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Michael Doise

The Beginning of a New Era: AppleVis Returns September 9th

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AppleVis announced that it would be closing down on July 27th, 2024. The AppleVis team stated that the site would stay in read only mode until August 31, 2024, and would then shut down.

On August 28th, 2024 AppleVis announced that they would be acquired by Be My Eyes, and that the site would continue, and that the site would re-open on September 9th. This means that AppleVis, and all of its wonderful resources will continue to exist after the shutdown date.

It is unclear at this point as to how the website will change after it comes back, but I think it is very exciting that this resource will continue to exist for everyone to take advantage of. There has been a lot of content posted at AppleVis, and I think it is important that it remains online.

You can learn more about this by reading the press release from Be My Eyes.

Be My Eyes Aquires AppleVis to Secure Its Future and to Invest For Growth

Tip: Type The Apple Logo on Apple Devices

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Did you know you can type tye  (Apple) logo on any Apple device with a keyboard? Here’s how to use it.

  1. Enter a text field on any Apple device that has a keyboard.
  2. Use the keystroke Option + Shift + K and you will see the  logo.

NOTE: This may not work on other platforms including Windows or Android.

Spotlight: Perspective AI Vision – Early Beta

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A pair of white glasses on a blue gradient background.

The iAccessibility Report has showcased many apps over the years, but it is important to continue this trend. Taylor Arndt has been working on an app that uses on device AI models to recognize text, objects. She is also planning to support face detection as well.

The interesting thing about this app is that it is all on device, and no data is stored, or sent to the cloud. This does mean that the app is limited to what is included with the built in models, but it is much faster at getting responses.

Taylor has created a public beta, and we wanted to share this with everyone so she can get feedback on the app. We encourage other developers to submit a report with their betas as well, so that the iAccessibility community can provide feedback as well.

App Name

Perspective AI Vision

TestFlight Link

https://testflight.apple.com/join/GqLbLyS5

Feedback Email

taylor@techopolis.online

Roadmap

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There has been a lot of changes that have happened here at iAccessibility this month, and there will be many more to come. In this post, I want to discuss where we’ve been, and where we’re going as iAccessibility so that we are all on the same page.

The Past of iAccessibility.

iAccessibility started in 2010 as a blog to review apps called the iAccessibility Report. I, Michael Doise, reviewed apps with VoiceOver on this blog to determine what worked with VoiceOver. The blog then started to have other content regarding technology, and we started a podcast in 2015 called the iACast. In 2016, we started our WhatsApp Community and TeamTalk Server, which later became a Discord community server instead. iAccessibility has also had the chance to work with some amazing podcasters like Unmute Presents and many others.

Where We Are Going

iAccessibility has been a part of my life for the past 14 years, and the goal has always been to build a thriving community of technology users who help each other in the efforts of learning and using technology. The below items describe where we are, and where iAccessibility is going.

  • iAccessibility has built an app directory so that blind and low vision technology users can find out if an app is accessible, or at least usable. This app directory covers Apple platforms, but also includes Windows and Android devices as well. We will have a similar layout to what may expect, but we will also have features like AI based search and more.
  • The iACast will continue, and we will be improving it with more conversations, and interactive experiences. These may include town halls, and interactive calls on Zoom and Clubhouse
  • iAccessibility has created a new forums system using Discourse. We plan to work with Discourse to increase the accessibility of these forums, so that other forum communities can benefit from these accessibility changes.
  • Bug Tracking is very important, and we plan to start tracking bugs with Apple platforms. We are considering a plan to create a bug tracker with BugZilla for users to submit bugs through, and these will be reflected through a blog post on the iAccessibility website.
  • We will also be opening up opportunities for users to contribute. Right now, users can contribute to the App Directory, but we will soon allow users to submit posts to the Report blog. or to submit podcast content. All posts will need to be approved, but this allows the site to be ran and driven by the community.
  • iAccessibility can’t be ran by one person and one person should not run a site as big as iAccessibility. Therefore, the team has decided to create a nonprofit organization ro run and manage iAccessibility. The board has been named, and documentation will be filed to form the nonprofit in the coming weeks. This will allow the team and community to make decisions to drive the forward progress of the website, forums, and other services provided by iAccessibility.

