Hi all,
My name is Dani. I'm an iOS engineer with a strong passion for accessibility. Some of you may have seen my other message about RetroRapid, my retro racing game. The feedback I got here was incredibly valuable, and I'm back with something new.
I'm releasing my first solo app, and I started it to scratch my own itch. I've been having issues focusing when reading long pieces of text, and I find that listening to them really helps.
Xarra does exactly that. You can import content from the web (via a URL or the Share Extension from Safari), by pasting text, or by importing a PDF. The text gets processed and you can listen to it offline using on-device voices. Accessibility, including VoiceOver and Dynamic Type, has been front and center since day one.
I'd love it if you could take a look and share your thoughts. In particular: • Does VoiceOver navigation feel natural throughout the app? • Are the on-device voices easy to select and switch between? • Is the import flow intuitive? • Anything that feels confusing, missing, or frustrating?
Here's a TestFlight link to the current build
Thanks so much for your time and for all the knowledge shared in this community. I'm really keen to learn and improve this.
All the best, Dani
Comments
How do custom voices/languages and premium simulation work?
It'd be better if I could pick a voice for each language, and customize their parameters. Also, what's the premium simulation thing all about?
Voice Management, Promo codes & DAISY Files
@Enes, thanks so much for the feedback! You're right, I was trying to keep things simple for now, but looking at it again it does end up being a bit confusing. So this latest version on TestFlight addresses exactly that: there's now a voice management feature that lets you configure a voice per language, which I think you'll find much more flexible.
As for the premium simulation, that's purely a testing feature and isn't available in the App Store build, so no need to worry about it! Xarra allows 4 audio documents for free, and for more there are a couple of subscription plans, or a one-off payment if you prefer. That option allows you to simulate that you've paid for the app.
On a big note, the first version of Xarra is officially out today! To celebrate, here are a couple of promo codes:
One full year for free with THX1YEAR
50% off the lifetime (one-off payment) option: THX50LIFETIME
Finally, I've had someone request support for DAISY files. Would anyone else find that useful? I'm considering giving it a go. Would love to hear your thoughts!