Control your Android phone with facial expressions

[harlan4096]

Android features some of the most helpful accessibility tools to help individuals with disabilities make the most of their devices. However, most of these features have turned out to be useful even beyond their original purpose. The latest Android 12 beta released another useful feature that lets users control their Android device with facial expressions.

There is a new 'Camera Switches' feature in the latest beta version of Android 12, amongst the Android Accessibility Suite. Once this feature is enabled, it uses the front camera to see if you are looking at the screen. It will also recognize facial gestures, which can then be used to control your device.

Various facial expressions have already been configured by default to trigger specific actions. However, you can also customize these settings to link a particular expression to your preferred action. For example, opening your mouth brings up the notification panel, and raising your eyebrows takes you back to the home screen.
 
Some of the included facial expressions which can be mapped are looking up, looking left, looking right, smiling, opening your mouth, and raising your eyebrows. The actions which can currently be mapped include accessing notifications, scrolling up or down, navigating to the main screen, touch and hold, selecting, and more.

This feature also appears not to be exclusive to Android 12, as you are able to download the updated Accessibility Suite to Android 11 and use these features now. Alternatively, you can also download the beta version of Android 12 and experience all the new features. However, the stable version should be dropped by the end of August or early September if you want to wait for the stable release.

Closing words

The Accessibility Suite for Android is really taking strides to make using an Android device as simple and inclusive as possible. This latest feature where you can control your device using facial expressions is not only useful for those who are differently-abled but rather for everyone. I look forward to seeing what else Google will be doing with the Accessibility Suite.
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