Accessibility on Modern IOS vs Google Pixel

By eyesfreesight, 9 February, 2026

Forum
Android

Hey guys! Are there somebody who switched from IOS26 to the newest Google pixel here? How has your experience been? I always loved Apple and it’s products and never considered using Android long-term. In fact, I tried Samsung flagship smartphone with different screen-readers back in 2022 and I didn’t really like this experience. But I’ve been soo frustrated with Apple lately! To me, every update brings a lot of accessibility bugs and issues and just few improvements. They’ve become negligent when it comes to accessibility - a lot of things feel unfinished, poorly done, or just don’t work…. Take even Apple’s native apps for instance: I can’t see the page loading progress in Safari on IOS for a few years now, and now it’s not always possible to see the update status in their native Mail app…. And don’t get me started on various minor and major bugs…. Some of them remain unfixed for freakin’ years! I’m just thinking of trying to switch to Google Pixel on the last version of Android…. I heard Android keeps getting better now…. I’d really love to talk to someone who has any experience with it and who just switched from and iPhone recently :)
Thank you in advance :)

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Comments

By Justin Harris on Wednesday, March 4, 2026 - 12:56

I got my Pixel 10 pro yesterday. So far, I really like it, though I will say there are a few things I'd like to change, and this is with less than 24 hours using the phone.
1. I'd love to remove the search bar that Google insists be on the launcher. Let me get rid of that and give me another row of icons.
2. One thing I like better in Samsung's flavor of Android is multiple sleep schedules, so one for week days and another for weekends. Technically the same can be accomplished by creating a custom schedule, but still, having multiple schedule options for one mode shouldn't be rocket science.

Otherwise, I'd say the device is snappy and a joy to use. I do find Eloquence to get stuck on longer blocks of text, and when I try swiping past, it freezes, but that's not Pixel specific. That also happens on my Galaxy. Otherwise Talkback feels snappier to me than it did on the S22 Ultra, as it should with a device that is considerably newer, has twice the ram, etc.
I am still trying to get stuff all set up, so there may well still be things I find that bug me. It's amazing how much can change even among flavors of the same OS. Over all though, I'm super happy.

By Brian on Wednesday, March 4, 2026 - 14:51

Hey Justin,

You lucky guy. Question for you, have you considered changing your launcher? There might be one you can find that covers your needs, and gets rid of that silly search bar. Just a thought. 😇

By Zach M on Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 02:15

I agree, I wish google would let you remove that search bar. It's a damn shame though, if I do say so myself. However, that is reportedly being added in android 17, as well as a few other accessibility changes. We're just waiting for "platform stability" which happens this month, meaning the new API level is stable for devs to test out their apps against it. This probably means a lot of these big user-facing changes we're supposed to get will be coming down the pipeline soon enough. Expanding on the comment of eloquence freezing on items, it's a much deeper issue than that, and honestly, it's the biggest pain point on android. Let me give you an example. You're writing, let's say, a research paper, or a novel, or whatever, on your phone, using whatever text editor app you choose. whether it's google docs or something else. If that text gets longer than, roughly 20000 characters, talkback starts to MAJORLY lag. and this is on my Pixel 9A. Which is definitely a modern and decently capable phone. It really sucks. iOS did this part very well, but for a braille user, the cursor's inconsistency with a braille display is what made me jump ship in that aspect. because Android's braille cursor and cursor tracking, in my experience, has been leaps and bounds above what iOS has had in the entire usage of my iPhone. Also, congrats on the new pixel 10 pro. Also, it's a shame that devices with 8 gb of ram like the pixel 9a and 10a don't get those notification summaries, when an iPhone with 8 gb of ram gets them. But yet again... apple's notification summaries have been notoriously bad.

By Justin Harris on Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 15:07

Hey,
So I've used Nova before, and could go back to that, but I already got the pixel launcher set up exactly how I want it, minus removing search bar, but otherwise how I like it. Really don't want to go through all that again. Ug.
Plus, it's not just ads on Nova, I've heard they were also doing some potentially sketchy stuff with permissions.

By Joshua on Friday, March 6, 2026 - 01:24

with nova launcher, i am using an older version that doesn't have the adds cause i just don't wanna buy prime lol, i might in the future, i think it's only $7 or $8 Canadian

By Brian on Friday, March 6, 2026 - 06:41

What happened to Nova is just... sad.