Conclusion

iAccessibility has always been a place to help people to connect with each other, and learn to use technology. It is my hope that this roadmap will help everyone know where we’ve been, and to help you all know where we are going in the future. We have been around for 14 years, and I think the next 14 will be even more amazing with all of you building what iAccessibility is going to be. Thank you for reading this, and please feel free to reach out and ask us any questions you have have either on Mastodon at https://iaccessibility.social/@iaccessibility, on X as @iaccessibility1 We are still working on emails, but you can email mikedoise@icloud.com until everything is set up. Thank you again, and I look forward to speaking with everyone in the community.

Rebokeh

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App Name

Rebokeh

App Version

2.0.7

Platform

iOS/iPadOS

Category

Utilities

Description

By the visually impaired community, for the visually impaired community.

The ReBokeh app is portable, customizable and designed for ease of use.

Adjust contrast, exposure, color inversion and more in real time to customize the way you see the world to you needs.

Plus save your preferences as presets for quick access later.

Privacy policy: https://rebokeh.com/privacy-policy/
Terms of Service: https://rebokeh.com/terms-of-service/

Free or Paid

Free

Devices you’ve tested on

iPhone 15 Pro Max

Accessibility Rating

5 – Fully Accessible

Accessibility Comments

This app is extremely accessible and provides magnification for low vision users to magnify their environment.

Screen Reader Performance

This app works well with VoiceOver.

Button Labeling

All buttons are properly labeled.

Usability

This app is extremely usable visually and with VoiceOver.

Other Comments

Bebokeh is a fantastic app. for low vision and visually impaired users. There is a subscription in the app that adds more features.

App Store Links

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/rebokeh/id1557588655

Developer Website

https://www.rebokeh.com

iDOS 3

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App Name

iDOS 3

App Version

1

Platform

iOS/iPadOS

Category

Utilities

Description

Play classic DOS games on your iPhone and iPad!

iDOS turns your device right into a powerful DOS gaming PC, with modern game control to make your old favorites as playable as possible.

You can also use iDOS for non-gaming purposes, such as word processing, casual programming. Apps in the DOS days are often simpler and surprisingly productive.

KEYBOARD

iDOS provides a PC compatible on-screen keyboard with carefully designed layouts for different devices and orientations. The keyboard has a sliding control in landscape mode so that you can keep it from covering critical part of the screen.

Bluetooth keyboard is fully supported on iOS 14+.

GAMEPAD

iDOS provides a virtual gamepad with key bindings that are fairly common in DOS games. You can customize the bindings. The DPAD works in 8-axis way. It can also be toggled into a joystick.

External bluetooth game controllers are supported. Make sure your game controller is connected (System Settings->Bluetooth). To customize button bindings, go to iDOS in landscape mode, tap on bluetooth icon on the auto-hiding top bar.

MOUSE

The screen area serves as a trackpad for moving mouse pointer.
Tap on the screen for left click. If direct touch is enabled, the mouse pointer will move to where you tap.
Hold one finger on the screen, and tap with another finger for right click.

On-screen mouse buttons are also provided for your convenience.

Bluetooth mouse are fully supported on iOS 14+.

SUPPORT

  • Visit https://litchie.com/dospad for more information
  • Send email to idos@litchie.com
  • Follow the developer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/litchiedev
  • iDOS is open source, report issue on https://github.com/litchie/dospad

Free or Paid

Paid

Price

$0.99

Devices you’ve tested on

iPhone

Accessibility Rating

1 – Not Accessible

Accessibility Comments

This app is not accessible.

Screen Reader Performance

There are only one or two buttons that are accessible in this app.

Button Labeling

only one or two buttons are labeled in this app.

Usability

Both the DOS output box and the keyboard are inaccessible to VoiceOver users. the app utilizes an on screen keyboard that VoiceOver can’t read.

Other Comments

I would not purchase this app as a VoiceOver user until it sees many improvements.

App Store Links

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/idos-3/id1580768213

Developer Website

https://litchie.com/dospad

Commtech USA

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App Name

Commtech USA

App Version

2.0

Platform

iOS/iPadOS

Category

Education

Description

Commtech USA is everything we offer online via our website in the palm of your hands! The latest news, reviews, tech tips and tutorials. Audio and Video training samples, access to the Support Staff Podcast, and quick access to our staff via phone, iMessage, email and more! When we release a podcast, training video or audio or announce something big, you’ll be the first to know via alerts straight to your device. (Requires enabling of Notifications).

Free or Paid

Free

Devices you’ve tested on

iPhone

Accessibility Comments

This app is fully accessible.

Screen Reader Performance

This app works well with VoiceOver.

Button Labeling

All buttons are properly labeled.

