2017-09-24 22:08:58

Hi guys
So I haven't really used Android since 2012, when I had my last Android phone. I hear accessibility's gotten a lot better since then.
I currently have an iPhone but am thinking of getting a new Android phone in the near future.
Can anyone recommend any phones that do well for blind users? Also are there any good resources online for blind users of Android devices? I know of AppleVis but that's just for Apple devices.

I have Sprint as my carrier, if that helps any.

2017-09-25 01:16:30

Hello,

I'd recommend a Pixel phone. You may have good luck with Samsung phones as well. If you want something that's pretty cheap and offers a close to stock Android experience, go with the Moto E or Moto G.

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2017-09-25 20:50:02

I've had experience with both samsung and asus phones, and both have worked alright for me. I am totally blind and use talkback.

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2017-09-27 01:40:09 (edited by defender 2017-09-27 02:35:32)

If you just wana try it out to see if you like it, try a Moto E4 specifically.
I was doing some research and that one is the cheapest good option at 130USD unlocked, with the Moto G5 plus being the next best step up if your blind from what I've seen... It has a faster processor and more RAM, which are definitely worth it if your doing more intensive stuff.
The E4 is nearly stock android with extra features you can turn off, it's also got enough RAM to run Talkback and a few apps at once, though probably not like more than 4 at a time, a fast enough processor to open things relatively quickly, and expandable storage VIA micro SD card which is standard, but in this case you can also store Apps on their.
It comes with Android 7.1 and also has a fast, accurate front mounted fingerprint reader and (removable) battery that should last the entire work or school day, with a decent version of quick charge, as well as a screen that isn't massive, so it can actually fit in your pocket...
oh, and it comes with a headphone jack, because apparently that needs to be said these days, thanks Apple. >:(
It's got GPS, Bluetooth 4.2 with the compression and power codecs, but no enhanced audio stuff, along with the right sensors to play more advanced games, if you care, and it can play all the major audio and video formats just fine.


That said it will still probably be taller and a bit thicker than the regular IPhone, but it is pretty much the same weight. It's also hard plastic with a soft touch back, not metal.
It also doesn't have AC wireless, or NFC, which means no paying for things with your phone at the store, and monthly security updates are slower than with Google and Samsung.
If you decide to keep it though, Motorola does have fast major OS updates which is a big plus.
I just checked, it's authorized for use with, and compatible with 2G, 3G, and 4GLTE Sprint bands
You can even get it from Amazon for a hundred bucks if you don't mind ads on the lock screen and some extra non removable Amazon apps, but only if your a Prime member.
http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_moto_e4_(usa)-8665.php
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/moto-e4

2017-09-27 16:08:37

i can recommend the samsung devices to you.

best regards
never give up on what ever you are doing.

2017-09-27 20:12:24

Samsung has great accessibility features, as well as the Bixby assistant if you have a galaxy s8. Similar to google assistant but has more features you can directly do on the phone, such as tweeking more settings and the like, though Google assistant is quite good. The oneplus phones are also very good, by all accounts.

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2017-09-27 23:28:12

I've been thinking of doing the same for a while. I played with android phones here in there from people that have them. The accessibility has definitely gotten a lot better than it used to be.  Great advice from all previous post.  Once you  do decide let us know how it goes.

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2017-09-29 09:58:06 (edited by pulseman45 2017-09-29 09:59:03)

Hello there,
I am also interested in replacing my old IPhone 4S with an Android device. I am quite interested by the Galaxy S8 so far, especially since, from what I understood, Samsung's voice assistant is the closest thing to Voice Over in therms of gesture. I wonder though, are there applications which are more accessible with the original Talkback than with Voice Assistant? I guess it's not that much of a problem in that case as you may be able to install Google's Talkback, but still I wonder.

2017-09-29 13:36:34

Hi.
I'd recommend samsung devices, especially the galaxy s8 there's  enough said about samsung's accessibility in this topic. You might as well wait for a while since google pixel's next generation  is coming out in the near future and it's a good option.

:)

2017-10-04 03:11:56

I don't think I could ever give up apple, I'm actually considering dropping windows entirely in the near future.

I am the blind jedi, I use the force to see. I am the only blind jedi.

2017-10-04 08:39:04

I would recommend you go as close as possible to stock Android. Taste the real Android OS that is not heavily customized, and less bloatware installed on the phone. Google Pixel, Motorola Moto E/Moto g, or go for the Nokia 6 or Nokia 8. Why stock Android?
- Good support for updates, unlike Samsung which releases update months after newer version of Android is out.
- Samsung's android is heavily customized, and there are just to many preinstall apps on the phone.

