Android has always kept in mind that the OS should be easily usable by everyone and so, it provides a suite od accessibility options that help users with disabilities to use the phone without any hindrances. The latest update to the Android Accessibility Suite adds a new way for users to control their devices. The feature called “Camera Switches” is available in the Beta version 12.0.0 of the app.
This beta version of the Android Accessibility Suite app came with the fourth version of Android 12 Beta. The updated app brings “Camera Switches” to Switch Access (via XDA-Developers). It is one of the accessibility services included in the Android Accessibility Suite app. It lets users use their phone without using the touch screen.
Camera Switches feature
With the help of ‘Camera Switches’, you can now control your phone using your face. The feature currently has support for a bunch of face gestures including:
- Open Mouth
- Smile
- Raise Eyebrows
- Look Left/Right
- Look Up
For example, you can map the ‘Smile’ gesture to open the notification panel. So, whenever you smile, the notification panel will automatically be pulled down to show you your notifications. Further, you can map various gestures to different operations per your preference. Here’s a list of the camera switch actions that are available:
- Pause Camera Switch
- Toggle auto-scan (disabled)
- Reverse auto-scan
- Select
- Next
- Previous
- Touch & hold
- Scroll forward
- Scroll backward
- Home
- Back
- Notifications
- Quick Settings
- Overview
Keep in mind that as the feature uses your front camera to detect your face actions, a constant notification in the notification panel will be shown to you that your camera is actively being used for the feature. Moreover, you can sideload the APK of the latest version to try the Camera switches feature on your smartphone. The feature doesn’t seem to be exclusive to Android 12.