By Edward Alonzo on Friday, March 6, 2026 - 09:28

Hello again thank you for the great poast especially sinse i am really considering switching, where can i learn and hear demos of android and talkback. Also, could someone explain what this launcher is and what they are used for? thanks

By Trenton Matthews on Friday, March 6, 2026 - 10:13

For older audio demos from Android Back in the day, check out

https://thatandroidshow.com/

, yes, that site is still up!

For newer happenings when it comes to Android demos and interviews, check out

https://blindandroidusers.com/

Carrie On Accessibility:

https://www.youtube.com/@carrieonaccessibility

and The Blind Life:

https://www.youtube.com/@theblindlife

, also does deep dives on Android stuff for the modern age.

Finally for the AppleVis equivalent for Android users, check out

https://accessibleandroid.com/

, which as deep dives on the Jieshuo Screen Reader, phone reviews from an accessibility point off view, and links to Google specific resources.

By Justin Harris on Friday, March 6, 2026 - 10:16

Hello,
First, I didn't go directly from the iPhone to the Pixel. I went from iPhone to a Galaxy S22 Ultra, and after a while from that to the Pixel. In either case, both transitions were pretty straight forward. Not hard at all.
As for launchers, think of them as the app that handles your home screen. On iPhone, you get the home screen Apple gives you, and that's it. You can customize only as much as they will let you. On android, if you don't like the home screen that comes by default, install a different app, set it as the default launcher, and you potentially have a very different experience. That's the cool thing about Android. It can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. If all you want is a simple phone experience, Android can give you that, but if you want to geek out and customize almost any aspect of the system, you can do that too.

By TheBlindGuy07 on Friday, March 6, 2026 - 18:32

I know there is a story there but didn't understand everything.

By Zach M on Friday, March 6, 2026 - 19:53

It was originally ran by one or a few devs, then it got bought out by another company, and then they sold it off, since they weren't making enough money, so now it's with this third company. it's a marketing and advertising group, known for some very suspicious things. I can find you a bit more of info but that's what I remember, I watched a youtube video on it, which is why I'm not touching it!

By Brian on Friday, March 6, 2026 - 21:47

What happened with Nova, is similarly, what happened with VMware and Broadcom. True story.

By Edward Alonzo on Saturday, March 7, 2026 - 17:30

Thank you @Justin i really think it will be a good switch for me, i still have if i trade in this iphone 15 i have right now, an iphone 10 i can mess with but i think that trading this one the 15 that is, in, will give me a better price on the google pixel 10 which right now, is 300 dollars off with my current company.

By Zach M on Saturday, March 7, 2026 - 23:05

I think this is my moment to be humble. I'm currently in the process of offloading my Pixel 9A to grab a Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, and I have to admit, my perspective on Samsung has shifted entirely.
What really forced my hand was Google's recent rollout of Android 16 QPR3. Over the last twelve hours, my Pixel 9A has hard-crashed twice—and I mean hard. The screen becomes completely unresponsive, chargers won't even wake it up, and the only way out is a forced restart. As an Android developer, dealing with an unstable daily driver is a massive roadblock. I was left with two options: either downgrade to stable QPR2 (for the fourth time this month) and reflash the device yet again, or buy a phone that doesn't suffer from these fundamental stability issues. I chose the latter.
Yes, going with Samsung means giving up those day-one updates that Google and iPhone users are accustomed to. But I am more than willing to trade that for rock-solid stability, better raw performance, and infinitely more customizability. For context, the chip in the S24 FE benchmarks at least 50% faster than the Tensor in my Pixel, which makes a massive difference in daily responsiveness.
For the Android purists who usually scoff at One UI, the feature set is actually unmatched. Samsung's Modes and Routines is the stuff of legend—think of it as iOS Shortcuts on absolute steroids. But the real game-changer is Good Lock. It’s an official suite of Samsung-approved tweaks that functions almost like PowerToys for Android. You can completely overhaul the system mechanics without rooting. You can use the Task Changer module to completely revamp the app switcher, One Hand Operation+ to add invisible swipe zones for complex macros, or Sound Assistant to control individual app volumes. It's a tinkerer's dream.
Since this is the accessibility thread, I also want to touch on why I'm actually excited to try One UI from a screen reader perspective. Samsung's implementation of TalkBack is incredibly robust, and they offer a unique accessibility suite that Google doesn't quite match out of the box. Features like Bixby Vision—which allows you to use the camera to describe scenes, read text, or identify object colors completely hands-free—are deeply integrated. They also have features like the "Relumino" outline mode that boosts contrast and sharpens shapes for low-vision users. I'm genuinely looking forward to seeing how this dedicated accessibility ecosystem compares to what I'm used to.
So, here is my humble apology to the Samsung users out there who routinely get a bad rap from the Google Android purists. Sometimes, stability and features win out over the "pure" experience.

