Google Releases new Apps for Deaf People
Google is introducing two new apps for Android designed to help deaf and hard-of-hearing people: Live Transcribe and Sound Amplifier.
Live Transcribe has the potential to give people who are deaf or hard of hearing greater independence in their everyday interactions. The app uses cloud-based automatic speech recognition technology to display spoken words on a screen. It takes real-world speech and turns it into real-time captions using just the phone’s microphone.
Live Transcribe is available in over 70 languages and dialects. It also enables two-way conversation via a type-back keyboard for users who can’t or don’t want to speak, and connects with external microphones to improve transcription accuracy. Starting today, Live Transcribe will gradually rollout in a limited beta to users worldwide via the Play Store and pre-installed on Pixel 3 devices.
The second app launching today is Sound Amplifier, which Google announced at Google I/O last year.
With Sound Amplifier, audio is more clear and easier to hear. You can use Sound Amplifier on your Android smartphone with wired headphones to filter, augment and amplify the sounds in your environment. It works by increasing quiet sounds, while not over-boosting loud sounds. You can customize sound enhancement settings and apply noise reduction to minimize distracting background noise with simple sliders and toggles.
Sound Amplifier is available on the Play Store and supports Android 9 Pie or later phones and comes pre-installed on Pixel 3.