Usability

This app is extremely usable and intuitive for screen reader users and for users with low vision.

App Store Links

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/commtech-usa/id1513755325

Developer Website

https://commtechusa.net

Logging In To The Discord Desktop App Using A Mobile Device

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Discord app icon

Discord is a very popular app for gamers, and it is used by gamers to communicate during gameplay. Many other communities use Discord as well, and it has become a very popular alternative to TeamTalk, as it is a mainstream product. One obstacle to using Discord though is that the Discord Desktop app is difficult to navigate, and is also difficult to log in to. This part of Discord does not need to be difficult though if you use your movile device for the login process. Here’s how this works.

Bypassing the Desktop Login Process

The Discord app has always let users login with their username and password, but the desktop app may also require the user to solve an hCAPTCHA, which shows images on the screen to be solved. There is an accessible cookie that can be installed in the browser, but this can also be difficult.

Another solution that exists though is that the Discord Desktop app also shows a QR code on screen. This QR code is the key to a fast and easy login process.

Using the QR code in the Desktop App

Use the following process to login to the Discord desktop app using the mobile app.

  1. Login to the Discord Mobile App
  2. Use the QR Code scanner either from the camera or control center on your mobile device and point the camera at your computer’s monitor
  3. Select the option that appears to open the Discord Mobile app.
  4. Approve the login request on your phone.

You should now be logged in to your Discord account on your PC or Mac computer.

Conclusion

Logging in to Discord on the computer can be fairly complicated, and I have even found it difficult with low vision. Using the QR code really helps to automate this process, and takes a lot of the struggle out of logging in.

Castro Podcast Player

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App Name

Castro Podcast Player

App Version

2024.7

Platform

iOS/iPadOS

Category

News

Description

Castro is a beautiful, full-featured podcast player that makes it easy to track and manage lots of podcasts at the same time. Only listen to the episodes you want and easily skip the rest, queue up hours of podcasts at a time and enjoy a seamless listening experience with carplay compatibility, chapter support, trim silence and much, much more!

HOW IT WORKS

  1. New episodes land in the NEW tab. Read their descriptions, add episodes you like to your QUEUE, and clear the rest.

  2. Press play to listen to episodes from your QUEUE in order. Queued episodes are downloaded automatically.

  3. Re-order your QUEUE to plan your next few hours of listening at any time. Browse your LIBRARY to review the back catalogue, quickly access starred shows, and see your listening history.

Subscribing to a podcast is no longer a commitment to listen to every episode. You don’t have to manage a huge list of subscriptions or choose a few shows and miss the rest.

WHY OUR USERS LOVE CASTRO

• Drag and drop podcasts to plan your listening with Castro’s unique queue
• An elegant dark mode and thoughtfully designed sleep timer offer the best in night time podcast listening.
• CarPlay support makes it easy to pick up where you left off while driving.
• Apple Watch app to control playback and select another episode from your queue.
• Episode notifications include a summary of the episode to help you decide if it interests you. Play, queue or clear the episode directly from the notification without opening the app.

CASTRO PLUS

Castro Plus is an optional paid subscription available for $24.99/year (includes a one-week trial). Plus unlocks a range of advanced features:

• Trim Silence — With this option on, the app will analyze audio as it plays to detect silent parts and accelerate those parts. Get through more episodes faster.
• Enhance Voices improves the listening experience for many podcasts and makes it easier to hear in loud environments. Under the hood, Enhance Voices applies a dynamic compressor to increase volume just where it’s needed.
• Sideloading: Import audio files directly, just by dropping them in iCloud Drive
• Mono-Mix — Mixes a stereo podcast to mono, which makes it easier to hear podcasts that pan some guests on left/right channels.
• Chapter Support: Artwork, Skipping & Pre-selection.
• Custom settings per-podcast: Episode Limit, Trim Silence, Enhance Voices, Mono Mix, Skip Intros, Playback Speed.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

“Castro 3 is an incredible app.”
— The Sweet Setup

“Castro 3 is everything Castro already was, but better.”
— MacStories

Castro 3 Is a Great Modern Podcast App”
— Beautiful Pixels

“Unlike other podcatchers, Castro’s primary virtue is its simplicity and ease of use. The app combines sleek visual design with crystal clear audio.”
— Tom’s Guide

CASTRO PLUS SUBSCRIPTION TERMS

Castro Plus costs $24.99 per year. Prices are in US dollars and may vary in countries other than the US.