By Sara on Sunday, March 8, 2026 - 11:51

Hi! I’m actually selling my Google Pixel 10 Pro for the same reason. It’s been pretty unstable lately, and I’ve had three hard crashes in the last two days.

I’m not 100% sure yet if I’ll buy a Samsung. Like I mentioned before, there are a few things about Samsung phones that annoy me a bit, and since the phone would be provided by my company, I wouldn’t really be able to tweak it much. If I end up buying another Android phone though, it would probably be a Samsung.

For now I’ll just keep using my Apple iPhone as my daily driver. Honestly, I’m a bit sad about selling the Pixel, but I’m just not enjoying the experience anymore.

From my experience though, you’ll probably notice that TalkBack on Samsung feels snappier than on the Pixel. Typing also tends to be a bit easier because TalkBack responds faster, which actually makes a difference.

I also don’t really feel like unenrolling my Pixel from the beta and going back to the stable version. That process is pretty tedious. The phone was pretty buggy and sluggish before I installed the beta anyway, and honestly These hard crashes are just unacceptable. That’s why I installed the beta, to see if the situation would get better, and it didn’t.

So yeah, I’m selling it. I also have a feeling it might somehow be related to TalkBack, because it actually feels even less responsive now than it used to.

Good luck with your Samsung journey! I’m sure you’ll like it. You might miss a few Pixel features like image descriptions or Guided Frame, but overall I think you’ll enjoy the Samsung experience, especially the snappier TalkBack. And in my opinion, Samsung TTS is way better than Google Text-to-Speech. Good luck! 😊

By mantanini on Sunday, March 8, 2026 - 14:43

Is there a difference in image description between Samsung and Pixel? Samsung also supports it, can anyone share what the difference is?

By Zach M on Sunday, March 8, 2026 - 16:06

Thanks for the information and advice. I do like samsung tts as I've tested it through multi tts. it's actually incredible. Yes, I know the samsung is slower with updates and I do miss out on some of the online gemini image descriptions, but worst comes to worst, I can use google talkback on the samsung. if it is really that bad. Also, for my issue with android 16, this is the stable, march pixel drop. beta... while it sucks, it's slightly more understandable. I'm not trying to justify it or anything. but on a stable version? that is completely unacceptable. I won't go back to an iPhone for a variety of reasons, but that is personal opinion. does that limiting after 200 cycles that the other person put a link to the article to is that a feature with the 10A as well? if so... oof!

By mantanini on Sunday, March 8, 2026 - 18:28

The 2025 models and the entire 10 series including the 10a according to the link.

https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-10a-mandatory-battery-health-assistance-3639386/?utm_source=copilot.com

Maybe that's what's stopping me from getting a pixel.
Regarding beta versions, they wrote above that they are unstable, it's normal for them to crash. This is the case with all Samsung and other Android devices, there's always something wrong with beta versions.
I didn't understand if there's a difference in image description between Samsung and Pixel, the S25 also has the option.

By MarkSarch on Sunday, March 8, 2026 - 18:45

My recommendation is, if you are thinking of switching to Google Pixel devices and plans to trade in your current iPhone go for the Pro series instead in getting the 10 regular one.
Happy Pixel user for over 3 years.

By TheBlindGuy07 on Sunday, March 8, 2026 - 19:41

I also don’t really feel like unenrolling my Pixel from the beta and going back to the stable version. That process is pretty tedious, and honestly these kinds of hard crashes are just unacceptable.

This is a beta! That's the point of it. To say it bluntly, if these crashes are happening less or not in the stable version, and I acknowledge that I could be misreading this as this thread has become quite lengthy, this seems to be a 101% skill issue of selling a device because of issues in the beta version. Whether it's public or dev beta (or whatever google equivalent of apple 2-teer beta model is) this is not a stable, it is a beta. I'd be almost happier if my device was semi permanently bricked, because this is the very point of any beta version whatsoever.

