Move around your home screen with TalkBack

Your home screen displays when you turn on or unlock your device.

To find the home screen:

• On most devices: In one motion, swipe up then left.
• With gesture navigation: From the bottom of the screen, two-finger swipe up.
• If the device has a physical home button: Press Home.
• On most devices: In one stroke, swipe up then left.

Step 1: Unlock your device

If you have a password or PIN for your device, there are several ways to unlock it:

• From the bottom of the lock screen, two-finger swipe up.
• Use the fingerprint sensor or face unlock.
• Explore by Touch.
  • At the bottom-middle of the screen, find the unlock button, then double-tap.

Step 2: Move around your home screen

Important: These instructions are for Pixel. On other devices, your home screen might vary, based on the device manufacturer or your Home app.

Use your home screen

Explore by swiping

1. To move between items on the home screen, swipe left or right.
2. Focus on the item that you want.
   • As you navigate, TalkBack announces where your focus is.
3. Anywhere on your screen, double-tap.

Explore by Touch

1. Touch the screen with one finger.
2. Drag your finger across the items until the focus is on the item that you want.
3. Anywhere on your screen, double-tap.

Tip: If you have more than one home screen, you can switch between them. To change screens; two-finger swipe left or right. TalkBack announces which screen you’re on, like 'Home screen one of three'.

Parts of the home screen

Status bar

At the top of your screen, you can get information, like time, notifications, battery status, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The status bar might hide when an app is in full screen mode. If the status bar is hidden and you want it back, open Notifications.

Tip: If your focus is on the status bar, to move out of it, touch another part of the screen.

Search bar

Some Android devices have a search bar on the home screen so that you can search the web without a separate app. If your device doesn't have a search bar automatically, you can add it as a widget.

Notifications

Notifications show information from your system or apps, like Calendar events, missed calls or news updates. You can find notifications in the status bar. To open notifications, two-finger swipe down from the top of the screen. To close notifications, two-finger swipe up.

Apps

You can open apps with the icons on your device. For example, to open Gmail, select the Gmail icon, then double-tap. Some apps are on your home screen and some are in the app section.

Use and explore your apps:

• To find the apps on your home screen: Drag your finger over the screen.
• To open an app once it has focus: Double-tap anywhere on the screen.
• To explore all the apps on your device: On the home screen, two-finger swipe up to open the app drawer.
• To add an app to your home screen: Touch the app to give it focus. Then, double-tap and hold. Drag your finger where you want to place the app.
  • You can also double-tap and hold until the menu comes up. Then, select Add to home screen.
• To remove an app from the home screen: Select the app, then open the TalkBack menu. Select Actions Remove.
  • This doesn’t uninstall the app.

Folders

Folders are app collections that you can add to your home screen. For example, a Google Play folder might have apps like Play Music, Play Books and Play Movies. To explore a folder, open it and move your finger over the screen. To create a folder, drag one app on top of another.

Widgets

Widgets are shortcuts on your home screen that help you get information or perform tasks. For example, with the Calendar widget, you can find upcoming events on your home screen.

To add a widget:

1. On the home screen, move focus on the apps list.
   • Don’t double-tap.
2. Open the TalkBack menu.
   • On devices with multi-finger gestures: Three-finger tap. Or, in one motion, swipe down then right.
   • On devices without multi-finger gestures (prior to updated Android R with TalkBack 9.1): In one motion, swipe down then right.
3. Select Actions Widget.
4. To find a widget, swipe right or left, or explore by touch.
5. To add the focused widget, double-tap and hold.
6. Drag the widget where you want to place it.

To remove a widget:

1. On the home screen, move focus on the widget.
2. Open the TalkBack menu.
   • On devices with multi-finger gestures: Three-finger tap. Or, in one motion, swipe down then right.
   • On devices without multi-finger gestures (prior to updated Android R with TalkBack 9.1): In one motion, swipe down then right.
3. Select Actions Remove.

For more help with TalkBack, contact the Google Disability Support team.