Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Finding an accessible feature (dumb) phone (self.Blind)
submitted by Snessrek
Hi all!
I am thinking I want to get a feature phone/dumb phone to use as a back up/possibly main phone.
TL:DR - looking for a dumbphone with screen reader, wifi, camera, and headphone jack. WhatsApp / google support, Bluetooth, voice typing, google maps (!) Would be great too. Any suggestions?
I'm blind and really need a screen reader for that to visibly happen - I can get away with magnifiers on smartphones but given these smol screens I think having a readout would be pretty much mandatory.
I've had a look and I like the idea of the Nokia 8110 4G. However, I found this article, which looked like it didn't have a screen reader enabled despite it being a native feature of KaiOS, the OS the device runs on. And it's got WhatsApp!
https://community.phones.nokia.com/discussion/5915/feature-readout
Does anybody know whether they've since added screen voiceover?
Another alternative I saw was the Nokia 2720. I couldn't tell whether it had a voiceover feature. It did, however, appear to have voice typing. I'm not sure whether that is available on the 8110 4G but it sounds great for when the T9 keypad is too much.
WhatsApp support is great, as would be headphone jack, ability to cast, wifi, and expandable storage - if anybody knows whether either phone can do that, or has other suggestions, that'd be really awesome!!! Thank you <3
I am thinking I want to get a feature phone/dumb phone to use as a back up/possibly main phone.
TL:DR - looking for a dumbphone with screen reader, wifi, camera, and headphone jack. WhatsApp / google support, Bluetooth, voice typing, google maps (!) Would be great too. Any suggestions?
I'm blind and really need a screen reader for that to visibly happen - I can get away with magnifiers on smartphones but given these smol screens I think having a readout would be pretty much mandatory.
I've had a look and I like the idea of the Nokia 8110 4G. However, I found this article, which looked like it didn't have a screen reader enabled despite it being a native feature of KaiOS, the OS the device runs on. And it's got WhatsApp!
https://community.phones.nokia.com/discussion/5915/feature-readout
Does anybody know whether they've since added screen voiceover?
Another alternative I saw was the Nokia 2720. I couldn't tell whether it had a voiceover feature. It did, however, appear to have voice typing. I'm not sure whether that is available on the 8110 4G but it sounds great for when the T9 keypad is too much.
WhatsApp support is great, as would be headphone jack, ability to cast, wifi, and expandable storage - if anybody knows whether either phone can do that, or has other suggestions, that'd be really awesome!!! Thank you <3
Laser_Lens_4 1 points 2y ago
The closest you'll get is the Blindshell $1, but it still runs Android. True dumb/feature phones that are accessible are basically unheard of. You're better off picking up a secondhand Android flagship, secondhand iPhone, or an iPhone SE. Talkback is finnicky on Android. I don't recommend anything weaker than a Pixel 3a if you want a useable experience.
cyclops32 1 points 2y ago
You said feature phone, so I'm just putting this out there. There's a phone with hardware buttons and the like that runs android. It's the blind shall phone. Knowing what country you're from would be helpful, but I think people have already said what kind of phones you can get on a small budget. Good luck.
poochbrah 1 points 2y ago
All android phones have talk back which is basically a screen reader. All iPhones have voice over which is their version of a screen reader.
I would strongly recommend those over any other phone platform.
Most cheap android phones will have all the features you're looking for but some may not have a headphone port.
If you state your budget and country you might be able to get specific recommendations.
Personally I'd recommend anything in the Samsung A series.
I would strongly recommend those over any other phone platform.
Most cheap android phones will have all the features you're looking for but some may not have a headphone port.
If you state your budget and country you might be able to get specific recommendations.
Personally I'd recommend anything in the Samsung A series.
bjayernaeiy -5 points 2y ago
If you're blind anything short of Samsung, Google Pixel or iPhone is inacceptible. They're at the top of the chain for accessibility of their respective OS and with their screen readers.
Do you have a budget limit? You could get an older iPhone, say, the 7, it goes around for less than 150 bucks I think, or anything in the Samsung A series.
If you have the budget to spare, look into the high end Pixels, Samsungs or an iPhone 10-11.
Do you have a budget limit? You could get an older iPhone, say, the 7, it goes around for less than 150 bucks I think, or anything in the Samsung A series.
If you have the budget to spare, look into the high end Pixels, Samsungs or an iPhone 10-11.
Laser_Lens_4 3 points 2y ago
Stick to pixel. Even Samsung phones have problems. I straight up can't get support for my galaxy S9 because the Samsung members app doesn't work with talkback.
bjayernaeiy 1 points 2y ago
Shouldn't you be using Voice Assistant with Samsung though? In my last experience with VA it feels more like VoiceOver with magic tap, actions for various elements, etc, and it seems like it's receiving more atention by Samsung than Talkback is getting by Google.
Prefect316 1 points 2y ago
Is there anything online about using a Pixel while blind? I'm thinking specifically of the types of demos and blogs Apple Vis does for i-devices. I'm thinking about going the Pixel route but I have no idea if I'll like it
bjayernaeiy 1 points 2y ago
Honestly I am not sure. When I had an Android until a few months ago, I had to learn and infer everything by myself, as well as from some Talkback mailing lists which I am not sure if are still around.
If you aren't tied up by budget I would just recommend you go with the iPhone root. I can say that it is the most accessible device I have ever experienced, but for one small thing: I am not a native English speaker and my native language doesn't have a TTS representation in VoiceOver. However for me the pros are worth the cons. If you have no such concerns there really shouldn't be anything tying you to something other than an iPhone.
If you aren't tied up by budget I would just recommend you go with the iPhone root. I can say that it is the most accessible device I have ever experienced, but for one small thing: I am not a native English speaker and my native language doesn't have a TTS representation in VoiceOver. However for me the pros are worth the cons. If you have no such concerns there really shouldn't be anything tying you to something other than an iPhone.
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