Hi Dominique,
Good one.
I am back in the fold after trying the 'android' route.
Eventually, the ease and simplicity of 'IOS'
Got me thinking and re entering the mobile market as
An 'Apple' Iphone' user.
Keep up the informative scoops,
Garth Long
-----Original Message-----
From: fb-exchange-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:fb-exchange-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Dominique Farrell
Sent: Monday, October 12, 2020 3:03 PM
To: iphone_newbees@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: fb-exchange@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; vip_students@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; 'News and issues
relating to the visually impaired in Ireland'; labs@xxxxxxx
Subject: [fb-exchange] A Beginner's Guide to Using iOS with VoiceOver
Intro
If you're new to or thinking about getting an iOS device, you may be
wondering, as I did when I got my first one, "How, exactly, can a person who
can't see a screen use a device whose primary input surface is one?"
I would soon realize that it wasn't nearly as crazy as it sounded, and that
I could do things with it that I couldn't have imagined that would increase
my level of independence and improve my overall quality of life. However, if
you're just getting started, the level of information on the Internet can be
overwhelming. That is why in this guide, I will provide a series of tips,
organized by heading and subheading, along with links to more comprehensive
guides and podcasts from across the AppleVis website.
Keep in mind that this guide is not intended to describe specific features,
but rather to explain the central concepts of using iOS with VoiceOver. One
quality that I've observed in my over ten years of learning and using iOS is
that once I had a few things mastered, I could apply those skills to
accomplish a wide variety of tasks in both first and third-party apps.
Terminology
iOS is the operating system that powers the iPhone, iPod Touch, and until
2019, the iPad. That year, Apple forked off the version of iOS for the iPad
and now refers to it as iPadOS, which provides similar functionality to iOS
with the addition of tablet specific features. As the features of iPadOS are
in some cases identical to those of iOS, the iPad may feel very familiar to
you if you've used an iPhone or iPod Touch. However, I don't have an iPad,
so cannot comment in this guide on what features and processes are the same
or different between the two operating systems. Therefore, only iOS will be
covered.
In addition to the iPhone, the iPod Touch, the last remaining device in the
iPod line, runs iOS. This is a device with a similar design of the iPhone,
with the ability to run the current version of iOS, but without cellular
connectivity, an advanced camera, biometric authentication, or the same
level of computational power as the iPhone and iPad. For reference, the
processor in the current generation iPod Touch is the A10 Fusion, the same
chip that powered the iPhone 7 which was released in2016. The iPhone and
iPod Touch, and to a lesser extent the iPad, are known collectively as iOS
devices or, "iDevices," for short.
Applications or, "Apps," are pieces of software that add specific
functionality to an operating system. In Windows vernacular, these pieces of
software are referred to as programs, particularly in the days of Windows 7
and earlier. As you will see in this guide and in your own use of iOS, apps
are an integral part of the user experience and can greatly expand the
functional potential of your device.
iOS device physical layout
While specific device models have distinct hardware features, there are some
key design characteristics that all iOS devices share.
The iPhone and iPod Touch are rectangular slabs with a flat glass touch
screen on top, two volume buttons on the upper left side, a power button,
and a charging port on the bottom. On the iPhone, the power button is
located on the right side, and is commonly referred to as the Side button.
On the iPod Touch, the power button is located immediately to the left of
the top right corner of the device. The iPhone also has a mute switch above
the volume buttons on the left side; push it down to silence the ringer and
other alert sounds.
On devices that retain the older design style, there is another button
located at the bottom center of the screen called the Home button. On these
devices, this button is used to, among other things, return to the Home
Screen, discussed later. Devices that have a more modern design style rely
on touch screen gestures to replicate these functions.
The earpiece, used primarily for hearing call audio, is located at the top
of the screen, and another speaker, typically used for speaker phone and
consuming other types of audio, is located at the bottom of the device. Note
that the iPod Touch does not include an earpiece.
Functional differences between iPhone models with and without a Home button
As alluded to earlier in this guide, the iOS user interface is based around
a grid of apps called the Home Screen. On devices with a Home button,
pressing this button will return you to that screen no matter what you're
doing at that time. This button also serves other purposes, such as
accessing a list of recently used apps, called the app switcher, and
engaging Siri, the intelligent personal assistant built into iOS and other
Apple platforms.
