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If you have partial hearing loss, or even if you are completely deaf, Google offers you an alternative on your mobile to make things easier for you. And it is that it has launched a couple of applications with which to use your mobile Android as an adapted communication tool In this way the accessibility of mobile phones with Google's operating system takes a giant step forward in helping users with hearing problems. This is how you can use them on your own mobile.
Instant Transcription
A Google engineer got the idea for this app while trying to help another Google worker who was forced to carry multiple devices to transcribe meetings and presentations attended. And it is that he was completely deaf since childhood. In this way, avoiding size problems and installation and configuration time of all this necessary equipment, they decided to use the mobile phone to transcribe everything it captured. As? Simple: using Google's dictation recognition tool that works in the cloud. In other words, a tool that was already available, but applying it to this specific case. And so Instant Transcript was born.
With this tool, deaf people or people with severe hearing problems can read everything that is said around them on the screen of their mobile.Something that makes them more independent and removes some common barriers that these people face. This application has more than 70 languages and dialects to identify and transcribe It also has two-way communication by typing the answer so that it can also be seen on the screen. All of this being possible to use external microphones to achieve optimal transcription quality and not be interfered with by noise.
There are two ways to use the app. The first thing is to download it from the Google Play Store. It is free and you can find it through this link. One of the ways to use it is by clicking directly on its icon and opening it normally. From then on the microphone is activated and the screen shows each phrase or word that it detects. The other way is by activating the application from the Accessibility menu, to be able to launch the application from the navigation bar.
Within the application it is only necessary to click on the language to choose the language in which the sound will be recognized. From the bottom bar you can also click on the keyboard icon and compose responses so that they can be seen in a large size on the screen. There is also a settings icon to specify the font size or activate dark mode to improve readability.
Sound amplifier
In this case, the application is focused on those people who have a hearing problem, generally in noisy environments or where it is necessary to filter or expand some sounds. With it you get an experience similar to that of noise-cancelling speakers. And it is that it allows you to manually control the intensity and different filters to concentrate on something more specific.
It works with phones updated to Android 9 Pie or higher, and requires headphones or headphones to listen to the mix processed by the application. Thus, Sound Amplifier, which is what this application is called, acts as an intermediary to touch up everything that the mobile's microphone picks up. Thanks to the different bars of the application we can modulate the experience by managing the sensitivity of the microphone, activating noise cancellation or bringing more volume to one or the other headset. In other words, everything that is needed to adjust the experience to the use needs of each person.
Of course, to get to these settings you will have to download the Sound Amplifier application through the Google Play Store. It is free and simple. So simple that it doesn't have an icon as an independent application, but is installed as a accessibility service on your Android mobile.Go to this menu in your mobile settings and look for the installed application as one more tool. From here you can activate it and go through the settings. It is on this screen where you will find the sliders to configure the experience in detail.
From that moment you won't have to do anything else. Just connect your headphones and activate the tool from the accessibility icon when you want to take advantage of these benefits.
Previous requirements
In this way, and with these two tools, your Android phone becomes an even more practical tool for communication in real time and in person when you have problems hearing loss It doesn't matter if you have hearing problems that prevent you from hearing someone clearly when you're in a noisy environment, or if you can't hear anything at all. Of course, your mobile must meet certain requirements.
On the one hand, there is the need to maintain connection to the Internet at all times with the Instant Transcription application. And it is that Google has to analyze the sounds on its servers to recognize what is being said in real time. In addition, it is recommended not to use this tool in noisy places or with several interlocutors speaking at the same time. Since the system can be confused.
On the other hand, there is Sound Amplifier, which only works properly with the use of headphones So it's a good idea to take them with you to be able to take advantage of this function wherever we go. In addition, this system must be configured if the scenery and patterns are changed, to adjust the experience to the amount of noise or the needs that are required in that new place and conditions. All this counting that only current mobiles or that have been updated to Android 9 Pie can use this tool.
Of course, even so, these tools offer extra value to Android phones and users with hearing problems. So it's nice that Google launches them in an open and free way for everyone to enjoy.
