Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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What's your preferred way of doing text input on iPhone? (self.Blind)
submitted by AccomplishedRub5228
What's your preferred way of writing texts/emails/other short things on iOS? Do you use a Bluetooth keyboard? Siri dictation?
Asking for someone who currently types on the on-screen keyboard and uses audio feedback to tell if she got it right or not, but this is pretty frustrating for her. She doesn't use VoiceOver.
Asking for someone who currently types on the on-screen keyboard and uses audio feedback to tell if she got it right or not, but this is pretty frustrating for her. She doesn't use VoiceOver.
RagingRoman01 3 points 1y ago
I’m still new to VoiceOver but I currently use direct touch typing. I have never been able to see the letters on the keyboard but I know the general direction of where to press for each letter. I just have to hope auto correct comes in to help if I miss a letter or else I have to look through with the rotor. I’ve been wanting to get a Bluetooth keyboard because it can be frustrating to type in passwords or longer bodies of text. I also use an iPad and I know for a fact it would be easier to type with the physical keyboard on it. The biggest draw back to a physical keyboard is portability.
AccomplishedRub5228 [OP] 3 points 1y ago
There are some Bluetooth keyboards that fold up for better portability is that would be helpful.
RagingRoman01 1 points 1y ago
Really? That’s pretty cool. I’ll have to look into getting one.
No-Satisfaction7842 1 points 1y ago
I’m curious why you prefer direct touch to regular touch typing? I feel like the regular touch mode is the best of both worlds. You don’t have to double tap every letter to enter it, but because the letter is not typed until you lift your finger, you at least have that opportunity to make sure you landed in the right place. If I thought I could get really good at direct touch and it would speed me up I would love to no your technique, but touch works pretty well for me right now. I use it in conjunction with voice dictation
RagingRoman01 2 points 1y ago
The reason I use direct touch typing is because it’s much faster to type with. If I use regular touch typing I feel restricted. I usually realize I make a mistake a letter after I make the mistake so when I go to delete the last two letters I double tap the backspace and it ends up typing the last letter I typed. I’m also very inpatient and am still used to typing how I used to. Before I started using VoiceOver I would type without looking at the keyboard anyways so I’m used to typing this way.
Criptedinyourcloset 3 points 1y ago
Dictation. I use it all the time, every single day, all day. May not be too accurate, but if you know how to use the voiceover rotor, there’s ways to check if you’ve got everything right and move the cursor so that you can edit it if you did not get it right. I find it much easier than writing stuff on a keyboard. There’s also braille screen input but that is a really hard thing for me to do personally. I find that it varies with most people with some of my friends getting it down and others not being able to do it.
No-Satisfaction7842 1 points 1y ago
Yes, I also mostly use voice dictation unless I’m out in public and don’t want to sound like a crazy person in mixed company LOL. Also, no privacy if you are typing a confidential message or something. My only frustration with it is I almost always have to go back and edit it because of numerous inaccuracies despite my speaking extremely clearly. Do you have any suggestions for improving the accuracy of iOS dictation?
MakihikiMalahini-who 3 points 1y ago
I was extremely surprised to see that many blinds around the world does not know about braille screen input available on iPhones. In my country it's the reason overwhelming majority of the blind folks use iPhone.
To answer, I'm using braille screen input. It's super quick - those who are practiced can type even faster than sighted users.
To answer, I'm using braille screen input. It's super quick - those who are practiced can type even faster than sighted users.
Criptedinyourcloset 3 points 1y ago
Any tips to get better at it? I’ve tried and tried and tried some more but I can just not get the hang of it.
MakihikiMalahini-who 1 points 1y ago
Let me try to explain it. I'm not familiar with English Braille terms so some might not make sense but here we go. Note that I've only used it in screen away mode and not tabletop. Also, following examples assume 6 dots Braille system.
When you hold the screen away from you, where your index finger sits, i.e top left becomes the first dot. So if you press only that it prints the letter a. So the order goes like left index, middle, ring, followed by right hand index, middle and ring fingers for dots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, respectively. To make a letter you need to touch all the dots at the same time. To give a couple of simple examples: it would print b if you touch with your left index and middle fingers. Similarly, for c you'd press both index fingers simultaneously. It supports most of the Braille things like pressing 6th dot to make the following letter upper case, or pressing 6 twice to make the following word all uppercase and so on.
I hope this made sense. If not let me know and I could try to make an audio recording / set a call to explain it.
