Android’s Live Caption is a crucial accessibility feature that overlays subtitles to any sound played on the smartphone. This feature is also available on Google Pixel smartphones, which benefit from the ability to use Live Caption during phone calls.
An update last year relocated the Live Caption shortcut on Pixel devices from below the volume slider (activated by pressing the volume up or down keys) to the three-dot menu below the slider, thereby adding an extra step to the process. This has understandably irked frequent users of this functionality. It now looks like Google is planning to make this shortcut more easily accessible again.
This change was spotted by Android Authority while looking through build 2509 of Android Canary, which was made available for testing on Thursday. The site notes that the repositioned Live Caption shortcut wasn’t immediately visible in the latest Android Canary build, but some tinkering with the software yielded results.
You may have to wait a while for this repositioned Live Caption shortcut
In the screenshots above, we can see the placement of the Live Caption shortcut before its removal last year, followed by this relocated shortcut discovered by Android Authority. While the differences may not be immediately apparent, this revised design houses the Live Caption shortcut inside the volume slider pill rather than separately.
The current process involves two steps to activate Live Caption
By contrast, users currently need to tap the three-dot button below the volume slider, known as the More button, and then tap the Live Caption shortcut to enable this accessibility feature. While one might argue that this extra tap on the screen is tedious, the shortcut’s relocation appears to have stemmed from concerns of accidentally activating Live Caption while adjusting the volume slider.
For now, this change is buried deep within the latest build of Android Canary, with no guarantees that Google will even roll it out to Pixel smartphone users. In any case, there’s no denying that the decision to hide it behind the More menu has caused considerable frustration for users who rely on this accessibility feature. Perhaps Google could consider an option to switch between the existing arrangement and this updated positioning of Live Caption.
