Blind and Visually Impaired Community
↑
6
↓
Help find first iphone for 70 year old visually impaired uncle (self.Blind)
submitted by Joex1979
Hello everyone,
My uncle can't see at all. He had a basic flip phone that finally stopped working. I am trying to help find him an iphone, and I hope that this subreddit can help! After some research it's clear that iphone is the best option. However, two questions that I still have are, does screen size matter? Will it help my uncle to have a large screen, or will a small screen be good? Also, very basic functions will be used, so which model iphone would you suggest for him? I would assume that he will use this phone to call, and possibly voice text. He will probably use the internet to search some simple questions, listen to music, and possibly navigation since he lives in the city. Older iphones are much cheaper, but are they as good for the blind as a brand new one?
Thank you all!
My uncle can't see at all. He had a basic flip phone that finally stopped working. I am trying to help find him an iphone, and I hope that this subreddit can help! After some research it's clear that iphone is the best option. However, two questions that I still have are, does screen size matter? Will it help my uncle to have a large screen, or will a small screen be good? Also, very basic functions will be used, so which model iphone would you suggest for him? I would assume that he will use this phone to call, and possibly voice text. He will probably use the internet to search some simple questions, listen to music, and possibly navigation since he lives in the city. Older iphones are much cheaper, but are they as good for the blind as a brand new one?
Thank you all!
brass444 2 points 3y ago
My husband has kept his 6s because he’s used to it. We may have an extra one if you DM me. I will say that the newer iPhones with AI facial recognition for unlocking the phone and accessing passwords are really nice. He’s sticking with his 6s.
Download SeeingAI, BeMyeyes and Soundscape. All free. Also set up a shortcut to turn voiceover on/off. If he’s like most adults that age, he may need some help from sighted folks.
Download SeeingAI, BeMyeyes and Soundscape. All free. Also set up a shortcut to turn voiceover on/off. If he’s like most adults that age, he may need some help from sighted folks.
brass444 1 points 3y ago
PS at some point apps will stop supporting the older iPhones. When is the question.
Superfreq2 2 points 3y ago
I would say Iphone 6S is probably the oldest Iphone that isn't that slow, and it also still has a 3.5MM headphone jack, but it also doesn't have as loud speakers or water resistance.
A bigger screen can be more helpful for some people yes, but it depends on the person.
Just keep in mind, the older the device, the sooner you will need to buy another one so it isn't slow, or risk having to use older IOS versions and eventually (3/5 years?) not be able to run newer software.
Also, older phones will have older batteries, which means they won't last nearly as long and can't be easily replaced.
And the cameras will be worse for things like "OCR" and services like "aira" or "be my eyes"
If it was me I'd probably buy an Iphone 8 (not plus) if you have the money, since it's cheaper now than the Iphone X/11 and doesn't come with facial recognition crap that probably won't work right with a blind person anyway if I remember correctly, since I think you need to look into the sensor.
You can save about a hundred dollars by buying an "apple certified refurbished" model, but the battery could be pretty bad.
A bigger screen can be more helpful for some people yes, but it depends on the person.
Just keep in mind, the older the device, the sooner you will need to buy another one so it isn't slow, or risk having to use older IOS versions and eventually (3/5 years?) not be able to run newer software.
Also, older phones will have older batteries, which means they won't last nearly as long and can't be easily replaced.
And the cameras will be worse for things like "OCR" and services like "aira" or "be my eyes"
If it was me I'd probably buy an Iphone 8 (not plus) if you have the money, since it's cheaper now than the Iphone X/11 and doesn't come with facial recognition crap that probably won't work right with a blind person anyway if I remember correctly, since I think you need to look into the sensor.
You can save about a hundred dollars by buying an "apple certified refurbished" model, but the battery could be pretty bad.
phonelover1996 1 points 3y ago
Go android
paneulo 1 points 3y ago
If he can't see at all, then screen size matters not one bit. Get the latest model you can afford, as you'll just be upgrading in a year or two, and won'really save that much. Also (and this has nothing to do with blindness,, but the best investment you can make for any iPhone) is to put an Ottor Box Defender case on it; has saved me hundreds in repair costs. Finally, visit http://applevis.com/ for tutorials on how to use VoiceOver, and for tons of reviews on apps, games and their accessibility.
This nonprofit website is run by volunteers.
Please contribute if you can. Thank you!
Our mission is to provide everyone with access to large-
scale community websites for the good of humanity.
Without ads, without tracking, without greed.
scale community websites for the good of humanity.
Without ads, without tracking, without greed.
©2023 HumbleCat Inc • HumbleCat is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Michigan, USA.