AppleVis - Recent Content

Watching foreign movies with sighted family

Sun, 29 Nov 2020 14:22:43 GMT

Hi, I sometimes watch foreign movies or shows with my parents. Our Apple Tv is too old to have Voiceover on it, and even if it did, they wouldn't want to hear the subtitles read out, so my best solution is manually synching up my phone with the TV and listening to the subtitles through headphones. This mostly works, but it's super annoying when I get out of synch, and also, it can be hard to hear which character is speaking since the subtitles are read in one voice. I could get another Braille display, but when I had one, I found that sometimes the subtitles would scroll too quickly and it was also easy to get out of synch. Is there a better solution to what I'm already doing? If not, it would be a great feature for Apple TVs if they could route Voiceover speech to someone's headset so that the whole family wouldn't have to hear VO. They could do this for audiodescription as well. This wouldn't help me right now, but would be an incentive to get a new Apple TV.

After waking your Mac from sleep there can be a delay of 5-10 seconds before VoiceOver becomes ...

Sun, 29 Nov 2020 10:18:35 GMT

After waking your Mac from sleep, you may routinely find that there is a delay of between 5 and 10 seconds before VoiceOver becomes responsive.

If you are a low vision user, you will be able to determine that the Mac can perform ‘sighted tasks during this time - such as using Command+Tab to switch between running applications, scrolling or following links in Safari webpages, and entering text in to editors like Textedit.’

However, if you attempt to perform some VoiceOver-specific keyboard shortcuts, they either do not work or there is the audible tone that would normally indicate that you have attempted to use a. Keyboard shortcut which does not exist. For instance, VO plus the left or right arrow key generates this tone.

This pattern of behaviour would appear to suggest that VoiceOver is in fact not running during this period after waking, rather than simply not being responsive.

Steps to reproduce:

Ensure that VoiceOver is enabled.
Have a small number of apps running (such as Safari, Mail, and Textedit).
Allow your Mac to sleep.
Tap on a key to wake your Mac.
Use Command+Tab.

You would expect VoiceOver to speak the names of running applications as you move through the App Switcher.

What actually happens is that the App Switcher visually appears and allows you to switch between applications, but there is no spoken feedback from VoiceOver.

There is also no spoken feedback from VoiceOver if you do anything else with the keyboard during this period after waking the Mac.

After 5-10 seconds VoiceOver should become operational and now work as expected.

help with audible

Sun, 29 Nov 2020 06:04:13 GMT

hey everyone
I'm having an issue with the audible app. actually I had 2 books in my dad's library which I read through his account. now I created my own account and would like to add those titles to my own account. I do not have a membership but those titles were purchased earlier.
I tried to sinc it via ITUNES but the buggy windows version with NVDA is confusing. it plays the sound that it is sinked but when I go to my audible app> library>downloaded titles, it says "you do not have any downloaded titles." is there any other way to transfer those files to my device other than ITUNES?
please note that the audible family sharing is sadly not in India so due to this I have to resort to adding them manually. I know if somehow I get them to my phone, they will come in the downloaded titles section. I tried emailing the files to myself but that did not work either.
any help would greatly be appreciated.
thank you so much.

homepod controls

Sun, 29 Nov 2020 05:38:07 GMT

I have noticed that with the latest version of iOS, the home app, and homepod that I can no longer access all of the homepod controls. I can access the settings and such, where you can name the device, turn Hey Siri on and off, etc, but I cannot access the play/pause, skip tracks, and disappointingly, the new alarm settings. Am I the only one experiencing this? Or, is there some gesture I'm not aware of that can bget me to this part of the controls so they are usable?

Trouble with dominos app

Sun, 29 Nov 2020 02:32:24 GMT

I have tried to order from Dominos a couple of times. The app will not let me select a delivery time. The screen shows several choices such as now, ASAP, in an hour, etc. The now button is checked, and I can't check another button.
I have an iPhone 8 with IOS 14.2. Is it me, Dominos, or the phone that is the problem?

Wolt

Sun, 29 Nov 2020 00:27:29 GMT

Wolt makes it incredibly easy to discover and get great food in your city. Whatever you’re in the mood for, we’ll bring it to your door. Just pick a restaurant, choose a meal, swipe to order and let us do the rest! No time for cooking? We’ve all been there. That’s why we became the online experts on the greatest local food experiences and restaurants. Whether it’s a gourmet burger, stone oven pizza, some spicy tacos, fresh sushi or some other delicious eats you’re currently craving, we’ve got you covered with our 8900+ restaurant choices. You’ll be kept in the loop on the status of the delivery in real-time, with a minute-by-minute countdown. If staring at a clock isn’t your thing, don’t worry – we'll also send you notifications so you know when your order is about to arrive. We don’t like to brag, but we take customer support seriously, with a team of wonderful, friendly people in every one of the 22+ countries we operate in. They are just a chat away and respond in seconds. Getting your food should be as simple as possible. That’s why you can pay conveniently and securely with your credit card, Apple Pay or MobilePay (selected markets). Wolt is currently available in 75+ cities located in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Croatia, Serbia, Georgia, Israel and Greece, and more are added all the time.

