Android 12 accessibility mode controls your phone with facial expressions

As Google prepares to take Android into its twelfth generation of operating system upgrades, Accessibility is getting a massive upgrade. For Android 12 accessibility, Google is introducing a massive suite of new software to make smartphones easier.

Android 12 accessibility appears to be focused primarily on a type of hands-free experience. Added in the latest beta for the upcoming OS, the new feature allows the user to control everything through facial expressions.

Android 12 accessibility Camera Switch

Reported by XDA Developers, this new accessibility mode is currently known as Camera Switch. The software uses a device’s selfie camera to track facial movements, translating those movements into controls.

Users can assign gestures to the following facial movements:

  • Open Mouth
  • Smile
  • Raise Eyebrows
  • Left Look
  • Right Look
  • Look Up
PSX Android 12 Accessibility – Camera Switch
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via XDA Developers

Users can bind Android 12 face gestures to a variety of actions. For example, looking in a direction could make the device scroll in that direction. Additionally, the user could quickly open and close their mouth twice to, say, like a video on Tiktok.

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How this feature helps

As smartphones continue to become integral to everyday life, it’s imperative that everyone is able to use them. Despite seeming fairly simple to those that can use them, modern smartphones require a lot of different precise movements.

For users with poor motor function or repetitive injury in the thumbs, this new Android 12 accessibility feature could be a game-changer. Yes, the vast majority will never interact with the feature. However, it's an important inclusion nonetheless.

With that said, Android 12 accessibility is making huge leaps forward. Face controls combined with Android 11's voice controls makes the OS a very accessible platform compared to its competitors.

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