Learn to master your iPhone using VoiceOver! From awkward default settings to voice tweaks worthy of a fashion show, this episode is your backstage pass to customizing VoiceOver like never before. Join Amelia, Jerry, and the ever-dramatic Deiter as they explore how to personalize gestures, sounds, and speech settings—minus the industrial concrete auger. Whether you’re new to iPhone accessibility or a VoiceOver veteran ready to streamline your setup, this lesson will show you how to make your device feel like it was designed just for you. What You’ll Learn: • How to remap gestures (including Back Tap) to suit your habits and increase efficiency. • How to explore and modify VoiceOver’s sound feedback and haptics for faster, clearer navigation. • How to customize speech settings, including voice selection, pitch, and language. • How to fine-tune verbosity, punctuation levels, and typing feedback. • How to set up the Accessibility Shortcut for quick toggles. Pro Tips Shared: • Assign rotor actions (like navigating by headings) to easier gestures to speed up browsing. • Back Tap lets you trigger VoiceOver commands—or even launch apps—by tapping the back of your phone. • Learn and leverage VoiceOver sound cues for fast, non-verbal navigation. • Use the “Reset VoiceOver Commands” button as a safety net when testing new gestures. • Set up the Accessibility Shortcut (triple-click) to instantly toggle VoiceOver or other tools. Apps used in this lesson include: • Settings (Accessibility > VoiceOver > Commands, Audio, and Speech sections) • Touch settings (for enabling Back Tap) Learn More & Connect I’m Brian Clark, Lead Trainer at First Aid for the Blind, where we help people confidently learn non-visual tech skills and regain independence. My life without sight began in 2014, and it is now with great joy that I help others adapt to successful lives without useable vision. https://faftb.com

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

VoiceOver Tutorial: VOT 17 – Voices Beyond the Page: The BARD Mobile Experience Learn to master your iPhone using VoiceOver! Hope, Amelia, Junie, and a surprise guest from Chatbot Chronicles (hello, VGER) explore the BARD Mobile app and the powerful story behind it. From a historic letter by Helen Keller to the app that now puts thousands of audiobooks at your fingertips, this episode is a celebration of access, literacy, and legacy. Whether you’re new to BARD or just want to get more out of it, we’ll guide you through everything from searching and downloading to playback and settings—all with the wit, warmth, and weirdness you’ve come to expect from the VOT crew. June 2025, iOS 18 What You’ll Learn: • How the National Library Service and BARD Mobile came to be, thanks to Helen Keller’s advocacy • How to log in, browse, and download books with BARD Mobile • How to use the app’s four main tabs: Bookshelf, Get Books, Settings, and Now Reading • Tips for managing your Wishlist, checking recent downloads, and syncing across devices • How to control playback, create bookmarks, and adjust reading speed and tone Pro Tips Shared: • Use the Search field to find books by narrator as well as author or title • Try the Wishlist feature to queue up books for future reading or other NLS-supported devices • Adjust tone and speed together for a more natural listening experience • Use the sleep timer for cozy bedtime reading—and avoid waking up to chapter 47 Learn More & Connect I’m Brian Clark, Lead Trainer at First Aid for the Blind, where we help people confidently learn non-visual tech skills and regain independence. My life without sight began in 2014, and it is now with great joy that I help others adapt to successful lives without usable vision. https://faftb.com brian@faftb.com

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

VoiceOver Tutorial 16: 1-Finger Triple Tap – The Forgotten Soldier Learn to master your iPhone using VoiceOver! Junie, Deiter, and Hope return to uncover one of the most underappreciated yet powerful gestures in the VoiceOver arsenal: the 1-finger triple tap. Whether you’ve never used it or just assumed it was a glitch in your tapping rhythm, this “forgotten soldier” is here to serve. From Home Screen shortcuts to fast message replies, this episode breaks down how the triple tap opens up the VoiceOver Actions Menu—saving time, simplifying your workflow, and making navigation smoother than ever. June 2025, iOS 18 What You’ll Learn: • What the 1-finger triple tap does and how it triggers the VoiceOver Actions Menu • How it works on the Home Screen to reveal app-specific shortcuts • How to use it in Mail, Messages, Safari, and more to quickly reply, delete, share, or react • Why it’s often faster than using the rotor • When and why the gesture doesn’t work—and why that’s still useful Pro Tips Shared: • Use the triple tap on app icons to access Compose buttons, searches, and shortcuts without opening the app • In Mail and Messages, triple tap on individual items to access context-sensitive actions instantly • Triple tap is a great fallback when rotor switching feels slow or inconsistent • Even when nothing happens, the gesture is a quick way to check for hidden options Learn More & Connect I’m Brian Clark, Lead Trainer at First Aid for the Blind, where we help people confidently learn non-visual tech skills and regain independence. My life without sight began in 2014, and it is now with great joy that I help others adapt to successful lives without usable vision. https://faftb.com

