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Has your Samsung mobile started talking and does not allow you to perform any action? It is not that you have given it a crazy blow, but that you have activated the famous Android Talkback.
This is a function that is within the accessibility settings, as it is intended for users with vision problems. It works as a voice assistant or screen reader, which reads everything that appears on the mobile and describes the available options.
Perhaps you have accidentally pressed some key combination and have activated this function. And no, restarting the mobile does not solve it. But don't worry, we will show you how to carry out this process with a few simple taps.
How to disable Talkback from Settings
To deactivate talkback as quickly as possible, first take a look at these points to understand how the navigation works on your mobile when it is activated:
- To select an option you have to tap. You will see a green box over it showing that it is selected.
- And then you have to double tap on the chosen option to run it. This is what the voice assistant calls a "long press."
- To scroll the screen you have to use two fingers. The “normal” way of doing it, with one finger, does not work when the voice assistant is active.
With these details in mind, go to Settings >> Accessibility >> Screen Reader. Remember: always scrolling with two fingers, select with one tap and then two quick taps on the option you selected.
When you enter Screen Reader you will see that the "Voice Assistant" option (or Voice Assistant) is activated. You just have to deactivate it following the dynamics we mentioned before. Android will ask you to confirm the order, so all you have to do is select "Deactivate" and then two taps to execute it.
This setting will also depend on your Samsung model and the version of Android installed. We have tested this option with Android 10, but if you have some of the previous versions, you will find the option to deactivate it like this:
- Settings >> Accessibility >> Vision >> Voice Assistant, and disable the latter option
- And if you see that your mobile has in this section the option "Volume key combination" to activate Talkback, deactivate it to avoid future accidents.
Other Samsung models have this configuration like this:
- Settings >> Smart Assistance >> Accessibility >> Talkback
How to disable it using a shortcut
Another way to deactivate the voice assistant is by using the volume buttons on the mobile.
It doesn't matter which section of the phone you are in, press the volume up and volume down buttons at the same time for about 3 seconds.
If this is the first time you do this, Android will ask you to indicate if you want to use this type of "shortcut" to start or turn off the voice assistant. Choose "Use shortcut" to continue with the action.
You press the two volume buttons again until I notify you by voice that you deactivated the "Voice Assistant" function. This method (press both volume buttons for about 3 seconds) also works to activate it, if you need it later.
