Android has to be one of the easier platforms to develop for. Not only does it have a massive user base just ready and waiting for new apps and games, but it also has the Play Store. Despite being ran by Google, the Play Store is a lot more lenient than say, the Apple App Store, and developers are allowed to do much more on Android as the software is more flexible, but this is also down to Google’s approach to apps in general. In the past couple of years, Google has steadily been making it easier and easier for developers to make their best apps on Android, and their latest app is a way of helping developers ensure their apps can be enjoyed by everyone.
This new app is dubbed the “Accessibility Scanner” and what it does is allow developers on Android to check how their app ranks in terms of accessibility. The app, like many of Google’s offerings, is completely free to download and use, and it has a lot going for it. Developers just need to download the app – linked below – and then open the Accessibility Scanner, followed by their app of choice. By touching a button onscreen the app will scan what’s currently on display and then give the developers tips and updates on how to make the app a little more accessible for people, for instance text might need to have a higher contrast and so on, or colors might need to be toned down or better separated onscreen.
This is a fairly simply app, but for a lot of developers it might be a real eye-opener. After all, every smartphone user isn’t the same as each other, and with different levels of eye sight and so on, some apps could be really tricky to use for some. This Accessibility Scanner will help educate developers that might not see the benefit of making sure the app is approachable to all users, and could help prevent some users looking for another solution. The Accessibility Scanner is just one more example of how Google is making it easier for people to create apps for the Android platform, and is a nice and easy tool to use.
