Live Transcribe takes real-world speech and turns it into real-time captions using the phone’s microphone. Image: Screengrab from YouTube/Android
Google teams have announced a new Android feature that allows individuals who are Deaf or hearing-impaired to receive a written notification in case of sound. The idea of Sound Notifications is to display a simple message on their smartphone screen in case of a barking dog, a crying baby or a running tap noise.
When an easily recognizable noise resounds near the user, notifications are automatically sent to the user’s smartphone so that he or she can intervene. Google claims that this feature recognizes at least 30 everyday sounds.
This new feature completes the automatic transcribing applications unveiled for Android last spring. Live Transcribe takes real-world speech and turns it into real-time captions using the phone’s microphone, allowing those who are Deaf or hearing-impaired to read and understand what is being said without relying on another person.
It is available in eight languages: German, English, French, Spanish, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian and Thai. With this new sound feature, they’ll also be able to respond to suspicious noises in their proximity.
Like many innovations and new features under Android, Sound Notifications is for the moment only available to Pixel smartphones. These notifications can be activated from the accessibility features from the smartphone’s properties.
This feature will eventually be offered on most Android smartphones as well as Wear OS connected watches. RGA
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