Again, feel free to constructively correct me if I have misunderstood something, but this just isn't right! It's a beta. Don't expect it to be stable. If you can't afford the annoyances when this beta version does ruin your day, then just role out to stable or have an actual fallback phone where you can be continuously functional no matter what happens to your device running beta. Beta are not meant to be running in production! Yes, as screen readers users it's a good habbit imo to test on the main device only if we 100% understand the stakes and are ready to actually debug ourself cause then we catch actual bugs we could have missed if using this device as secondary IE not doing most / some of our daily activities on it. But this is called beta for a reason guys.

TLDR selling a device you enroled in beta yourself because of issues encountered afterward in that beta version is... objectively a st... let's say questionable :) I don't want to trigger the moderators' hammer.

By Zach M on Sunday, March 8, 2026 - 20:29

I agree with you. selling your device because it's unstable in beta is an absolute skill issue. However, given my current issue is while I'm on the stable plan... yeah. no thanks guys.

By Sara on Sunday, March 8, 2026 - 20:37

You’re absolutely right. I know beta versions usually have more crashes than stable ones, but three hard crashes in two days still feels a bit too much, and the phone was pretty buggy before I installed the beta, crashing and freezing, that’s why I wanted to try it
.The Pixel isn’t my daily driver anyway, that’s why I installed the beta in the first place. Like I mentioned before, I mainly use my iPhone every day, so the Pixel was more for testing. Still, even knowing it’s a beta and that bugs are part of the deal, it can still be annoying.

Also, I’m not sure if I explained this well before, but even before installing the beta I already felt like TalkBack on my Pixel wasn’t as responsive as it used to be. That was actually another reason why I installed the beta, I wanted to see if it would improve.

So yeah, I totally agree with you about betas and bugs, that’s expected. But the thing is, my Pixel already felt more buggy and sluggish even before the beta, and that’s annoying too. When you add all those little things together, it just makes me think about selling the Pixel and maybe looking for a better option if I still want to keep an Android phone.

And yeah, I’m with you on that one, I would never install a beta on my daily driver.

By Sara on Sunday, March 8, 2026 - 20:46

Yeah, if you’re on the stable version, that’s honestly even worse. I didn’t realize that before. I thought you were talking about the beta, like the one I’m testing.

I did experience some crashes on the stable version, but not hard crashes. The phone was slower and sometimes it would freeze on certain apps or while doing certain tasks. For me, the hard crashes started when I installed the beta. Even so, frequent slowdowns and freezes can still be pretty annoying if they happen a lot. If those kinds of crashes are happening on the stable March Pixel Drop, that’s pretty absurd.

I do know about that battery cycle limitation the other person mentioned in the article, but to be honest I never really thought much about it. For me, that wouldn’t really be a big deal or a dealbreaker. Still, hard crashes on a stable build are definitely not acceptable.

Before I installed the beta, my Pixel was already feeling a bit weird. It was getting sluggish, freezing sometimes, and generally being buggy. That’s actually one of the reasons I decided to try the beta., the experience got even worse after that. The phone felt slower and buggier overall. So yeah, not exactly a great experience.

And just to be clear, I do understand that when you install a beta you should expect bugs. That’s part of the deal.

You’re also right about installing Google TalkBack on a Samsung. If I end up getting a Samsung through my company, I probably won’t be able to change things like that, which kinda sucks. If I had the option though, I’d probably do the same thing as you.

Honestly, you might end up with a pretty nice combo there. Good Samsung hardware with Google TalkBack and a more customizable setup. That could actually be a really good experience. Have fun with the Samsung journey and good luck with it 🙂

By Sara on Sunday, March 8, 2026 - 20:51

The main difference is basically this. When you use Google TalkBack, you get online image descriptions powered by Google Gemini. When you use Samsung TalkBack, the image descriptions work offline. also powered by Google Gemini, but the offline descriptions are kinda worse compared to the online ones.

That’s honestly the main reason why I prefer Google TalkBack for that specific feature.

That said, if you end up getting a Samsung phone, it’s not really a big problem. You can just install Google TalkBack on the Samsung and you’ll be totally fine.