When you hold the screen away from you, where your index finger sits, i.e top left becomes the first dot. So if you press only that it prints the letter a. So the order goes like left index, middle, ring, followed by right hand index, middle and ring fingers for dots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, respectively. To make a letter you need to touch all the dots at the same time. To give a couple of simple examples: it would print b if you touch with your left index and middle fingers. Similarly, for c you'd press both index fingers simultaneously. It supports most of the Braille things like pressing 6th dot to make the following letter upper case, or pressing 6 twice to make the following word all uppercase and so on.
I hope this made sense. If not let me know and I could try to make an audio recording / set a call to explain it.
Criptedinyourcloset 2 points 1y ago
Is it normal to have to flip your phone to the side either way? So that your landscape. Also, is there a way to switch the positions of that’s 1 to 3 and that’s 456 so that the first three are on the left and the other three on the right? Better yet, is there a way to set up screen away mode so that you can leave your phone in portrait. Thanks, just wondering.
retrolental_morose 1 points 1y ago
I'm a BSI user all the time too.
You can lock the orientation so it stays in screen away. you do have to use the phone in landscape - but that's because there's not enough room on the screen for most people to use 6 fingers in portrait. The rotation to activate braille input and the turning of my phone in my hand has become automatic and I don't even think about it now. it's a brilliant input method and is what made my move from a buttinn phone complete.
You can lock the orientation so it stays in screen away. you do have to use the phone in landscape - but that's because there's not enough room on the screen for most people to use 6 fingers in portrait. The rotation to activate braille input and the turning of my phone in my hand has become automatic and I don't even think about it now. it's a brilliant input method and is what made my move from a buttinn phone complete.
CloudyBeep 1 points 1y ago
What exactly do you find to be the problem?
Some general tips:
• You need to recalibrate the dot positions every few days to suit how you position your fingers. To do that, press dots 4-5-6 together, then dots 1-2-3 within about half a second. If you did it correctly, you should hear "dot positions calibrated".
• I suggest locking the orientation. To do that, flick up with three fingers.
• Experiment with whether you prefer tabletop or screen away mode. Most iPhone users seem to prefer screen away mode.
Some general tips:
• You need to recalibrate the dot positions every few days to suit how you position your fingers. To do that, press dots 4-5-6 together, then dots 1-2-3 within about half a second. If you did it correctly, you should hear "dot positions calibrated".
• I suggest locking the orientation. To do that, flick up with three fingers.
• Experiment with whether you prefer tabletop or screen away mode. Most iPhone users seem to prefer screen away mode.
bradley22 1 points 1y ago
I use the keyboard or the dictation feature.
No-Satisfaction7842 1 points 1y ago
Most of the time I use voice dictation, though it is irritatingly inaccurate sometimes and often involves a lot of manual editing
Marconius 1 points 1y ago
I use braille screen input. I use it for everything from short messages to writing full on stories/articles. I even use it to write code in Notes when I have an idea so I can pull it up on my MacBook later on to test. Sooo much faster than standard on-screen typing, much more accurate than dictation. Only having a physical keyboard would make text input faster, but I strongly recommend learning braille screen input if you have a good command of grade 1 or 2 braille.
DHamlinMusic 1 points 1y ago
This, taught myself braille just via trial and error with thismethod. Have a firm grasp of grade 1 for both reading and writing and type with a grade 2 mostly.
ukifrit 1 points 1y ago
I use an external keyboard. When not available, Braille screen input and direct touch mode for the ios keyboard.
No-Satisfaction7842 2 points 1y ago
I’ve been an iOS user for over 10 years at this point and I still haven’t experimented much with direct touch typing. Without the ability to hear which letter is about to be committed before lifting your finger, how do you know if what you are typing is correct? Do you just have a good spatial sense of where the keys are. Don’t get me wrong. I know how a QWERTY keyboard is laid out and I’m pretty fast with the regular touch mode. I just don’t know how you’d throw your finger down and 100% no it’s going to land on the right letter without getting that opportunity to hear it before it is typed. I suspect if I could somehow figure this out it would make me much faster on my iPhone so I welcome any tips or tricks
ukifrit 2 points 1y ago
I think I just have a good spatial awareness with the fingers. Also iOS has a decent spellchecker so if I don't mess it up too bad it will incert the right word. Sometimes it is hard though.
DontBlaisMeBro 1 points 1y ago
FlickType was an amazing app. RIP. Dictation, split-tap typing and as a last resort, braille screen input.
HeftyCryptographer21 2 points 1y ago
Can I ask why braille screen input is last? Obviously personal choice plays a role, but I use it literally all of the time.
DontBlaisMeBro 1 points 1y ago
I recently switched to an iPhone mini, from an 11. I’m finding braille screen input a little cramped on this smaller screen. However, if I need to compose longer things on my phone I most of the time will opt forBSI.
HeftyCryptographer21 1 points 1y ago
Ah, fair enough.
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