Hello group members, yatin this side. I am excited to share some updates with you regarding the issues we have been discussing with Google. As you are aware, I have been in touch with Google for a considerable amount of time, addressing various concerns related to TalkBack 16 and Google Text-to-Speech. Initially, when I started reporting these issues, Google provided various excuses, often attributing the problems to device brands. They also requested unnecessary details, such as debug files, video recordings, and audio recordings. However, I persisted in providing justifications, highlighting the frustrations experienced by users. I emphasized that these issues had been reported by many users in the past, but there had been no resolution. Google's tendency to blame device brands and request irrelevant information had hindered progress. I also pointed out that if these issues were not addressed, it would not result in a loss of users for the device brands, but rather a loss for Google, as users would become tired of reporting and start switching to alternative solutions. It was a significant challenge to convince Google, requiring technical, psychological, and philosophical justifications. One major hurdle was that despite my initial report highlighting all issues in a single email with a high-quality report, Google denied responsibility and created separate cases for each issue, requesting the same details repeatedly. This led to frustration and wasted time without providing resolutions. To address this, I wrote a detailed follow-up email that highlighted the issues, frustrations, and bad experiences of individuals in the past. I also submitted relevant data, including screenshots taken when I reported Google Text-to-Speech issues in 2024. This was necessary because Google claimed that they had not received any reports in 2024, which I was able to rectify with evidence. Additionally, Google justified their inaction by stating that TalkBack is optimized for Android 13 and above. However, I pointed out that if TalkBack is optimized for Android 13 and above, then who is responsible for providing updates for Android 8 to 12. After my justification, Google verified the issues and finally agreed to provide fixes. The specific issues that Google has agreed to fix include:
- Latency-related performance and speed issues with TalkBack 16, particularly when reading notifications, message previews, and messages after opening them. Latency-related performance and speed issues with Google Text-to-Speech, particularly when users were typing, navigating, scrolling, swiping, editing text, copying, and pasting. Pronunciation issues with Indian English voices (both male and female), where the letters "A" and "E" were pronounced similarly, lacking distinctiveness. The numeral "0" was being pronounced as "O" instead of "Zero" in Indian English voices, leading to confusion and user frustration. Furthermore, we had previously reported issues with Gboard, specifically related to cursor navigation and double beep on voice input. Google has accepted these issues and is working on providing fixes. Although Google has not specified a clear timeline for resolving these issues, they have taken our data seriously, including extensive user data, Android device models, Android versions, Gboard versions, TalkBack versions, and other relevant information. They have expressed gratitude for our efforts in reporting these issues on behalf of the Android accessibility community. I tried my best, Let's see how that happeneds. When I started reporting, I committed that I will share and updates that I received. I hope it helps. Thanks and Regards, Yatin Panchal B.A. in English Literature, University of Gujarat, Class of 2019. Writer, Poet, Lyricist | Advocate for Inclusivity and Accessibility. Certification: Certified NVDA Screen Reader Expert, January 2022 AI and Cybersecurity Enthusiast "Inspiring inclusivity and empowerment through innovation and words." Contact Information: E-mail: [email protected] Facebook: Yatin Panchal Instagram: yatin.panchal143 Twitter: yatinpanchal143 Snapchat: yatinpanchal143 Telegram: @glamorous143 Gujarat, India. -- Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "AccessIndia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/a/accessindia.org.in/d/msgid/accessindia/CALN9kYKe7hwXC_0WrAfPi5LeEJc31pw7yyQmfYvk0sXE5KUR7w%40mail.gmail.com.