Starting with the iPhone X, Apple has been releasing iPhones that don't
include this button. On these devices, return to the Home Screen by placing
your finger on the bottom edge of the screen until you hear a brief tone,
and then sliding your finger straight up the screen until you hear a second
tone. For more detailed information about the changed button functionality
on devices without a Home button, check out this
<https://www.applevis.com/podcasts/exploring-new-gestures-and-changed-button
-functions-iphone-x> AppleVis podcast. For the purpose of simplicity in this
guide, I will refer to returning to the Home Screen as, "Going home."
Another difference between the two design styles is the implementation of
biometric authentication, the act of proving your identity using inherent
characteristics like your face or fingerprint. On devices with a Home
button, biometric authentication is performed using a fingerprint
recognition technology called Touch ID. Once set up, a user can simply rest
their finger on the Home button and the device will unlock within seconds.
On devices without a Home button, a face recognition technology called Face
ID is used. This involves holding the device in front of your face to unlock
it.
While both technologies are fast, accurate and usable for people who are
blind or visually impaired, I personally prefer Touch ID, as I find it
easier to rest my finger on the Home button than to hold my iPhone in front
of my face or try to approximate the location of the camera. However,
everyone's needs and circumstances are different, so I'd strongly encourage
you to research the pros and cons of each technology before making a
decision. The AppleVis forum features many conversations about this topic,
where you'll experience a range of opinions. For more general buying advice
on iPhone models at any given time, check out
<https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#ios> the MacRumors Buyer's Guide. Even
more helpful, in my opinion, is to try one or more iPhone models in person
if possible.
VoiceOver basics
When you turn on and unlock an iOS device, you will be placed on the Home
Screen, a grid of apps that can span multiple pages. If VoiceOver is on,
moving a finger around the screen should cause it to speak what that finger
is touching.
To open an app, move a finger to it, lift your finger, and then tap the
screen twice quickly. This gesture is known as a double-tap, and is used to
activate the item under your finger; the equivalent of a single-tap for
sighted users. In addition to exploring by touch, you can move VoiceOver
focus directly to the next or previous item by swiping right or left with
one finger.
At the bottom of the Home Screen, there is a row of apps that is present no
matter what page you're on, referred to as the dock. The composition and
organization of this list can be edited, as can those of all apps on the
Home Screen.
At the top of the screen, information such as the device's cellular signal
strength, Wi-Fi connection, and battery level is displayed. This area is
referred to as the status bar, and is present whenever the device is in
portrait orientation, where the charging port is pointing toward you. Unlike
the Home Screen, the status bar cannot be customized.
While this section introduces you to some of the most essential VoiceOver
gestures, there are many more that you can use to improve your experience
and sense of comfort on iOS. From anywhere, you can access VoiceOver help,
which allows you to perform any gesture without it having any effect on the
system, similar to keyboard help on macOS or input help on NVDA for Windows.
To do this, double-tap the screen with four fingers quickly, perform this
gesture again to exit this mode. While this gesture may sound difficult, it
should get easier with practice.
If the device mistakenly interprets the gesture as a three-finger
double-tap, VoiceOver will announce, "Speech off." Perform a three-finger
double-tap to restore VoiceOver speech. To help get you started, here is a
list of a few other helpful gestures.
* Access additional options for the item under your finger, similar to
a contextual menu on a computer: one-finger triple-tap (one-finger
double-tap and hold also works)
* Start or stop something, like answer or end a call or play or pause
media: two-finger double-tap, commonly referred to as a magic tap
* Read from top of screen: two-finger swipe up
* Read from item under your finger: two-finger swipe down
* scroll down: three-finger swipe up
* scroll up: three-finger swipe down
* Jump to top: four-finger single-tap near top of screen
* Jump to bottom: four-finger single-tap near bottom of screen
The rotor
Besides exploring by touch and double-tapping, one of the most important
concepts you'll encounter in your use of iOS is the VoiceOver rotor, which
is used to navigate by different levels of granularity.
