Set up TalkBack like a pro! In just a few minutes!
Tags: productivity, a11y, webdev, android
Published: 2021-07-23 13:10:26

You'll learn how to set up TalkBack for the best developer experience.

#Make sure You have TalkBack
TalkBack is part of the [Android Accessibility Suite](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.marvin.talkback). You can check if You have it installed in the GooglePlay store.

#Let's turn it on
Go to your phone settings and search for *TalkBack*. Turn TalkBack on by toggling the Accessibility switch.
![TalkBack is off](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/xv7hx7faqf4jg7kf50xo.jpg)
<figcaption>TalkBack is off screenshot</figcaption>
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Allow TalkBack all of those permissions. Don't worry. TalkBack is easy to turn on and off by holding **volume up** and **down** buttons at the same time for a few seconds.
![Allow TalkBack to control the screen](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/cl8w2bpsdga2b2o4xtvv.jpg)
<figcaption>Permissions popup screenshot</figcaption>
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Now TalkBack will show You a quick interactive tutorial. Feel free to do it. After that, we'll get to the next step.

#Set it up like a pro
Firstly You can now turn TalkBack off, so it will be a bit easier. You can also disable *TalkBack watermark* — it only says how to disable TalkBack with volume buttons shortcut. Now go to TalkBack's settings by pressing the button on the bottom of the screen.
![Settings button](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/hf3ubocarfuq5dlvxpc2.jpg)
<figcaption>Settings button is on the bottom of the screen</figcaption>
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##Audio settings
From here, You can change how TalkBack will sound.
![TalkBack settings](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/7b2rg1uo6ax6fnuzi2u9.jpg)
<figcaption>TalkBack settings screenshot</figcaption>
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###Firstly go to *Text-to-speech* settings.
You can choose Your preferred text-to-speech engine. If You use the Google Text-to-speech engine, You can go to its settings and *install voice data* for languages You usually use. You can also change to Your favourite voice for every language from there. Additionally, if You develop multilingual websites changing *Language detection* to *Aggressive* might improve audio quality.
![Google Text-to-speech engine settings](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/hfrs1806g9b5wg64gjza.jpg)
<figcaption>Install voice data button is on the top of the screen</figcaption>
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Go back to TalkBack audio settings.

###Disable *Speak passwords*
You probably want to disable that so You don't accidentally give away your password.

##Controls settings
From here, You can change how You'll interact with TalkBack.

###Customise gestures
Gestures are the most crucial part of TalkBack. They allow You to perform all TalkBack actions. We'll go deeper into them in the next part of this series.
####Scroll to *1 finger back-and-forth* section.
Change *Swipe left then right* and *swipe right then left* to *Read from next item*. This shortcut will help You quickly read the whole article without the hassle of *swiping right* for every next paragraph.
![Gestures settings](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/u6p8scdfuqaegx0kxcjt.jpg)
<figcaption>1 finger back-and-forth section in Customise gestures</figcaption>
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Go back to TalkBack controls settings.

###Customise menus
If You don't use TalkBack as Your main user interface, You may remove some redundant features from quick menus.

####Customise TalkBack menu
Here You can change what will be in the TalkBack menu popup.
Disable *read from next item* — We've already added it as a *swipe left then right* gesture.
![Customise menus settings](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/wyky247xc5ivy84xj5im.jpg)
<figcaption>Reading section in Customise TalkBack menu</figcaption>
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####Customise reading controls
Reading controls change what happens on *swipe down* and *swipe up* gestures.
**Disable** reading by *Characters*, *Words* and *Lines* — They're a bit redundant if You use TalkBack with Your screen turn on.
**Enable** reading by *Landmarks* for testing a website's landmarks. Landmarks are sections of the website. Think of them as HTML5 `header`, `main`, `footer` etc. They'll help You quickly jump to any part of the website. You can learn more about them from [Use landmarks](https://web.dev/use-landmarks/) by Rob Dodson.
![Reading controls settings](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/pgo1y8md1ax13jmrqcij.jpg)
<figcaption>Reading section in Customise reading controls</figcaption>
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##Open Advanced settings to find Developer settings
Inside of Developer settings, You'll find some helpful debugging tools.
**Enable** *Display speech output* and *Echo recognised speech*. Displaying speech output will help You debug the accessibility tree of an application. Echo recognised speech will tell You about problems with Your voice command.
![Developer settings](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/2fpm64uhh32t19m0ctok.jpg)
<figcaption>Developer settings</figcaption>
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#What's next?
That's all set up! Let's learn how to use it in the next part of this series. **Available soon.**