Castro Plus is charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. It will renew on the day before the current subscription period ends. You can cancel auto-renewal any time from the Castro settings screen.

You can switch between the two subscription periods after you pick one, but your trial period will end immediately if you do, so it’s best to wait till your free week is over before changing.

Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable.

Privacy Policy & Terms of Use: https://castro.fm/privacy-policy

Free or Paid

Free

Price

Devices you’ve tested on

iPhone 15 Pro Max

Accessibility Comments

This app version appears to be mostly accessible with VoiceOver.

Screen Reader Performance

This app can be fully navigated with VoiceOver.

Button Labeling

All buttons are properly labeled with VoiceOver.

Usability

All aspects can be used with VoiceOver. The app is quite complicated, so it may take time to learn where everything is when using VoiceOver.I did experience issues subscribing to the Plus version in previous versions, and the text on the Plus page is not focusable with VoiceOver.

Other Comments

This is a fantastic podcast player, and the push notifications have a unique sound to let the user know that there is a new podcast available. Notifications have been observed to come in when a podcast is posted.

App Store Links

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/castro-podcast-player/id1080840241

Developer Website

https://castro.fm

Swift Playgrounds

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App Name

Swift Playgrounds

App Version

4.5.1

Platform

iOS/iPadOS

Category

Developer Tools

Description

Swift Playgrounds makes it fun to learn to code and build real apps. You solve interactive puzzles in the guided “Get Started with Code” and learn the basics of building apps in “Get Started with Apps.” You experiment with a wide range of challenges and samples that let you explore unique coding experiences.

Swift Playgrounds doesn’t require any coding experience — it’s perfect for anyone just starting out, from eight to one-hundred-and-eight. The whole time you are learning Swift and SwiftUI, the powerful programming technologies created by Apple and used by professionals around the globe to build many of today’s most popular apps. And because it’s built to take advantage of iPad and the real iOS SDK, Swift Playgrounds provides a one of a kind learning experience.

Lessons Built-in
• Apple-created lessons guide you through the core concepts of programming by using code to solve puzzles
• See your code run in a beautiful, interactive 3D world that you can rotate with a finger and pinch to zoom
• Animations introduce each new coding concept at a high-level before you dive into the puzzles
• Glossary and built-in help pages give detailed information about available commands, frameworks, and terminology

Explore and Create
• Interactive coding shows the results of your code instantly, alongside your work
• Step through code in playground books to highlight each line as it runs
• Books provide a head start to create your own playgrounds that use graphics, sound, and touch
• App Gallery walks you through the building blocks of apps, like tabbed navigation and receiving input from device sensors

Build Apps on iPad
• Create real apps on iPad using SwiftUI
• See your code changes reflected live while you type
• Type quickly and accurately with inline code suggestions
• Extend your app with an ecosystem of Swift packages
• Navigate your code with project-wide search

Smart Coding Assistance
• Touch and hold to grab any command and move it around to change the order of your code
• Drag a brace with your finger to wrap a block of code inside a loop or conditional statement
• Drag and drop snippets of commonly-used code directly into your playground
• Fix common code errors with helpful inline suggestions
• Stay organized with automatic code formatting

Real Swift, SwiftUI, and iOS Code
• Learn the same powerful Swift programming language used by the pros to create apps in the App Store
• Build dynamic, elegant apps using SwiftUI, a modern way to create user interfaces
• Access iOS frameworks such as SpriteKit for 2D games, SceneKit for 3D graphics, UIKit, and more
• Your code has direct control of iPad hardware, including the gyroscope, accelerometer, camera, and touch events

Share or Publish
• Send your projects to friends and family using Messages, Mail, AirDrop, or other Share Sheet extensions
• Bring your app projects to Xcode on Mac and back again
• Submit your completed apps to the App Store with App Store Connect

Free or Paid

Free

Devices you’ve tested on

iPad

Accessibility Comments

Swift Playgrounds is mostly accessible with VoiceOver.

Screen Reader Performance

Swift Playgrounds can be used with VoiceOver, but the user must be very familiar with VoiceOver to use this app.

Button Labeling

All buttons are properly labeled with VoiceOver.

Usability

Swift Playgrounds for iPad can have strange issues with focus while using the code editor view. It is also difficult to use the app shelf to move between the running app and the code window.

Other Comments

Swift Playgrounds is the only way to build iOS apps on the iPad, but it requires a lot of practice to learn how the app works with VoiceOver.

App Store Links

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/swift-playgrounds/id908519492

Developer Website

https://developer.apple.com

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