Think of the rotor as a circular dial which you turn by placing two fingers
on the screen and rotating them either clockwise or counterclockwise.
Alternatively, you can place one finger on one hand on the screen, and make
a circular motion with another finger on the other hand.
Lists on the rotor by default include:
Characters
Words
lines
among other things.
When on a webpage, the rotor includes:
headings
links
form controls
And other web element types. Once you get to the list you want, navigate the
available items by swiping up or down with one finger. For example, if
you're on the Home Screen and place your finger on the Mail app and turn the
rotor to characters, swiping down once with one finger will cause VoiceOver
to speak the letter M; further swipes will cause it to speak the following
characters in the word. Swipe up with one finger to reverse the direction.
At various points, VoiceOver may instruct you to, "Swipe up or down to
select a custom action, then double-tap to activate." If you have hints
disabled, the phrase, "Actions available," will be spoken instead. This
means that additional actions can be performed with the item under your
finger. Typically, rotor actions serve as the equivalent of left and right
swipe gestures for sighted users, and are used in a variety of contexts.
You can change what's included in the rotor by going to Settings >
Accessibility > VoiceOver > Rotor. For additional information and tips for
making the best use of the rotor, check out
<https://www.applevis.com/guides/idevice-primer-103-what-rotor-and-how-do-i-
use-it> this guide.
Try before you buy
Note: at the time of writing, the world is facing the COVID-19 pandemic, and
as a result, open stores in your area may be taking special precautions to
ensure distance between individuals. If you decide to travel to a store,
check the business's protocols beforehand and follow all health guidelines
when in public.
Now that you hopefully have a basic idea of how to use iOS with VoiceOver,
it may be a good idea to see how you do in practice. For me, that was a
major factor in my decision to first get an iPod Touch in 2010, and an
iPhone a year later, as my experience testing out a device in an Apple
retail store and getting the hang of it fairly quickly simply blew me away.
At that point, I had never used VoiceOver on anything but a computer, and
that required the memorization of keyboard commands over a significantly
longer period of time.
Once you get your hands on a test device, VoiceOver can be turned on without
sighted assistance by pressing and holding the Home button, or Side button
if the device doesn't have a Home button, and saying, "Turn on VoiceOver,"
once you feel a short vibration. When you're done, engage Siri again and
say, "Turn VoiceOver off." As an alternative to using Siri, VoiceOver can be
turned on with sighted assistance by instructing the person helping you to
go to Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver, and toggling it on for you. If
you're unable to go to a store, you can try this on any iOS device, like one
belonging to a friend or family member.
Once VoiceOver has been turned on, it might be a good idea if you're using
someone's device to ask them to unlock it so you can explore the Home
Screen. Also if you're using someone's device, it is a good idea to ask the
owner before opening any apps, as they may contain sensitive information
that the owner might not want revealed and spoken aloud.
Setup
Once you get your iOS device, if it wasn't set up in store, you will be
walked through a brief setup process. If it is an iPhone, depending on your
wireless carrier, you may need to insert a subscriber identity module (SIM)
into the device to connect it to your carrier's cellular network.
This involves poking the recessed hole on the right side of the iPhone with
a paper clip and placing and aligning the SIM into the tray that pops out.
However, you may have the option of having the SIM installed at the time of
purchase, eliminating the need to perform this somewhat difficult task on
your own. Therefore, if possible, this is what I recommend.
For an iPhone, turn it on by pressing and holding the button on the right
side, known as the Side button, for about five seconds. For an iPod Touch,
turn it on by pressing and holding the button near the top right corner of
the device for about five seconds. After about a minute, turn VoiceOver on
either by pressing the Home button three times quickly, or if your device
doesn't have a Home button, by pressing the Side button three times quickly.
VoiceOver should announce, "VoiceOver on." Either press the Home button or
slide your finger up from the bottom edge of the screen as described earlier
to begin the setup process.