2017-10-04 08:42:30

@Rory, I am thinking of doing exactly the same.
Seeing Windows from an accessibility standpoint, I can't work satisfactorily with any version of Windows newer than 8.1. Still, to have a decent experience, you need to customise it in many areas.
Windows 10, at least for me, is a meer disappointment despite what's being written on online forums. Again, from an accessibility standpoint, it just sucks. They say that we are implementing this, and we are implementing that to improve the computing experience of visually impaired people, but Windows 10 seems to work "well" only with Narrator. Now, imagining working with Narrator on a daily basis, is just like having a mortal disease that you know it will kill you day after day. In spite of the substantial work done on Narrator the last two years, it still remains no more than a basic Screen Reader. I don't care about Image description, neither Braille support, if you first do not cover the basics. One of the basics is support for the Office package, which Narrator considerably lacks support of. Most of the people nowadays, everywhere in the world use that famous package which contains applications like Word, Excel, Powerpoint, outlook, Info Path Designer, Access, and more. Can you imagine, for instance, working on a project with Narrator and Microsoft Word? It's just impossible. By the way, the Office Package is designed by Microsoft. On the other hand, as far as I tried Pages for iPhone (the equivalent of Word on Windows), Voiceover, the built-in screen reader on iOS, did a truly good job with Pages. I enjoyed reading a document I received; no lag, no inconsistancies.

2017-10-04 13:08:07

Yeah but pages on the mac is kind of confusing though, that's the only thing preventing me from switching, i can't find a good word processer that can save in doc format as I will still be using windows at school with jaws and ms word.

I am the blind jedi, I use the force to see. I am the only blind jedi.

2017-10-04 17:18:31

Samsung works great, and the bloatware can be removed, if you just take a while to figure out how to do so. Even with it, I haven't removed any of it... and my galaxy s8 runs faster and more smoothly than my iphone does.

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2017-10-06 10:27:37 (edited by pulseman45 2017-10-06 10:30:41)

@11: I may do as you said, but if there is inddeed a way to remove bloatware on the S8, or if it doesn't slow down the phone too much, I still think I'll probably go for it. I guess if I absolutely want stock Android I might as well install a custom rom, though to be honest I don't really know about the difficulty of doing such a thing, let alone it's accessibility.
Thanks for the advice though, if there are other things that seem better on the phones you talked about, I may change my mind.

2017-10-06 15:12:01

pulseman45 wrote:

@11: I may do as you said, but if there is inddeed a way to remove bloatware on the S8, or if it doesn't slow down the phone too much, I still think I'll probably go for it. I guess if I absolutely want stock Android I might as well install a custom rom, though to be honest I don't really know about the difficulty of doing such a thing, let alone it's accessibility.
Thanks for the advice though, if there are other things that seem better on the phones you talked about, I may change my mind.

I think installing custom rom may not be a good option, since it invalidated your warranty. Stock Android will also mean you get update directly from Google, instead of the painful slow rollout by Samsung.

2017-10-06 19:08:29

hi,
are you considering to purchase galaxy s 8?
or other samsung phones?
you can disable the bloatware stuff in settings,  applications menu
or you can download the package disable pro it works great with samsung phones
when you disable the bloatware apps
it stays off
until you wanna enable again it will work
it won't take your storage space if you disable the bloatware
voice assistant is got more gestures
like I just used iphone 6, voiceover worked great
you don't need to install custom roms for bloatware apps

2017-10-08 09:20:48 (edited by pulseman45 2017-10-08 09:21:29)

Well, to be honest, I was hesitating between the Nokia 8 and the Galaxy S8, but I still think I will buy the S8 because, as you said, the gesture is closer to VoiceOver and the bloatware isn't a problem. And the screen may be bigger than on the Nokia 8, which might make it more comfortable to use, though I think that depends on personal preferences.

2017-10-14 03:18:43

Yeah, this is kind of the reason I don't want an adroid phone.
My brother keeps trying to push it on me, because granted it is cheaper. But I feel like all these things have to be done to make it accessible, or you might have to remove this or that.
The I-phone in the other hand, it just works. You turn on voice over, and boom!!!
Off it goes, and yeah. You don't have to worry about all these things.
I take it, from reading these posts, that even talk back is different from phone to phone, and accessibility is different from phone to phone on an android device.

That being said, I'm not a dier mac fan. I love my windows seven machine, and yeah. So long story short, windows as for computers, apple for mobile device.

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