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Google Play Store now tags Android apps with accessibility (a11y) features

In addition to other Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) announcements today, Google is making it easier to find accessible Android apps in the Play Store.

The purpose of a11y tags is to make it easier for Play Store users with diverse a11y needs to easily find apps they can actually use.

These accessibility tags appear as chips underneath the “About this app” section of a Google Play listing and can be tapped to see a list of other categorized applications:

  • Screen reader-friendly
  • Visual assistance
  • Hearing assistance
  • Learning disability
  • Motor assistance
  • Accessible communication (Currently no apps have this tag. However, we will add it to relevant apps in the future.)

The full list appears above, while tags are split into two categories:

  1. Apps that are useful tools for a specific user group, e.g., a transcription app is a tool that is primarily built for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. 
  2. Apps in any category that are accessible, e.g., a screen reader-friendly game.

Google notes it has only “tagged a sample of the apps,” and more will be added in the future. Some examples to help you browse include:

More on Google Play:

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Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com

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