To start, you'll be asked to select a language; move your finger around the
screen until you hear your language, and double-tap to select it. Repeat
this process to select your country, and if this is your first iOS device,
select, "Setup manually," when asked. From here, Setup Assistant guides you
through connecting to a Wi-Fi network, activating the device with your
wireless carrier, signing in with your Apple ID, setting up biometric
authentication, and configuring various other basic settings. If this is
your first Apple product, it might be useful to
<https://appleid.apple.com/account#!&page=create> create a free Apple ID on
a device you're more comfortable with prior to setting up your new iOS
device.
Your Apple ID is the account used to access Apple services and sync your
devices. If you've used the iTunes Store, for example, you already have an
Apple ID.
At various points throughout the setup, you'll be asked to type using the
onscreen keyboard. As an alternative to finding and double-tapping on each
character, you can hold one finger on the character you want to insert, and
with another finger, tap once anywhere on the screen. This gesture is known
as a split-tap, and can be used anywhere a double-tap can be used.
Once setup is complete, you'll be placed on the Home Screen.
Some immediate post setup tips
Updating your software
Periodically, Apple releases updates to iOS and bundled first-party apps. As
updates may have been released since your device was packaged at the
factory, it is a good idea to check for updates once initial setup is
complete.
To do this, go to Settings > General > Software Update. If an update is
available, double-tap the "Download and install" button. Note: you'll need
to restart your device to complete installation of iOS updates.
Updates to bundled first-party apps, as well as future third-party apps you
install, are available by locating the AppStore app on the Home Screen and
performing a one-finger triple-tap. Double-tap the "Updates" button in the
menu and then double-tap the "update all" button if updates are shown.
Alternatively, app updates can be viewed and installed by opening the
AppStore and double-tapping the "My account" button at the top right.
Locking device orientation
While using your device, you may notice that VoiceOver announces changes
from portrait to landscape orientation, which can relocate interface
elements and thus be incredibly frustrating.
Portrait orientation is when the charging port is pointing toward you;
landscape orientation is when the device is turned to the side, and is most
useful when extra screen real-estate is needed. However, if like me, you
always use your device in portrait orientation, you can prevent it from
being changed, regardless of the physical position of the device.
To do this, place one finger on the status bar and swipe up with three
fingers to reveal the Control Center. Alternatively, on devices without a
Home button, the Control Center can be revealed by placing your finger on
the top edge of the screen until you hear a brief tone, and then sliding
straight down until you hear the second tone. Double-tap the, "Lock
rotation," switch to turn it on, and go home to dismiss the view.
Disabling Raise to Wake
Note: if you prefer an audio demonstration, there is an
<https://www.applevis.com/podcasts/how-disable-raise-wake-iphone-and-why-you
-might-wish-voiceover-user> AppleVis podcast that demonstrates this process.
For added convenience, iOS can display the lock screen when the device is
raised, like when it is removed from a bag or pocket. However, some
VoiceOver users, myself included, find this annoying, as it seems that even
small movements can wake the device and cause VoiceOver to start speaking.
To turn this off, go to Settings > Display & Brightness and double-tap the,
"Raise to Wake," switch.
Devices without a Home button also include a feature called tap to wake,
where a tap of the touch screen will cause the lock screen to be displayed.
This can be turned on and off by going to Settings > Accessibility > Touch
and double-tapping the, "Tap to Wake," switch.
The lock screen
To lock your device, where the touch screen is unresponsive to finger input
and authentication is required to unlock it, press the power button. By
default, you should hear what sounds like a lock closing. You should do this
before placing your device in a bag or pocket to prevent erroneous inputs
from registering.
Press the power button again when you want to unlock the device. When you do
this, the time and number of notifications should be
spoken and the lock screen will be displayed. Navigate either by exploring
or swiping left and right to move directly to the next or previous element.
Elements on the lock screen generally include the time, date, and any
notifications received since the device was last used, among other things.
To unlock the device, either rest your finger on the Home button or position
your face in front of the camera, depending on your device model. If you did
not set up any biometric authentication, or if your device lacks this
capability, like the iPod Touch, attempt to go home and enter your passcode
when prompted. You will then be placed where you left off when you last used
the device. If you double-tap on a notification from the lock screen, you'll
be prompted to authenticate after which you'll be placed in the app that
sent the notification.