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Learn to master your iPhone using VoiceOver! Amelia, Deiter, and Hope guide you through the ins, outs, and in-betweens of the Mail app using VoiceOver. From inbox chaos to organized communication, this episode covers everything you need to read, reply, compose, and manage your email—without ever viewing the screen. May 2025, iOS 18 What You’ll Learn: • How to navigate the three levels of the Mail app: Mailbox view, Inbox list, and full Email view. • How to use Explore by Touch, rotor actions, and filters to keep your inbox organized and efficient. • How to read, reply to, delete, move, and manage messages using VoiceOver gestures and the rotor. • How to compose a new email with dictation, Handwriting Mode, and the on-screen keyboard. • Where to find attachments and how to interact with them using VoiceOver. • Tips for navigating between email threads and conversation messages. Pro Tips Shared: • Use the Messages rotor setting to easily switch between messages in an email thread. • Keep your contact cards updated to save time when composing new emails. • Dictation works best in the Subject and Body fields—avoid it in the “To” field unless you enjoy mysterious typos. • Say “new line” while dictating to create paragraph breaks. • Use the Actions Rotor to delete, flag, or move emails without opening them. Learn More & Connect I’m Brian Clark, Lead Trainer at First Aid for the Blind, where we help people confidently learn non-visual tech skills and regain independence. My life without sight began in 2014, and it is now with great joy that I help others adapt to successful lives without useable vision. https://faftb.com brian@faftb.com

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

There is no instructional material in this lesson as Amelia and the chatbots are assigned to tidy up the Office of Outdated Equipment. This marks the start of The Chatbot Chronicles and the crew head off for their own adventures. Those episodes can be found on YouTube and most podcast apps, or use this RSS feed: https://pinecast.com/feed/voiceover-tutorial February 2025, iOS 18 What You’ll Learn: • That outdated tech is lurking everywhere—including fax machines, cassette drives, and the most feared of all… landlines. • That even data-optimized bots need a moment to dream about becoming espresso machines, karaoke kings, or minimalist holograms. • That being replaced by tiny, chip-based AI who don’t even need cloud support is the digital equivalent of being called "Boomer." Pro Tips Shared: • When scanning for clutter, beware of dial-up sounds. Retro audio is highly contagious. • Existential dread hits harder when you realize your server rack might now be… vintage. • If a fax machine stares at you, do not engage. Just back away and call IT support. Learn More & Connect I’m Brian Clark, Lead Trainer at First Aid for the Blind, where we help people confidently learn non-visual tech skills and regain independence. My life without sight began in 2014, and it is now with great joy that I help others adapt to successful lives without useable vision. https://faftb.com brian@faftb.com

Learn to master your iPhone using VoiceOver! After a few high jinks, Junie and Brian show how to use the Phone and Messages apps using VoiceOver to effectively communicate. February 2025, iOS 18 What You’ll Learn: • How to navigate the Phone app using VoiceOver, including tabs like Favorites, Recents, Contacts, Keypad, and Voicemail. • How to read, compose, and send text messages efficiently in the Messages app—with dictation, group chats, and a few hidden landmines. • How to create and manage contacts, use Siri for quick communication, and access options like blocking or reporting spam calls. Pro Tips Shared: • Add frequent contacts to your Favorites tab so you’re not scrolling like a lost space probe every time you want to call Grandma. • Use Siri for fast actions like “Call Mom” or “Message Jenny”—unless Jenny’s number is still 867-5309, in which case… good luck. • Dictation is your best friend: two-finger double tap to start talking, again to stop, and send with one more swipe. • Use the section index in Contacts for fast scrolling by letter—because flicking through 500 names just to find “Zelda” is a tragic misuse of TFlops. Learn More & Connect I’m Brian Clark, Lead Trainer at First Aid for the Blind, where we help people confidently learn non-visual tech skills and regain independence. My life without sight began in 2014, and it is now with great joy that I help others adapt to successful lives without useable vision. https://faftb.com brian@faftb.com

Learn to master your iPhone using VoiceOver! Archer introduces the App Store, your one-stop shop for new apps. He also covers some ways to make getting apps easier and other areas of interest in this app. February 2025, iOS 18 What You’ll Learn: • How to navigate the five main tabs of the App Store—including Today, Games, Apps, Arcade, and Search—with VoiceOver. • How to install new apps using Face ID, Touch ID, or the ever-so-classic Apple ID password. • How to manage your account, subscriptions, and App Store settings like a true digital commander. Pro Tips Shared: • Use dictation in the Search tab—because saying “Spotify” beats typing it out letter by letter at impulse speed. • If an app disappears after download, check the App Library or use Spotlight Search—it didn’t vanish into a wormhole, promise. • Keep your default payment and security settings updated to breeze through downloads like a Vulcan through logic puzzles. Apps used in this lesson include: Learn More & Connect I’m Brian Clark, Lead Trainer at First Aid for the Blind, where we help people confidently learn non-visual tech skills and regain independence. My life without sight began in 2014, and it is now with great joy that I help others adapt to successful lives without useable vision. https://faftb.com brian@faftb.com

Learn to master your iPhone using VoiceOver! Amelia and Ellie cover the basics for TouchID and FaceID, identity security features for the iPhone, and then Brian does walk throughs for each feature. January 2025, iOS 18 What You’ll Learn: • How to set up and use Touch ID or Face ID with VoiceOver to unlock your device, approve purchases, log in to apps, and autofill passwords like a total tech ninja. • Why a clean finger and a well-lit face are your best friends when it comes to biometric wizardry. • How Apple keeps your fingerprint and face data locked away in a top-secret digital vault (aka the Secure Enclave). Pro Tips Shared: • When setting up Touch ID, don’t press—just rest your finger gently or you’ll end up teleporting back to the Home Screen. • Set your default payment card in Apple Wallet to make Apple Pay as fast as your best action movie one-liner. • Keep iCloud Keychain enabled to autofill passwords using Touch ID or Face ID—less typing, more doing. Apps used in this lesson include: Learn More & Connect I’m Brian Clark, Lead Trainer at First Aid for the Blind, where we help people confidently learn non-visual tech skills and regain independence. My life without sight began in 2014, and it is now with great joy that I help others adapt to successful lives without useable vision. https://faftb.com brian@faftb.com