iPhone isn’t just a powerful, personal device. It’s also an incredibly useful one if you’re blind or have low vision. VoiceOver says exactly what’s happening on your iPhone.
Apple has had a Braille Screen Input mode, which allows typing messages in 6-dot, 8-dot or contracted Braille. but we never have seen how the blind people use the iPhone.
A woman named Kristy Viers demonstrates how she use the iPhone.
Enabling Braille Screen Input
- Go to general, accessibility and VoiceOver
- Double-tap on the rotor and select braille screen input
You must also set what your preferred braille code options are and your preferred translation table is as well.
- Go to settings, general, accessibility and braille
- Double tap on the braille screen input button
- Choose between 6-dot uncontracted and contracted braille
- Press the back button and return to braille settings
- Double tap on the braille code option and choose your desired option (UEB, English US etc.)
Eight dot mode braille input is only available on the iPad.
The gestures you can use while in braille input mode:
- one-finger swipe right: space
- one-finger swipe left: delete most recent character (you cannot swipe left and hold to keep deleting)
- one-finger swipe up/down: access typing suggestions, apps that match what you’ve typed if on a Home Screen, or move by the HTML element whose first letter you entered (webpages/HTML content only)
- two-finger swipe left: delete previous word (iOS8.3 or above). Note that, in contracted mode, this erases the last translated word along with anything you’ve typed but not yet translated; in six dot mode, it erases back to the previous space or newline since there’s no translation to worry about.
- two-finger swipe right: new line
- two-finger swipe down: immediately translate the current word (contracted mode only)
- Two-finger swipe up: switch between available keyboards, such as U.S. English and Emoji. Any languages enabled in Settings > General > Keyboard is available. Note that, to use the newly selected keyboard, you must exit Braille Screen Input.
- two-finger scrub: exit Braille Screen Input mode
- two-finger rotor left/right: choose another rotor setting, which will exit Braille Screen Input
- three-finger swipe left/right: toggle between contracted and uncontracted (called “six dots”) braille (on iPads, eight dot braille is also an option)
- hold one or more fingers on the screen: enter “explore mode”, where you can move the finger(s) around to find the different dots’ positions
- Three-finger swipe down: lock or unlock orientation, letting you keep using Tabletop or Away mode no matter the orientation of your device
- Three-finger swipes up: activates the button near the text field in some apps. E.G. sends your message in the native Messages app.