From the lock screen, you can access the camera either by double-tapping the
camera button or swiping left with three fingers, depending on your device
model.
Notifications
Notifications are alerts delivered by apps and the operating system to
signify when something requires your attention, regardless of whether your
using the app that sent the notification at that time or not. Notifications
include missed calls, texts, emails, social media activity, news alerts, and
pending iOS update notices, among other things.
If you place your finger on the status bar and swipe down with three
fingers, all notifications which you've yet to act on will be displayed.
Alternatively, on devices without a Home button, notifications can be
accessed by placing your finger on the top edge of the screen until you hear
a brief tone, and then sliding straight down until you hear the third
ascending tone. Double-tap on a notification to open it in the app that sent
it, or use the Actions rotor to view additional options specific to the
alert. For example, if you select the, "View," action on an incoming text, a
textfield will be displayed, allowing you to reply to the message without
needing to open the Messages app.
If you'd rather certain apps not send notifications, you can turn this
capability off on an app-by-app basis in Settings > Notifications.
Control Center
In addition to customizing iOS via the Settings app, some basic parameters
can be changed by placing your finger on the status bar and swiping up with
three fingers to reveal the Control Center. Alternatively, on devices
without a Home button, the Control Center can be revealed by placing your
finger on the top edge of the screen until you hear a brief tone, and then
sliding straight down until you hear the second tone.
By default, you can toggle airplane mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, sound volume,
and other settings. For some items, you can select the, "Open controls,"
rotor action to reveal additional options related to that feature.
Additional settings for Control Center, such as what parameters to include
and exclude, can be configured in Settings > Control Center.
Today View
Today View is intended to give you an overview of your day, displaying
information such as calendar events, due reminders, top news stories, and
suggestions to open apps based on your regular use patterns. Quick snippets
of information are contained in extensions of apps called widgets. Both
first and third-party apps can have widgets, and for added convenience,
these can be added to the Home Screen. Further customization of what's
included in this view and how much information iOS can collect can be
configured in Settings > Siri & Search.
This view can be accessed from the Home or lock screen by swiping right with
three fingers; you may need to do this several times if you're coming from
the Home Screen, depending on what page you're on.
The Home Screen
When you turn on and unlock your device, you will be placed on the Home
Screen, which is a grid of apps. Out of the box, the iOS Home Screen
consists of two pages of apps, but this number will expand based on how many
apps you install from the AppStore.
To change the page, either swipe left or right with three fingers or
navigate to the picker and swipe up or down with one finger; swiping below
page 1 reveals the Today View, and swiping above the last page of apps
reveals the App Library, discussed later.
App Library
If you want to get a different view of all the apps installed on your
device, you can access the App Library by swiping passed the last page of
apps on the Home Screen.
From here, you'll be presented a list of all your apps, organized by
category. Move between categories by navigating by containers in the rotor.
Double-tapping the search field near the top of the screen will present an
alphabetical list of all your apps. You can view this list and double-tap to
open an app, or search using the keyboard at the bottom of the screen.
If you'd rather newly downloaded apps not show up on the Home Screen by
default, you can configure them to only show up in the App Library by going
to Settings > Home Screen and double-tapping, "App Library only" under the
"newly downloaded apps," heading.
Editing apps and widgets
As mentioned earlier, the organization of apps and widgets on the Home
Screen, App Library, and Today View can be edited in various ways. To start
editing, focus on an app or widget, swipe down with one finger to the, "Edit
mode," rotor action and double-tap. You can then use the actions rotor to
drag apps and widgets by focusing on them, selecting to start a drag
session, moving to where you want to move the items to, and then selecting
to drop them at that location.
To add a widget to the Home Screen, double-tap the, "Add widget," button and
select the one you want to add. Note that an app can spawn multiple widgets
to display different amounts of information and take different amounts of
space on the screen.
If you opt to place one app directly on top of another, a folder is created,
which iOS will attempt to name based on the categorization of the apps
inside it; dragging all but one app out of a folder will disband the folder.
