Google Play Store has begun imposing accessibility features on Android apps. The company has recently revealed a bunch of new convenience tools and functions for its users on the occasion of Global Accessibility Awareness Day. It has started to apply these tools to several Android apps in the Store.
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For making the search easier for such apps with accessibility features on the Google Play Store, the company took the help of tags. Consequently, Google has used the a11y tags to enable users to identify such apps quickly. Here is how the US manufacturer describes the purpose of these tags:
“The purpose of a11y tags is to make it easier for Play Store users with diverse a11y needs to easily find apps they can use.”
A11y Tags
The company has developed a few categories of tags. As a result, the users will be able to define the application with these categorized tags. Moreover, they can find these tags beneath the “About this app” section on the Google Play Store.
- Screen reader-friendly
- Visual assistance
- Hearing assistance
- Learning disability
- Motor assistance
- Accessible communication [Currently, no application has this tag]
On the other hand, there are two more categories in which the tags can get differentiated:
- Apps that are useful tools for a specific user group. For instance, a transcription app is a tool that is primarily built for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- Apps in any category that is accessible, e.g. a screen reader-friendly game.
For the moment, there are a limited number of tags. However, the company promises that there will be more additions to the tag categories list.
[Source]
