of me zooming into Chrome with the keyboard open on a Pixel running the latest Android 16 beta: Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority Zooming in to Chrome using the screen magnifier in Android 16 QPR1 With the new Android Canary release, zooming in on the keyboard and navigation bar is now possible. This is enabled by a new 'magnify keyboard' setting under Settings > Accessibility > Magnification, which lets you 'zoom into the keyboard to see emojis and letters when using full-screen magnification.' Screen magnification options in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2 Screen magnification options in July Android Canary build Although this setting was off by default in my testing, enabling it allowed the screen magnifier to zoom in on both the keyboard and the navigation bar. Since this feature is now active in the Android Canary release, we expect it to arrive in a future Android update for Pixel devices, though the exact timing is uncertain. Android Canary builds are on a separate release track from the public beta builds, so features appearing in Canary aren't guaranteed to be in the upcoming quarterly platform release. For context, this feature is not yet live in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2, the latest public beta, even though its underlying code is present. Interestingly, an Amazon engineer contributed this feature to Android last year. Due to Google's recent changes to its Android OS development process, we didn't know the contribution was accepted until now. This shows that third-party developers can still contribute to Android, but there may be a delay before their features are integrated and publicly visible. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