To delete or hide an app, move to it while in edit mode, double-tap it, and
confirm whether you want to delete it from your device, move it to the App
Library, or cancel the operation. When you first get your device, Apple
includes several additional apps not part of the operating system that you
may or may not find useful. To save space on your device, you should delete
them if you don't use them; they can usually be redownloaded from the
AppStore later.
Multitasking
In your use of iOS, you'll undoubtedly come upon situations where you're
working in one app and need to quickly switch to another one. There are two
main ways to do this, the most direct being to swipe left and right with
four fingers. Swiping right will take you through your last used apps,
swiping left will move to the previous app.
Additionally, if you, for example, double-tap a link in an email message to
load a webpage in Safari, iOS provides a handy, "Return to." button at the
top left of the screen which you can use to return to your last-used app,
eliminating the need to swipe back with four fingers.
You can also view your open apps with the app switcher, accessed either by
pressing the Home button twice quickly or touching the bottom edge of the
screen and sliding up until you hear the third ascending tone, depending on
your device model. From here, swipe left and right with one finger through
your apps and double-tap the one you want to use. Swipe up with three
fingers on an app to close it, which is generally only necessary if an app
becomes unresponsive or repeatedly crashes. While iOS is pretty good about
shutting down apps that are problematic or resource-intensive, not all apps
are created equal, and thus anomalies can happen.
The iOS keyboard
While typing on a flat slab of glass may take some getting used to, you have
a number of options that can make it quite easy and straightforward for you.
In this guide, I will give an overview of several, but keep in mind that I
am only scratching the surface; you can find more information on the
AppleVis forum, other Apple centric user lists, and of course, your own
exploration.
General
When double-tapping on a textfield, VoiceOver will generally announce that
the field is, "Editing," which means the keyboard is displayed near the
bottom of the screen. If it is a secure text field, like the kind used to
input passwords and other sensitive data, VoiceOver will indicate a key
pressed with a click sound, as opposed to echoing what is being typed.
The default iOS keyboard is laid out like a tactile Qwerty keyboard. For me,
it was helpful to glide my finger around the keyboard so I could gradually
get a picture in my head of where different keys would be situated. I found
I could then touch one key, and efficiently move my finger to the general
location of my next intended key. As said earlier, rather than navigating to
an double-tapping each key, it may be quicker to place one finger on the key
and tap the screen with another finger.
If you need to type numbers or symbols, double-tap the, "Numbers," keyboard
on the bottom left. Use the, "Symbols," keyboard if you need to type a
symbol that is not on that keyboard.
As you type, a small strip just above the top of the keyboard will be
populated with words that iOS thinks you might be typing; double-tap a
suggestion to insert it. As you get more comfortable with the iOS keyboard,
you can explore the different typing modes VoiceOver offers, and decide what
works best for you.
Typing modes
To increase the ease of use of the iOS keyboard, VoiceOver offers three
distinct typing modes:
Standard Typing
Touch Typing
Direct Touch Typing
This can be changed by turning the rotor to typing mode and swiping up and
down with one finger until you hear the mode you want.
Standard Typing is the default, where you must navigate to and double-tap or
split-tap on keys.
Touch Typing allows you to move to a key and lift your finger to insert it.
This can help to improve typing speed as long as you don't lift your finger
too haphazardly on keys you don't want to type. Optionally, if you rest
your finger on a key and then slide your finger to another key, iOS will try
to predict what you're typing. For example, if you're using Touch Typing and
rest your finger on the letter H for about one second, and then slide it to
the general location of the letter E, and then move it to the letter L, and
then the letter O, iOS will predict the word, "Hello." If the wrong word is
predicted, simply press the delete key and it will be deleted. More
information and an audio demonstration of this feature can be found in this
<https://www.applevis.com/podcasts/how-use-ios-quickpath-swipe-keyboard-voic
eover> AppleVis podcast. To turn this feature off, go to Settings > General
Keyboard
Typing > Typing Feedback, and selecting an option under the, "BrailleScreen Input," heading.
Accessibility > VoiceOver > VoiceOver Recognition > Screen Recognition,and toggle it on; a small download will be required.
How to Contact Apple for Accessibility Inquiries*
