Tiktok announced on Wednesday that it is expanding its suite of accessibility tools by deploying ALT text with AI to support photo, high contrast mode and device-level bold settings.
Tiktok introduced support for ALT text on photos a few weeks ago, and authors provide descriptive text on photos to help screen reader users understand visual content through spoken language descriptions. Currently, the company is testing AI-generated ALT text to automatically explain the photos loudly when the creator does not manually add the ALT text.
The company says that ALT text generated by AI makes Tiktok more accessible to people with visual impairments. This move comes as Instagram has been using AI for ALT text since 2018.
Image credit: Tiktok
For the new High Contrast mode, users can turn it on using the new “Color Contrast” option in the accessibility section of the app. Doing so will increase the foreground color of text, icons and user interface elements. The change will make Tiktok easier to use for people with low vision and low contrast, the company says.
Tiktok also conforms to the bold text settings of the user's device. This means that all in-app text will be automatically displayed in BOLD when enabled. This improves readability for users who prefer or rely on bold fonts.
“When people feel seen, heard and supported, they know that they are empowered to share their stories and connect and connect with others in meaningful ways,” the company said in a blog post. “That's why we focus on continually building products that serve everyone. We see accessibility as a responsibility, not just an opportunity to innovate and nurture a more inclusive platform for the global community.”
This new feature will join Tiktok's existing suite of accessibility tools, including automatic video content generation captions, dark mode, text-to-speech, and the ability to adjust text size across the app.