How do I permanently turn off TalkBack?

What is TalkBack?

TalkBack is a screen reader app that comes pre-installed on Android devices. It is designed to help blind and visually impaired users interact with their devices. When TalkBack is turned on, it reads aloud the text and labels on the screen using text-to-speech technology. This allows users to navigate their Android device and access content through spoken feedback rather than visually.

Specifically, TalkBack provides spoken feedback for user actions, such as selecting an item or button. It also describes what is under the user’s finger, allowing them to explore the screen. With TalkBack enabled, Android devices can be operated fully via touch gestures, audible feedback, and an on-screen braille keyboard. According to WebAIM’s 2021 Screen Reader User Survey, TalkBack on Android is one of the most widely used screen readers, especially among mobile device users.

Why Turn Off TalkBack?

There are several reasons you may want to permanently disable TalkBack on your Android device:

• Can be distracting/annoying for sighted users – The spoken feedback from TalkBack can be bothersome if you don’t require it.
• Accidental activation disrupts device use – TalkBack can sometimes turn on accidentally, interrupting your normal device use.
• Improves performance by freeing up resources – With TalkBack off, your device won’t have to use resources on generating spoken feedback.
• Not needed if you don’t require its accessibility features – If you don’t rely on TalkBack for accessibility, you can disable it to simplify your device experience.

Turning off TalkBack can make your device usage easier and more efficient if you don’t need its spoken feedback. It eliminates potential distractions and frees up system resources.

Open Settings

To modify settings like TalkBack, you first need to access your device’s Settings menu. There are a couple ways to open Settings on Android devices:

• Swipe down from the top of the screen to open Quick Settings, then tap the settings icon (often a gear shape) to launch the full Settings app. This is the fastest way to open Settings on most Android devices ¹.
• Open the Apps drawer or home screen and tap the Settings app icon directly. The Settings icon looks like a gear.

Once in the Settings menu, you can navigate to Accessibility settings to adjust TalkBack.

Select Accessibility

To locate the TalkBack settings, you first need to open the Accessibility menu. This is where all the accessibility-related options are located on your Android device.

On your device, open the Settings app. Scroll down until you see the Accessibility option. Tap on Accessibility to enter this menu (Google Support).

The Accessibility settings contain various options to customize and enhance accessibility on your device, such as screen readers, display adjustments, interaction controls, and more. We need to access this menu to turn off TalkBack.

Locate TalkBack

To locate the TalkBack settings, you’ll need to open the Accessibility menu in your device’s Settings app. Here are the steps:

Scroll down and tap on the “TalkBack” option under “Services.” This will open up the TalkBack settings menu.

According to Google’s Android Accessibility help, the TalkBack settings menu allows you to turn TalkBack on or off, adjust feedback settings, customize gestures, and more.

Turn Off TalkBack

To turn off TalkBack, go into your device’s Settings and select Accessibility. Then select TalkBack from the list of services. You will find a toggle switch next to TalkBack – slide this to the off position to disable TalkBack.

Toggling TalkBack to off will stop the spoken feedback given by your device. Once switched off, you will get a pop-up confirming you want to turn off TalkBack. Select OK to confirm and disable TalkBack.

Turning off TalkBack via the toggle switch is the main way to disable TalkBack and stop your device from speaking screen content. With the switch in the off position, TalkBack will be completely disabled.

Optional: Disable Shortcut

If you wish to fully prevent accidentally turning TalkBack on, you can disable the shortcut that activates it via the volume keys.

To disable the TalkBack shortcut:

1. Tap shortcut service settings under TalkBack.
2. Uncheck the volume key shortcut box. This prevents accidental activation of TalkBack via the volume keys.

With the shortcut disabled, you’ll have to toggle TalkBack on manually via the Accessibility settings if you ever wish to re-enable it. This provides an extra layer of protection against accidentally having TalkBack come on when you don’t want it to.

Disabling the shortcut can give you more peace of mind that TalkBack will stay off. However, it also means you lose the convenience of quickly toggling it on if you change your mind later.

Test TalkBack is Off

Now that you have turned off TalkBack, it’s important to test that screen reader functionality has been successfully disabled on your device. Here are some steps you can take to verify TalkBack is no longer active:

Open an app and interact with your device. Tap around and open menus – you should no longer hear any spoken feedback. This confirms the screen reader is no longer reading elements on the screen.

Try using gesture navigation like swiping down then up, or swiping left/right. These should no longer trigger actions like reading the next element. Without TalkBack, gesture navigation reverts to default device behavior.

If you previously set up any TalkBack shortcuts, test these as well. Any custom shortcuts to quickly toggle TalkBack should no longer work. This provides further evidence TalkBack has been fully disabled.

After exploring your device for a few minutes, you should have confirmation there is no more spoken feedback. No voice reading out elements, no gestures triggering screen reader features. This lets you know your accessibility settings changes were successful, and TalkBack has been permanently turned off on your device.

Additional Accessibility Settings

Beyond turning TalkBack on or off, Android offers various accessibility settings to customize your device experience (source). Here are some other options to explore:

• Adjust font size, display size, icon shapes, and color correction in Display settings.
• Enable spoken feedback and captions in Interaction controls.
• Turn on Google’s Live Transcribe feature to get real-time captions for conversations.
• Allow screen magnification, color inversion, and high contrast text in Vision settings.
• Set up switch access if you navigate your phone without touching the screen.

Take time to review the full range of accessibility options. Customize your device to best suit your individual needs and preferences for vision, hearing, dexterity, and cognition.

Optimizing accessibility settings can help you get the most out of your Android device and apps. Don’t hesitate to turn certain features on or off to find your optimal setup.

Enjoy Your Device!

With TalkBack disabled, your device can now be used normally without the screen reader features. You’ll no longer hear spoken feedback or need to use gesture navigation. The screen and apps will function as expected.

If you decide you want to re-enable TalkBack for accessibility in the future, simply go back to the Accessibility settings and turn it on again. The option will still be there if needed.

If for any reason you are still having trouble getting TalkBack to turn off, you may need to contact your device manufacturer or mobile carrier support. They should be able to help troubleshoot any issues disabling TalkBack.

Otherwise, you can now enjoy using your device as you normally would, without the TalkBack accessibility features enabled. Just remember the settings are there if you ever want to turn them back on again.