ChromeVox is a screen reader built into the browser. It’s available as an extension on Windows and macOS computers, and comes built into any Chromebook.
Unlike popular third-party screen readers such as JAWS and NVDA, ChromeVox doesn’t use a speech viewer that overlays on top of the web page. This makes it easy for developers to work with web pages without ChromeVox enabled.
Enabled
Chromevox is a built-in screen reader that is available on all Chromebook devices. The feature converts on-screen text into spoken feedback and allows users to navigate menus, websites, and applications using audio cues.
It can be enabled at any time by pressing the key combination Ctrl + Alt + Z. Chromevox also offers a variety of keyboard shortcuts to help users with specific tasks. For example, the P and N keys can be used to jump between previous and next headings, and the H and F keys can be used for forms, buttons, combo boxes, and list items.
Although the ChromeVox screen reader is exclusive to Chromebooks, it can be used as a browser extension on other platforms. However, it does not have all the features of a full-featured screen reader.
In order to use the keyboard shortcuts and commands, users must be logged in to their Google account. This is because ChromeVox can recognize different languages and keyboard settings.
In addition, the screen reader supports a speech viewer that appears on top of web content. This feature makes the tool easy to navigate and reduces confusion when navigating through a website.
It also supports multiple speech styles and announcements of text styling, which helps users understand how a webpage has been formatted. However, the ChromeVox speech viewer requires a modifier key in order to issue keyboard commands.
Disabled
Unlike most third-party screen readers and screen magnification packages, which must be loaded separately on top of the operating system, Chrome OS has its own built-in screen reader called ChromeVox.
Users of this system can launch it by pressing a keyboard shortcut. The key sequence is Shift + Search (located where you would normally find the Caps Lock key).
Once ChromeVox is activated, the system starts to read the text on the screen. To stop it, you need to press a different combination of keys. It is also possible to disable the ChromeVox speech features by navigating to the Settings menu and selecting “Advanced” under the “Accessibility” section.
There are many reasons why a user may want to disable voice control features on their Chromebook, including privacy concerns, specific usage scenarios, and individual accessibility needs. Fortunately, Google Wokrspace administrators can disable ChromeVox from the admin console to avoid unintentional activations.
Voice commands require your device to listen for a trigger phrase, such as “Hey Google.” Some individuals may have privacy concerns about this, while others may have specific usage scenarios where sudden playback of voice commands can cause interruptions or distractions.
To address these issues, some businesses or schools choose to restrict voice control on their devices through the Google Wokrspace admin console. This allows them to prevent unexpected ChromeVox audio playback, ensuring that the device is not listening for commands.
Uninstalled
If you want to turn off voice control on your Chromebook, it’s easy. Just go to your Settings and click on the “Search and Assistant” tab. From here, you can disable Google Assistant and all of its features. However, if you want to disable the ChromeVox screen reader, it’s a bit more complicated.
ChromeVox is a screen reader built into any device running on the Chrome operating system. It can read anything on your screen and provides keyboard shortcuts to complete many tasks. It can also be used to hear a description of your cursor’s current position on the page. This feature is very useful for blind users.
To enable ChromeVox, press Ctrl + Alt + z. The ChromeVox toolbar will appear at the top of your screen and an orange rectangle will highlight the area that is active and being read. The toolbar has a number of options, including selecting the current voice and adjusting text styling. It is important to note that ChromeVox may not work on all devices.
It is important to know that it only works on devices with Chrome OS or a compatible web browser.
ChromeVox Next is a new mode of ChromeVox that uses the automation API instead of content scripts. It will eventually replace the existing Classic mode, but it’s not yet available.
Removed
ChromeVox is an advanced screen reader for Chromebooks that allows users to navigate the interface through verbal prompts. It is particularly useful for those with visual impairments. However, sometimes, these accessibility features can be annoying if they are not enabled by the user.
To prevent this, you can disable the voice that reads search results on your Chromebook by following these steps.
To do this, first, open the settings on your Chromebook by clicking the wrench icon. Then, click “Extensions”. From here, you can remove the ChromeVox extension if you want to stop it from reading your search results. You can also change the voice used by ChromeVox from the options page.
In addition to the main directory, there are four additional contexts for ChromeVox: the panel context (chromevox/panel/), the earcons directory (chromevox/earcons/), the testing directory (chromevox/testing/), and the tools directory (chromevox/tools/).
The earcons directory contains audio files for any short indicators that are used by ChromeVox to express information without words. The testing directory contains files that are only used in testing and the tools directory contains python scripts that are used to build ChromeVox.
The Options page in ChromeVox allows you to adjust the voice, the modifier key, and more. The default modifier key is Alt, but you can use any other key as long as it isn’t conflicting with any other keys. You can also adjust how the keyboard shortcuts are mapped to ChromeVox on this page.