Hello, Again!!! And thank you for joining our follow-up blog story!
Last entry, we talked about Maria and the telecommunication solution she found in the Pixel 6 cell phone to support her speech difference during telecommunication. The Pixel 6 is also a remarkable accessibility toolbox for those who are hard of hearing or deaf. Not only does it provide accessibility in typical calls but actually opens up the world for people who
are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
Through software called Live Caption the Pixel 6 provides real-time captioning. Captions appear on the screen and, by utilizing the earbuds (comes with the phone) the user can hear as much as they are able to while holding the phone at a comfortable distance to read the captions of what is being said. Additionally, Live Captions can be used to listen/read podcasts, access favorite news shows and will even caption videos that come through text.
The Pixel 6 is compatible to work directly with some hearing aid models and will also connect with hearing aid accessories such as a streamer. Streamers enable the phone audios and the hearing aids to directly work together. This means sound broadcasts directly into the aids optionally eliminating background noise and boosting speech understanding by 40% – that’s HUGE!
Live Transcribe, another accessibility feature on the Pixel 6, is for real-time captioning. The user can follow along with what the speaker is saying while Live Transcribe captions everything that’s being said, real-time! There’s even an option to save the transcript for up to 3 days. Live Transcribe depends on either internet or cell phone tower connectivity to work, however Pixel 6 has another option when those resources are not available – Google Recorder.
As a side note, Live Transcribe is available through Google Play store. It is free and works on Android devices but won’t work on Apple devices. Now, on to Google Recorder!
The Google Recorder takes an audio recording that can be switched into transcript mode. This records, as a transcript, everything that’s being said. This feature is built into the phone, so no internet or cell connection is needed to use it. The transcript can also be saved and email. Imagine how useful this can be in a healthcare meeting!
Pixel 6 also offers custom tuning for those who have a moderate hearing loss through a program called Tuning Fork. This will allow the audio on the phone to be customized for the best fit to a mild to moderate hearing loss. Through Sound Amplifier, the Pixel can also be used as a personal sound amplification device by wearing headphones and using the phone as a mic.
The Pixel 6 includes video phone platforms such as Purple, Convo and Sorenson.
In addition, all the other great smartphone features are available through the Google Pixel 6 phone!
Maryland Accessible Telecommunication Program and the Maryland Relay Service are helping Marylanders to regain their independence, reduce anxiety and once again thrive in life!
Check our last post to learn more about Maria’s journey to independence.
