The Google Pixel 7 helps people who are blind frame the perfect selfie
Snapping photos is incredibly easy on smartphones today, but snapping a great photo remains challenging—it is one reason why we still trust professionals for photographing events. Unfortunately for some people, disabilities like paralysis and partial or complete blindness force them to rely on another person to take simple photos and selfies. With thePixel 7 series, Google is introducing a new feature called Guided Frame—an accessibility novelty to make selfie snapping easier, without having to rely on other people.
At theMade by Google event, the company showed off the experience of a person who is blind using the new Guided Frame feature, which delivers audiovisual cues that help snap better selfies. The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro give voice instructions and haptic feedback on how to frame the shot perfectly. Simple instructions like “move phone up/down/left/right” are used to assist the user. Based on the footage shared by Google, face detection also seems to play a crucial role in making Guided Frame work.
RelatedGoogle support documentationreveals that using the feature is straightforward. You need to first turn on TalkBack on your Pixel 7 or 7 Pro, available underSettings>Accessibility>TalkBack>Use TalkBack. If you are someone with low vision, chances are you will turn on TalkBack first thing after getting your phone anyway. To get started with Guided Frame, return to the Google Camera app and tap and hold your front camera button, and double tap the shutter button to switch to the front camera.
After that, just follow the voice instructions and haptic feedback, so the phone can compose a shot. The phone takes the photo automatically when you’re all framed up and lit well, and as Google showed at the event, you get audio confirmation when a capture is successful.
Guided Frame can be a godsend for people with vision and dexterity-related disabilities. It makes them independent enough to take their own selfies. With Assistant, some parts of this process should be simple enough to automate as well. However, this seems limited to the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, at least for now. Besides this, there are several otherfantastic features to look forward to in the Pixel 7.
Carriers get the upper hand
Broader branding hints at wider paid-tier ambitions
The note-taking app I should have used all along
Goodbye, text-only analysis
It’s been a while
It’s $30 off for a limited time