Not sure if that explanation made sense 😅 If it didn’t, just ask and I’ll try to explain it better.

By Brian on Sunday, March 8, 2026 - 21:15

Have a happy life. 😊
Ok, I don't really know if Pixel 9s are the secret to happiness and world peace. However, everyone I know in the really real world with a Pixel 9/Pro seem quite happy with their Androids. 🤷

By Brian on Sunday, March 8, 2026 - 21:17

I posted a while back on finding some nice deals on Samsung S24s. I think when I finally make my switch, I may go that route, and save a buck or 2. 😇

By mantanini on Sunday, March 8, 2026 - 22:20

Thanks for the clarification. If the Pixel freezes in the stable version, it's not good. They're probably last in the charts for everything. The new Pixel 11 will have a MediaTek processor, it won't be Samsung, but we'll find out when it comes out. I won't wait. I'll get the Samsung Pixel 11 no matter how much I dislike them.

By Justin Harris on Sunday, March 8, 2026 - 22:35

As someone who just switched from the Galaxy S22 Ultra, I have some thoughts.
1. Yes, Samsung Modes and Routines is miles ahead of what we get on the Pixel. For example, on the Galaxy, I could set different sleep schedules, one for week days, and a different one for weekends. That was really nice. I was able to replicate this in a sense by creating a custom mode, calling it weekend sleep, and setting the times on that. But, it shouldn't be necesary to do that. Also, in Samsung's sleep schedules, it sets an alarm automatically for you at your wake up time, or if not automatic, it at least gives you that option. Been a bit since I set that up, so forget the exact setup, but I never had to go in and set alarms. On the Pixel, that is not the case.
2. Also, on customization Samsung can't be beat. All of the modules available in Goodlock are pretty awesome.
Having said all that, I am still very much enjoying my Pixel experience. Battery life for me has been very good, on parr with or even better than the Galaxy S22 Ultra, despite a new battery put in that about a year ago, and the Pixel 10 Pro being a smaller phone. Guided Frame is absolutely awesome! I find Talkback to be a bit more snappy than on the S22 Ultra. I think the major issue for me is Eloquence. It is my preferred TTS, but the latest release of it definitely suffers from lag and often freezes up when faced with a large block of text. Even if I continue past it, it still insists on reading the whole block, and swiping past it just results in the whole phone freezing up for a bit. But that's not Talkback itself, but rather Eloquence. Others on the Blind Android Users telegram have confirmed this. I had the same issue on the samsung, so it's not phone specific.
In addition to Talkback being a bit more snappy, and guided frame, Pixel face unlock is really nice. I set that up on the Galaxy too, but it never worked. On the Pixel it usually does, unless lighting is bad. But Pixel face unlock is good enough it actually works for banking apps and the like, where Samsung's face unlock just doesn't.
Not having to put Google talkback on the Pixel was nice, since it was already there.

By TheBlindGuy07 on Monday, March 9, 2026 - 03:20

Crashes on stable, nope.

And fyi I am personally the kind of person to beta test my only iphone but I accept the risks :)

I am also lazy sometimes to micro manage 2 partitions for macos stable and beta, I have done exams worth 20-25% in college running a beta with just a little bit of sweat and a smile, and got decent grades.

Disclaimer: kids, do not do this at home.

By mantanini on Monday, March 9, 2026 - 12:18

Someone above said that Samsung is better for customization than Pixel, and in that vein, in Samsung's settings there was something called adding languages ​​to change the language of a specific app without changing the language of the entire system. On Pixel, can you change the languages ​​of apps without changing the system language?

By Zach M on Monday, March 9, 2026 - 20:15

I just updated to the android 17 beta, and honestly, it's more stable than the STABLE version! One issue is the home screen and notification shade take a bit to load, (first world problems, I know), that's where stable was faster. except now, knock on wood, I haven't had a single total system or device crash. If it does happen, I'll report it to google. If I get the samsung, I would need to get rid of the pixel. one thing that does put a bad taste in my mouth about samsung, on pixel, you can put any sort of android on it and root it as you please, do whatever, even downgrading the bootloader as I found out yesterday. on samsung devices, there are two microscopic fuses on the motherboard. one is the bootloader fuse where if there's an update that updates the bootloader, you can't downgrade it later. second, there is a warranty void fuse. if you root the device in any way, and even if you come back to samsung's skin of android, you will not have a warranty nor will you be able to access things that use the security element, such as samsung pass, samsung pay, etc. etc. so that is, slightly annoying. I am glad to see what people who've went from pixel to samsung and what people say when going from samsung to pixel. that helps me make a more informed decision. All I know is, for android dev work, this pixel probably won't easily run gradlew android builds and stuff, which is what I will be needing to do after this laptop kicks the bucket, which it's getting ever closer to doing.

