Accessibility/Android: Difference between revisions

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Firefox 15 introduces screen reader support in Android. The accessibility features will be expanded in every consecutive release. Below is an overview of the upcoming versions and what features to expect in each release.
Firefox Accessibility in Android is new, and rapidly improving. This page should clarify any confusion or outstanding questions users and early adopters may have.


== Firefox 15 ==
= Frequently Asked Question =
; Release Date : August 28 2012
; Current Availability : Firefox in Google Play Store


Firefox 15 introduces basic accessibility through D-Pad navigation. The behavior is similar to other native Android applications. Once in the content, simply arrow left or right. Press enter or d-pad center to activate items. For more information, see [http://www.marcozehe.de/2012/05/08/first-round-of-accessibility-support-for-android-in-mobile-firefox/ Marco's initial announcement].
== What version of Firefox is accessible? ==


== Firefox 16 (dubbed "Firefox Beta") ==
Since version 17, Firefox is fully accessible. It can be installed from the Google Play store.
; Release Date : October 10 2012
; Current Availability : Firefox Beta in Google Play Store


Firefox 16 brings quick navigation keys to reach certain document elements like links and headers, and Ice Cream Sandwich explore by touch support. For more information, see Marco's post about [http://www.marcozehe.de/2012/06/13/quick-navigation-keys-now-in-nightly-builds-of-firefox-native-for-android/ quick nav keys], and [http://www.marcozehe.de/2012/06/28/firefox-for-android-nightly-builds-now-with-explore-by-touch/ explore by touch].
== What is Firefox Nightly? ==


== Firefox 17 (dubbed "Aurora") ==
Firefox Nightly is the raw nightly build of the development version of Firefox. It has not been tested at all, and should be regarded as extremely unstable. To see features being added real-time, it might be worth trying it, but don't expect it to be stable enough for daily use.
; Release Date : November 20 2012
; Current Availability : [http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/mobile/aurora/ Aurora download page]


Firefox 17 introduces support for Talkback in Jelly Bean. Explore by touch and flicking left or right should work just like any other Android application in Jelly Bean. See [http://www.marcozehe.de/2012/08/22/support-for-talkbacks-jelly-bean-explore-by-touch-now-in-firefox-for-android-nightlies/ Marco's post] about it.
== I want to try Firefox Nightly, which version do I want, regular or ARMv6? ==


== Firefox 18 (dubbed "Nightly") ==
The ARMv6 package is meant for lower end phones that don't support our other APK. If you don't know what your phone supports, first try installing the regular APK, if that does not work, try the ARMv6.
; Release Date : January 2013
; Current Availability : [http://nightly.mozilla.org/ Nightly download page]


Firefox 18 will probably not introduce any major feature for Android Accessibility. There is currently experimentation with supporting lower end devices that use ARMv6 processors. If other versions of Firefox are not supported on your device, you can try downloading and installing the ARMv6 APK available on the nightly download page.
== Is there any way to quickly navigate the contents of a page by item type, like list or heading? ==
 
Yes, Firefox has quick navigation keys that could be used with a hardware keyboard or Eyes-Free keyboard. See Marco's post about [http://www.marcozehe.de/2012/06/13/quick-navigation-keys-now-in-nightly-builds-of-firefox-native-for-android/ quick nav keys]. In Firefox 20, we will introduce quick navigation with gestures, swipe with 3 fingers up and down to change mode, and left and right to navigate to specific objects.
 
== How can I have Firefox continuously read a page's contents? ==
 
Since Firefox relies on the platform and screen reader, it cannot directly control speech. Continuous reading is supported in Jelly Bean with Talkback 3.1.4 and above.
 
== What version is Aurora? what version is Beta? Which is more advanced? ==
 
The stable release of Firefox, as of this writing, is Firefox 17. Along with the stable release, there are three other unstable release channels: Beta, Aurora (ie. alpha), and Nightly. Every 6 weeks a new stable release is cut, and the version numbers on all these channels get bumped. We call this the "release train". So, for example after Firefox 18 will be released, Firefox 19 will be in Beta, and will be released as "Firefox 19" six weeks later. You could read more about it [http://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/2011/07/19/every-six-weeks/ here]. We have accessibility features spread out on all of these channels, the list below should help you figure out what to expect from each release, and how to get your hands on a preview version.
 
== How can I report Firefox Android accessibility bugs? ==
* Check the [[Accessibility/Mobile/AccessFu]] page for more information on Android issues.
* Make an account in [http://bugzilla.mozilla.org] and create a new bug.

Latest revision as of 19:34, 12 March 2013

Firefox Accessibility in Android is new, and rapidly improving. This page should clarify any confusion or outstanding questions users and early adopters may have.

Frequently Asked Question

What version of Firefox is accessible?

Since version 17, Firefox is fully accessible. It can be installed from the Google Play store.

What is Firefox Nightly?

Firefox Nightly is the raw nightly build of the development version of Firefox. It has not been tested at all, and should be regarded as extremely unstable. To see features being added real-time, it might be worth trying it, but don't expect it to be stable enough for daily use.

I want to try Firefox Nightly, which version do I want, regular or ARMv6?

The ARMv6 package is meant for lower end phones that don't support our other APK. If you don't know what your phone supports, first try installing the regular APK, if that does not work, try the ARMv6.

Is there any way to quickly navigate the contents of a page by item type, like list or heading?

Yes, Firefox has quick navigation keys that could be used with a hardware keyboard or Eyes-Free keyboard. See Marco's post about quick nav keys. In Firefox 20, we will introduce quick navigation with gestures, swipe with 3 fingers up and down to change mode, and left and right to navigate to specific objects.

How can I have Firefox continuously read a page's contents?

Since Firefox relies on the platform and screen reader, it cannot directly control speech. Continuous reading is supported in Jelly Bean with Talkback 3.1.4 and above.

What version is Aurora? what version is Beta? Which is more advanced?

The stable release of Firefox, as of this writing, is Firefox 17. Along with the stable release, there are three other unstable release channels: Beta, Aurora (ie. alpha), and Nightly. Every 6 weeks a new stable release is cut, and the version numbers on all these channels get bumped. We call this the "release train". So, for example after Firefox 18 will be released, Firefox 19 will be in Beta, and will be released as "Firefox 19" six weeks later. You could read more about it here. We have accessibility features spread out on all of these channels, the list below should help you figure out what to expect from each release, and how to get your hands on a preview version.

How can I report Firefox Android accessibility bugs?