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Android Live Accessibility Testing

Real Devices Only Android Only Live Testing Only

TalkBack is Android's built-in screen reader. Sauce Labs allows you to enable TalkBack on real devices with a single click during live testing sessions, without going to the OS settings. You can navigate through elements using the keyboard and hear audio feedback for each focused element.

What You'll Need​

  • A Sauce Labs account (Log in or sign up for a free trial license).
  • An Android real device session (Live Testing).
  • Android 12 or above.
  • Private devices only. Reach out to our Support Team or your Sauce Labs representative to get this configured.

Enabling TalkBack​

  1. Start a Live Testing session on an Android real device.
  2. Open the Device Settings from the left side toolbar.
  3. Select and toggle TalkBack.
  4. Skip with OK or Cancel the native TalkBack guide.
Sauce Labs TalkBack

Keyboard Navigation​

You can use the keyboard to navigate through accessible elements:

Keyboard ShortcutAction
Arrow Keys (Up, Down, Left, Right)Navigate through elements
EnterActivate the focused element

Audio Feedback​

Text-to-speech audio of the focused element is streamed to your browser as you interact with the device. For details on audio capture and streaming setup, see Audio Capture.

note

Text-to-speech audio is not available for download once the session is over.

Sharing Your Accessibility Session​

You can share a live accessibility session so someone else can follow your test in real time. This is useful for collaborative accessibility reviews. An accessibility specialist can drive the session while developers or stakeholders watch along, seeing the focus rectangle move between elements and hearing the same audio feedback as it is announced.

To share your session:

  1. Start a Live Testing session on an Android real device and enable TalkBack.
  2. In the live testing toolbar, click the Share Session icon Share Session icon to open the Share Device window.
  3. Click Get Link to generate a shareable link.
  4. Send the link to the person you want to share the session with.

The viewer follows your session live, including the focus rectangle and the streamed TalkBack audio feedback, as you navigate element by element.

note

Viewers must be logged in to a Sauce Labs account to view the shared session.

For more details on sharing sessions, see Live Mobile App Testing.

Limitations​

  • TalkBack is only supported on private devices. Contact our Support Team to get this configured.
  • Android 12 or above is required.
  • Website testing is not yet available on Android.

More Information​