HID Braille Support for Braille Displays Is Coming Soon

By allabtech, 5 March, 2025

Forum
Android

Hi Android Folks,

I recently heard that AndroidOS 15 will bring Braille support for HID protocol Bluetooth Braille Displays starting with the HumanWare Braille displays. You will need to update Android and TalkBack in order to use HID Braille displays.

Just sharing. Please check for updates on this.

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Comments

By Holy Diver on Thursday, March 6, 2025 - 01:43

This is indeed true but I don't think all the heavy lifting happens on the android side. I've tried this with my NLS humanware eReader which hasn't received a firmware update in a rather long while and it doesn't work. I've heard better things about more updated Mantis and BIX displays.

By allabtech on Thursday, March 6, 2025 - 03:43

It will be planning to be on it's way later on this year. Please check back for updates.

By Endarion on Thursday, March 6, 2025 - 09:43

Hi everyone!
Since HID is an industry standard, how can some HID Braille displays be supported while others are not? Why would devices require an update if they already used HID?
In other words: Is there any kind of documentation out there that tells a Braille display manufacturer what to do in order for their devices to work with Android?

By Holy Diver on Friday, March 7, 2025 - 23:43

Nothing is truly standardized I don't think, especially in such a small market like Braille displays. Read other threads here and you'll see reports of even apple accessibility reps admitting humanware displays have their own quirks, as indeed all probably do. Certainly my two displays behave quite differently on iPhone and even PC even though they both allegedly use HID. I feel like it's a corporate buzzword at this point.