By mantanini on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 - 08:34

I think this is the case with most manufacturers and I don't plan on rooting it either.

By eyesfreesight on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 - 13:45

From the bids and pieces I put together from every comment on Samsung, Google, Apple, etc, I hate it but I’m coming to the conclusion that, in 2026, we’re not picking the best phone for us like it used to be, but we rather pick the lesser evil. I feel like the tendency in the whole world of devices is more about marketing and rolling out tons of new features, again, to promote their products. Nobody really takes responsibility for some basic things being broken overtime. Sometimes, those things are minor, sometimes they are outright major problems that hinder productivity overall. But it’s not only about phones. Windows and MacOS both have similar tendencies going. I recently got a brand new Apple Watch just to find that there are more bugs and inconsistencies than on my Apple Watch Series 3, which has been unsupported for around 4 years…. I’m desperate for someone to prove me wrong, please!

By Chris on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 - 13:53

Samsung has permanently locked the bootloader on seemingly all devices running One UI 8 and later, which means they're essentially no better than the iPhone. Combine that with the ridiculous amount of bloat, and I'll never touch a Samsung device. I wasn't going to anyway, but this really makes sure I don't do it.
I'll stick with Pixel for now, unless Google decides to lock the bootloader as well.

By Zach M on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 - 16:21

Sorry for the strong language in the subject. but yes, it's a new word that someone came up with to define the degradation of technology. there's a whole article or you can look up the word. but anyway, that's what all these devices are doing. all of them, apple, google, samsung... you name it! And.. more beta testing came up with its own set of issues. so I just said screw it and went back to the february version of android, though android's bootloader antirollback system is a pain in the... well... you know what. The newest issues are sometimes the phone won't except two finger gestures to go home, scroll, go back, go to the notification shade, etc. So I already had to restart the phone twice this morning! But I'm back on the most stable version of android that there is. And as much as it might suck... I'm still debating. While switching to Apple locks me down, and there are plenty of bugs in iOS... I don't know. I'm on the fence. I do love android... but one thing apple does better is stability. not bugs, stability. that's the one thing they do right. because yes, we're dealing with the lesser of two evils.

By eyesfreesight on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 - 17:59

What Android-version of February you’re talking about, 2026? Well, one of the best phone systems I’ve ever experienced in my life was IOS 10…. I tried Android back in 2022. I got a Samsung flagship device from 2021 on the last Android and I couldn’t bare with it…. I sold it in a few months and got a newer iPhone :) I tried both TalkBack versions and a Chinese screenreader that’s called something like “Jishow”

By Zach M on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 - 19:37

Let me clarify. android 16 on the pixel, or any pixel for that matter with any android version, it has four main quarterly platform releases, QPR's. within each qpr, there's usually two additional security patches to keep up with the latest exploits. the stable version that I'm on is android 16 qpr 2 with the february patch level. This month, they moved to android 16 qpr 3. each qpr also comes with a couple extra features, like this one is custom icons for apps and a few more, not really noteworthy changes. the qpr2 february one is stable. the qpr3 march release is buggy and makes the phone crash, but it's a pixel 9 series specific issue from what I've heard.

By Joshua on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 - 20:38

I am starting to notice that the 2 finger gestures don't work sometimes, needing talkback to be restarted to fix

By Brian on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 - 21:53

Being able to have custom templates for Jieshuo is definitely a worthwhile reason to try out that particular screen reader.

Sigh.
If I ever get my hands on an Android device...