ťolt

Sun, 29 Nov 2020 00:24:14 GMT

Invoking Siri with side button inconsistent problem

Sat, 28 Nov 2020 19:42:53 GMT

Greetings, someone else described this bug to me with the first release of iOS 14. I only recently started to see it. I have 14.2.1 on an iPhone 12.

Often but not always when I go to use Siri by holding down the side button it takes quite some time before I get the beep response. I let go of the side button and immediately get the end response beep. I hold the side button again and I get the beep response and and then able to say my query.

Has anybody else seen anything like this? I expected to see it in the known bugs list

Rosemarys Fate, a binaural, open world horror survival audio game currently under development.

Sat, 28 Nov 2020 18:34:31 GMT

Hi all, Defender from audiogames.net here.

A teaser was posted to the r/blind subreddit a couple days ago but I wanted to get some clarifications from the devs first before posting this.

The game is under development. The first chapter will be released using the studio's funding, but if interest is high enough they will do a crowd funding campaign for the rest.
The game will be in English, but they are planning on localized subtitles.
They are planning a release on multiple platforms, including Mobile, PC, Smart Speaker and apparently even console.

Below I will copy and paste the summary from the website, as well as the teaser clip.

Summary:
Rosemary’s Fate: Life worth living is a dynamic audio dark adventure game. Dark echoes of the WW2 tragedies reached the present, and you will impersonate three different characters, embroiled in the history. Within the gameplay, you will find yourself in three time periods, connected by a gruesome mystery and a life or death mission. Try to survive the horrors of war, defeat dark incarnations of anguish and evil, and above all – prove that every life is worth living.
Rosemary’s Fate is the most dynamic audio game in the world, which means that its whole, rich lore was created only with sound, even though the gameplay dynamic is rather similar to video games. Despite the lack of visuals, your challenges aren’t limited to making storyline decisions, and there’s no narrator to guide you through it. Prepare to be fully immersed in the terrifying interiors of a former monastery steeped in impenetrable darkness, where you will have to learn how to move, navigate, and even fight or dodge your enemies.
Thanks to our original approach to auditive scene design and the binaural technology, you will find yourself in the sound space of the game quite intuitively: you’ll be able to recognize objects and NPCs, how far the enemy is, what ground you walk on and in what room you are. The findings will allow you to save the life worth living.
The game allows either manual control, available for PC, smartphone, consoles, tablets, and VR, or voice control, compatible i. a. with Alexa Amazon.
Read more at
https://www.rosemarysfate.com

Teaser Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0JDLthGyho

How are you able to use split view on iPadOS?

Sat, 28 Nov 2020 07:29:41 GMT

Hi, I read some posts here on applevis about how VoiceOver users use their iPads as primary machine for getting things done.

Maybe it's just me, but when I have two apps in split view or or in slide over, VoiceOver focus will randomly disappear which makes hole experience very frustrating.

Is there some settings I need to turn off to make VoiceOver focus more stable?

Hope it's not only me with this experience.

Reading with a Braille display in the iOs Books app

Sat, 28 Nov 2020 03:43:56 GMT

Hello all,

When reading a book with the Books app on iOs I notice when the line changes using the panning buttons the braille display jumps to the status bar for the message duration then jumps back to your reading position in the book. Has anyone noticed this? What have you done about it?
I tried making a VoiceOver activity to address the message duration in the braille settings but Sadly, this option is not available to set for an activity. This option only appears to be a global setting.

Thanks in advance,

Doug

sending group messages on an iPhone

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 23:18:55 GMT

Hi all,

Is there a way to send the same text message to multiple contacts using the native contacts app, and if not is there another easy to use app that I can do this in?

Thanks.

Can't create new lists in Reminders on iPhone

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 16:21:29 GMT

Greetings everybody,

Before I go on, I'm a braille user. Anyway, I'm having an issue with Reminders' create a new list feature.

The issue is that I can't activate the text field to name a new list. This prevents me from creating new lists. The text field will not response to my braille device's double-tap command, and I also double-tapped on the screen in attempt to activate the text fieled a number of times to no avail.

Any of you have a suggestion to get around this issue? Or is it an ongoing bug?

Many thanks!

Jace

Seeking VoiceOver accessibility compliance testers for the Head Shadow hearing aid iPhone app

Thu, 26 Nov 2020 21:13:35 GMT

I am the developer of the Head Shadow iPhone app, an AirPods Pro hearing aid for people with single-sided deafness.

The app can use AirPods Pro or other earbuds to boost the hearing levels of people with general hearing loss, as well.

I am deaf in the right ear and developed the app with universal accessibility in mind.

