Connect to a braille display

Important: BrailleBack is no longer required to connect to a braille display.

When you connect a refreshable braille display to your Android device via Bluetooth or USB, your device's screen content shows on your display. You can use the keys on the display to navigate and interact with your device. You can also input text with the TalkBack braille keyboard.

Step 1: Make sure that you have TalkBack 13.0 or higher

To check your TalkBack version, open TalkBack settings and scroll to the last item, 'Open TalkBack in the Play Store: Current TalkBack version'. Learn how to turn Talkback on or off.

If your TalkBack version is lower than 13.0, double-tap Open TalkBack at the Play Store to go to the Play Store and update TalkBack.

Step 2: Pair your phone with your braille display

To open the TalkBack menu, swipe up and then right.
Tap Braille display settings.
Check that 'Use braille display' is turned on.
Select the name of your braille display.
Tap Connect.

Fix issues with braille display

Learn how to find your braille display

If there's no braille display shown:

Make sure that your braille display is turned on and ready to pair.
- On some displays, you need to turn on Bluetooth and enter pairing mode or terminal mode. Go to your braille display manufacturer's manual for further instructions.
Check if your braille display has the maximum number of connected devices.
Delete unnecessary devices and try again.
- This is necessary for braille displays that work with multiple Bluetooth connections.
On your Android device, turn Use braille display off and on.

Learn how to connect to your braille display

If you can't connect to your braille display:

Make sure that your braille display is ready. You need to turn it on or put it in pairing mode.
If your display only supports one connection, make sure that your braille display isn't connected to another device.

If the braille display still won't connect, try to forget it and reconnect:

On your Android device, go to Settings Connected devices.
In the list of previously connected devices, select the braille display that you want to forget.
Tap Forget.
To reconnect, on your Android device, go to System settings Accessibility TalkBack Settings Braille display settings.
Tap Add device.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the pairing process.

Tips:

To avoid the 'Incorrect PIN/passcode' error, unpair the device on both the phone and braille display.
You may need to clear the saved device on your braille display. Check your display's manual or manufacturer for assistance.
If the connection still fails, check if your braille display supports connection on Android or requires firmware updates. For more information, contact your manufacturer.

Available braille display languages

The following languages are available in braille displays:

Unified English Braille grades one and two
Ancient Greek
Arabic
Bulgarian eight-dot computer braille
Cantonese
Catalan
Central Kurdish
Chinese (Taiwan)
Chinese common (China)
Chinese current with tones (China)
Chinese current without tones (China)
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
English
Estonian
Finnish
French
German
Greek
Gujarati
Hebrew
Hungarian
Icelandic
Italian
Kannada
Khmer
Latvian
Lithuanian
Malayalam
Marathi
Nepali
Northern Sami
Norwegian eight-dot computer braille
Polish
Portuguese
Romanian eight-dot computer braille
Russian
Serbian
Sinhala
Slovak
Spanish
Swedish
Tamil
Telugu
Turkish eight-dot computer braille
Ukrainian
Urdu
Vietnamese
Welsh

To change the braille grade or language: On your device, select TalkBack settings Braille display Preferred reading language or Preferred typing language.