TapType is out.
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TapType is out. It's a keyboard for blind Android users.
There are no visible keys. You tap where QWERTY keys would be from muscle memory, and a spatial prediction algorithm figures out what you meant. It scores nearby keys using a Gaussian proximity model and runs a beam search against an 80,000 word dictionary. You don't need to be precise. That's the whole point.
Swipe right to commit a word. Swipe down or up to cycle through suggestions. Swipe left to delete. It learns what words you use most and ranks them higher over time, and you can add your own words to a personal dictionary.
Every letter has its own unique sound, from Andre Louis's keyboard sound recordings, so you can learn to identify keys by ear without relying on speech. Each swipe direction has a distinct sound too. TTS is there when you want it, adjustable speed, and you can turn it off entirely if you prefer sounds only.
It has emoji search with skin tone selection and favourites, a number pad mode, an upper case mode, and full punctuation support with a customizable quick list. Two-finger gestures handle things like send, close keyboard, switch keyboard, and voice input.
Everything works with TalkBack. I built this because FlickType was a fantastic keyboard for blind iOS users and then it was gone. Nothing like it existed on Android, so I made one.
It's free, no ads, no tracking, no metrics. I'm not evil.Edit: Now on 2.0 with multiple languages supported.
If you find TapType useful, consider supporting its development:
https://paypal.me/aaronhewitt
https://github.com/sponsors/aaron-gh
https://liberapay.com/fireborn/Download: https://github.com/aaron-gh/taptype-releases/releases/latest
#TapType #Accessibility #A11y #Android #Blind #VisuallyImpaired #TalkBack #Keyboard #AssistiveTech@fireborn Wow! Sounds like Fleksy for Android, so now this functionality is on Android but no longer available on iOS.
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@fireborn Wow! Sounds like Fleksy for Android, so now this functionality is on Android but no longer available on iOS.
@darrell73 That pretty much what it is, though flexy does exist for android just not accessibly
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@fireborn I love this. Very well done. One thing though, it says there is no voice input method available, I should have one though. Do I need to set that somewhere? Also the Talkback passthrough thing seems to be a bit buggy yet, or at least for me, I just turn TB off for now.
@jonathan859 Talkback passthrough should work fine. Can you explain what issues you're facing?
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@fireborn I love this. Very well done. One thing though, it says there is no voice input method available, I should have one though. Do I need to set that somewhere? Also the Talkback passthrough thing seems to be a bit buggy yet, or at least for me, I just turn TB off for now.
@jonathan859 As for the voice input method, do you have a default IM voice input set?
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@fireborn Yep, I was so excited about it that I sent off that reply before I finished reading it and so I missed your Flicktype reference. Thanks for developing it.
@DavidGoldfield @fireborn For iPhone, there was another similar called Fleksi (or nearly that), around 2011 when I had an iPhone.
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@alexchapman Android screen reader in development.
@fireborn Oh interesting. I guess that's also gonna be open sourced eventually?
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@fireborn Oh interesting. I guess that's also gonna be open sourced eventually?
@alexchapman No. That will have paid features.
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@alexchapman No. That will have paid features.
@fireborn Um OK, paid features in a screen reader? Jisuo or however its spelled has a paid thing going on, I'm surprised you wanna monitise an accessibility tool.
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@jonathan859 Talkback passthrough should work fine. Can you explain what issues you're facing?
@fireborn Aha, when I turn off https://github.com/aryanchoudharypro/NVGTBridge it works fine, but when it's enabled in the accessibility settings TalkBack won't focus the keyboard. No idea why, I haven't added the keyboard to NVGT Bridge or anything.
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@fireborn Aha, when I turn off https://github.com/aryanchoudharypro/NVGTBridge it works fine, but when it's enabled in the accessibility settings TalkBack won't focus the keyboard. No idea why, I haven't added the keyboard to NVGT Bridge or anything.
@jonathan859 Interesting. I'll look into this, I have nvgt bridge on.
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@jonathan859 As for the voice input method, do you have a default IM voice input set?
@fireborn Apparently I hadn't. Thought wisper worked but switched on Googles thing and that works now.
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@fireborn Um OK, paid features in a screen reader? Jisuo or however its spelled has a paid thing going on, I'm surprised you wanna monitise an accessibility tool.
@alexchapman Do keep in mind I don't work full time any more. This is what I do now, as well as teach.
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@fireborn Apparently I hadn't. Thought wisper worked but switched on Googles thing and that works now.
@jonathan859 Yeah, I was going to suggest turning on google voice typing and try that.
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@alexchapman Do keep in mind I don't work full time any more. This is what I do now, as well as teach.
@fireborn Yeah, although I do think there's other stuff you could do paid features on, a screen reader just seems kinda... Idk how to describe it, I've seen it all over, Jisuo, Jaws and Supernova on Windows, it just feels off.
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@fireborn Yeah, although I do think there's other stuff you could do paid features on, a screen reader just seems kinda... Idk how to describe it, I've seen it all over, Jisuo, Jaws and Supernova on Windows, it just feels off.
@alexchapman The core functionality will be free. The only things that will be paid are anything that cost me money to maintain.
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@jonathan859 Interesting. I'll look into this, I have nvgt bridge on.
@fireborn @jonathan859 yep, talkback passthrough doesn't work here either. no other accessibility services on, pixel 8 pro, latest android, latest talkback.
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@alexchapman The core functionality will be free. The only things that will be paid are anything that cost me money to maintain.
@fireborn Right, so things like anything that requires some sort of server to function, that sort of thing. I've thought about doing stuff like that, but I've always said to myself if there's ever gonna be monitisation in any software that I do, I'm gonna do it where its completely optional, where the software is open source, and the only thing that's a paid thing is certain features running on my infrastructure. If people don't wanna pay, they can selfhost the full stack. That's the only way I'd ever do stuff like that.
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@fireborn @jonathan859 yep, talkback passthrough doesn't work here either. no other accessibility services on, pixel 8 pro, latest android, latest talkback.
@freya @jonathan859 Interesting. Tap once and then keep tapping? you have to tap once to focus it.
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@freya @jonathan859 Interesting. Tap once and then keep tapping? you have to tap once to focus it.
@fireborn @jonathan859 yeah, that just makes the talkback "nothing here" boop
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@jonathan859 Yeah, I was going to suggest turning on google voice typing and try that.
@fireborn Also added it to the list at androida11y.com/apps.