The first release of the app, in January 2020, included VoiceOver and other key accessibility features for low vision and blind folks.

The latest version of the app (1.09), released today, is focused on accessibility improvements and bug fixes.

Head Shadow app works on iPhones 5s (original) to the latest, iOS versions 12.4 to 14.2.

The purchase price of the app is $5, but you can download and use it for a month, free of charge.

I need testers in the following categories to test the app for vision accessibility and hearing aid functionality:
1. VoiceOver, Larger Text Sizes, and general accessibility for low vision or blind users.
2. Same as category 1, but for people that own AirPods and may have hearing loss in both ears.
3. Same as category 1, but for people that own AirPods Pro and may have single-sided deafness.  

Many thanks and keep safe,

Dr. Isa Asudeh
Research scientist and iOS developer
swiftricity.com

Contact: support@swiftricity.com
Website: https://swiftricity.com/headshadow/
App Store link: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/head-shadow/id1454070507

Microsoft 365, still unusable

Thu, 26 Nov 2020 18:58:26 GMT

The M1 hoopla prompted me to dig out my ancient MBA, update to the latest Catalina version and update Microsoft 365 to give it another spin. Here's what I ran into using Word:
1) Long documents still completely choke Voiceover. By long, I mean book-length. Navigating to the next page hangs for more than a second, and other tasks can just hang the machine indefinitely. Others have reported the same thing on here.
2) When opening the "customize keyboard" dialog, the focus doesn't move to the Window. I have to activate the window chooser to find the dialog.
3) Heading styles are navigable using the rotor, but heading styles are not reported in the text area.
4) the presence of comments are not reported in the text area. I am going to assume that other types of revisions like misspellings or track changes are likewise not reported. I didn't stick around to find out.
5) focus is still liable to jump back to the beginning if I edit a document without interacting with the text area, even though editing works just fine without interacting, so long as I don't switch to using a rotor action like moving by sentence. Pressing shift+f5 to go back to where I was previously editing works and moves the voiceover focus. "Voiceover follows keyboard focus" is selected in my settings, but doesn't appear to work as expected in Word.
Without access to Word on Mac, a Windows machine remains necessary for my work life, where things like Ulysses and Pages aren't adequate substitutes, though I use Ulysses for my personal and Web-oriented writing. And, so long as a Windows machine is necessary, everything else that works well/better under Mac OS works pretty much just as well on IOS with an external keyboard.
If others aren't encountering the above-listed issues using Word for Mac, then perhaps it's my mid-2013 MacBook Air to blame, so let me know if that's the case. Just being able to type a short document is not enough, though: usable means usable in a professional context, which means very long documents with heading styles, comments, track changes, etc. Usability in excel means announcement of column and header rows, which I've never gotten to work; and usability in PowerPoint means ability to edit slides effectively.

Japanese dictionary

Thu, 26 Nov 2020 10:00:37 GMT

What is the most accessible Japanese dictionary for iOS? I currently use jisho, but it's interface is a bit clunky to use with voiceover.

How do I read the output of a swift playground in the latest version of Xcode?

Thu, 26 Nov 2020 00:16:06 GMT

Hello,

For awhile now, I've wanted to learn swift, so I could create accessible versions of the games I played with my family, as a child.

I recently discovered the amazing, free tutorials offered by hackingwithswift.com, and downloaded the "unwrap" app, which allows you to read &/or watch the tutorials on-the-go.

I completed the very first section, which discusses variables.

However, I want to make sure that the code I entered is correct.

My problem is, that I cannot figure out how to read the output of my code, when using a playground.

Does anyone in this fantastic community have experience with this, that would be able to give me a hand?
I'm using xcode 12.2.

Thanks for any & all information you amazing, talented people can provide.

Major accessibility update to iReal Pro

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 18:26:55 GMT

Hi
I just saw that iReal Pro had an update, and they've now implemented VoiceOver support for chord charts! This is very great news. It enables VoiceOver users to read the chord charts with no problem, and they did a fantastic job in implementing it so that it feels intuitive to read with VoiceOver. The next time you're in a jam session or a hurry and need to get the chords for an unfamiliar standard, iReal has your back, also if you're a VoiceOver user!

Best
Malthe

Siri in iOS 14

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 18:15:19 GMT

Hello everybody. Haven’t found anything worth it in iOS 14 build the only thing that may interest me is if Siri is improved. How is your experience? Apple claims it’s much much better but I’m not sure if it’s only marketing hype. Let me know your thoughts. Thank you very much and have a great day.

Using Full Keyboard Access in conjunction with VoiceOver can cause issues with VoiceOver focus

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 12:53:33 GMT

If you enable both VoiceOver and Full Keyboard Access, you may find that VoiceOver focus will be inconsistent and unreliable in some situations. Typically this may result in you not being able to move VoiceOver focus by flicking or focus spontaneously jumping between UI elements.