https://accessibleandroid.com/samsungs-one-ui-8-0-update-all-but-bricks-phones-for-talkback-users/
Check out that above link for more details. But in short, unhide your screen before updating from OneUI 7! Or be like me and switch to/use one of the other Android screen readers in the meantime till Samsung fixes said problem with another update.
Comments
wow
well seems like the year of screenreaders braking after updating, i haven't gotten one UI 8 yet, think i am getting it on my S23+ next month
I don't understand
I don't understand why Samsung is like this. Why partner with Google to incorporate TalkBack, only to make your own version and stuff it up?
I know Samsung had their own screen reader before partnering with Google, Voice Assist or something along those lines? I don't remember if it was any good compared to TalkBack, I only remember playing with it briefly when I had an S8. But I was low vision back then, so didn't need the screen reader, just magnification and high contrast.
So, compared to TalkBack and VoiceOver, how much better is Commentary?
In response to Justin (Sorry for double-commenting)
Kinda reminds me of the mainstream video game world nowadays, where games are released and they are broken, so the developers have to release a Day 1 patch. It's a bit silly, just release things when you know they're gonna work. Wastes less time for both the developers and consumers.
Third-party screen readers for the win!
With PSR, available on the Google play store, and CSR, available via the Interwebs, at least there's always a backup in case TalkBack breaks on any particular device. 😅
So true
this is one thing I really like about android
This is disappointing
Why won’t Samsung just go back to using its own screen reader? It used to do this before android 11, so why can’t they do it now?
Voice Assistant (Galaxy Talkback)
, was Samsung's version of the screen reader before they partnered up with Google. From Android 10 and earlier, you were able to switch between both screen readers at will. One turned off, and the other turnned itself on.
One of the key differences, was that the 'magic-tap' command was used to interact with accessibility rotor actions instead of a one-finger tap/double-tap. Also, the speech on/off toggle was a 2-finger quadruple-tap instead of the normal 2-finger triple-tap. Though there was also the hardware keyboard command CTRL+alt+shift+space which did the same thing!
PSR/CSR?
I'm fairly new to the Android world (no, I haven't ditched my iPhone) so I'm curious. What do those stand for and can I get any links?
Thanks!
Gar
Prudence Screen Reader (PSR):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.prudence.reader&hl=en-US
Commentary Screen Reader (CSR) a.k.a. Jieshuo Screen Reader:
https://accessibleandroid.com/jieshuo-screen-reader/
I guess I'm just curious...
How well does CSR compare to TalkBack, and in turn how well would it compare to VoiceOver?
Chamomile
You and I both sister!
Talkback VS Commentary
As usual, Accessible Android breaks it down:
https://accessibleandroid.com/comparing-talkback-and-jieshuo-strengths-and-weaknesses-of-two-screen-readers/
, though one thing said page doesn't mention, is that you can have a Talkback gesture set with C S R by visiting the 'Downloads & Resources' section and search for a talkback gesture scheme ya want. Some functions/commands may require Commentary Premium though, though all commands can be ajusted.
One thing command that Jieshuo (and Prudence for that matter) does not have, is the 'backtap' gesture, since that one is OS specific (or Quick-Tap if a Pixel Pal.) But with both Prudence & Jieshuo, you can assign screen reader shortcuts to the volume keys. Again, some of those volume commands are unavailable if not using Jieshuo Premium.
See...
Personally, I would take programmable volume buttons over a back tap feature, any day of the week.
Even on iOS, the back tap feature is, iffy.
I used to have an older iPhone, maybe like a five or six, that I had jailbroken, and had the volume keys set up as a shortcut for something. Can't remember what they did though, but yeah it was pretty nice to have that functionality.