By Zach M on Thursday, March 12, 2026 - 02:19

For the past several months, I have been deeply embedded in the Android ecosystem, pushing the boundaries of what is possible for a blind power user and developer. I poured my energy into creating the Blind Markdown Editor (BME), a project born out of a desperate need for a writing tool that actually respected a non-visual workflow. My goal was to prove that with enough "root-level" persistence, Android could be a primary machine for a serious writer.
However, after countless hours spent wrestling with TalkBack latency, fighting system UI instabilities, and navigating the often-fragmented accessibility layers of the "open" platform, I’ve reached a crossroads. I’m stepping back from the Android side of my development and returning to the iPhone.
This isn’t a decision made lightly or out of "fanboyism." It is a pragmatic shift. As much as I appreciate the theoretical freedom of Android, the reality of my daily productivity—especially the sheer speed and reliability of Braille Screen Input—demands the cohesion that only the Apple ecosystem currently provides. There is a certain peace of mind that comes with a "walled garden" where the gatekeepers actually prioritize the consistency of the screen reader.
The work I did on BME for Android isn't going to waste; it was a masterclass in understanding what a blind author truly needs. While I’m currently transitioning back with an iPhone SE, my long-term roadmap has shifted. Once I am able to bring a Mac into my workflow, my priority will be to build BME from the ground up for both iOS and macOS.
I want to be clear that this isn't an advertisement—I have always believed that accessibility tools should be accessible to everyone, which is why BME will remain entirely free with no in-app purchases. It’s simply my way of contributing back to the community that keeps us all moving forward. For now, I’m looking forward to the stability of the blue bubbles and the chance to focus on the craft of writing rather than the frustration of troubleshooting my operating system.
It feels bittersweet to leave the progress I made on the other side. I hope my past contributions about Android—and where Apple still needs to improve—were valuable for others who are making the jump over from iOS to Android. However, in its current state, the Pixel as a product, while great in theory, simply has too many bugs for me to ignore and pretend like I'm an Android fanboy.
To address the inevitable comments: "Zach, why won't you just go to a Samsung?" Samsung is literally the iOS of Android, for both good and bad. You don't get day-one updates like iOS, but you do get rock-solid stability. It is highly customizable, but after weighing my options carefully, I've decided the best thing to do, at least for now, is to come back home.
However, just because I'm coming back to the Apple ecosystem, it doesn't mean I'll become an Apple fanboy again. I will continue my efforts to make both platforms the best and most stable they can possibly be. I will be making many more bug reports, and I will be working like hell to make iOS as bug-free as we all need it to be!

By Justin Harris on Thursday, March 12, 2026 - 10:52

Both platforms have bugs, both have their pros and cons, but my experience has been mostly positive, though I am a more computer centric user for heavy tasks, and writing isn't something I have to do a lot of, beyond texts and emails, so haven't experienced issues in the same way you have. Honestly, I find Talkback's Braille keyboard to be much better and more stable than BSI on the iPhone, but I understand that can be different for each person. I don't get typing lag with talkback on gBoard because I don't use it. I only use the Braille keyboard, which performs more than good enough for me. Talkback can lag a bit behind Voiceover, but not so much that it's unuseable. For me, the combo of Windows laptop and Pixel is about as good as it gets. Sorry to hear Android didn't work out for you. At the end of the day, use what you like and what works the best for you.

By Zach M on Thursday, March 12, 2026 - 11:57

These tensor chips, while great for AI, are not very powerful. If I had went to a samsung or something similar... I would probably get faster talkback performance. When the iPhone comes, I'll drive it and see if it's still workable for me, because I'll still have the Pixel at the beginning to transfer all my data over to and all that.

By Brian on Thursday, March 12, 2026 - 11:59

The more I keep reading/hearing about the latest Pixel devices having issues, the more and more I'm leaning towards Samsung devices. I'm still looking at prices on eBay for a refurbished Samsung model, as that is likely going to be what I end up going with. Shame to hear about these issues with the Pixel 10s. Who knows, maybe Pixel 11 will be better?
I am also eager to hear about the improvements in Android 17. 😀

By Brian on Thursday, March 12, 2026 - 12:14

I would love to hear and/or read a review on the Nothing Phone from a blind users perspective. No really, a device exist with this name. Basically, a company took an iPhone, and stuffed android inside of it. It's the best way I can describe it. They sound like pretty interesting devices, and are originally from a European company. Below is a review from a sided person's perspective on the Nothing Phone 3, you can check it out and see what you think. Still would like to hear a blind users perspective, though.

https://youtu.be/vsC7ziJdpiI?si=KeW-cVWpmzFHViRW

By Brian on Thursday, March 12, 2026 - 13:07

My hero! 🦸‍♂️