I have a couple of Linux based PCs that I sometimes access from my iPhone using the SSh Terminal app. However, I have just noticed that SSH Terminal does not appear to work under iOS 12. Are there any other SSH users out there also experiencing this problem?
Alternatively, does anyone have any suggestions for an accessible ssh client app?
Thanks
By Frankd, 20 September, 2018
Forum
iOS and iPadOS
Comments
You could try Prompt2. Not
You could try Prompt2. Not perfect, but it works.
Promt2
Wthank you Yvonnezed for the suggestion. I gave Prompt2 a try. while it is accessible it is somewhat difficult to use and also a little pricey. I might just try and get a refund on this one! Thanks anyway.
Yes, I have the same issue.
Yes, I have the same issue. Don‘t think the SSH terminal app will be repaired though. I also downloaded Prompt2 and even wrote an email to its developers telling them about the accessibility issues. So far, they didn‘t reply. I‘ll keep my fingers crossed...
Refunnnded Prommpt 2
Well, I ended up having iTunes refund me for Prompts2 too. After writing to Panic about the accessibility issues, they simply did not get back to me for several weeks. Don‘t think I should invest my money in apps whose developer doesn‘t seem to care about accessibility. :-(
I am currently trying Blink Shell. Sadly, it‘s more pricey and it does take a little getting used to. However, VoiceOver seems to do a pretty good job on this one. Still could be improved though.
ssh terminals
Hello Rene,
Thanks for your response. Just curious, what accessibility issues were you having with Prompt2? I haven't used it very much but my biggest gripe is that the terminal input/output is confined to a small area at the top of the screen on my iPhone SE with screen space used by static information that doesn't need to be there. This is also the the case when using a blue tooth keyboard.
How do you like Blink Shell? Is it worth the money?
Are you also aware that Textastic now has a built in ssh terminal. It has some issues with accessibility but is sort of workable.
W
SSH Terminals
Hello,
Yes, I had about the same issues with Prompts2. While I had an SSH session open, trying to discover what was on the screen with one finger would often make VoiceOver announce items from the Settings dialogue. For instance: voiceOver would announce a „Password“ edit field. I am pretty sure that this field was not visible on the screen.
Also, some buttons, like „OK“, or „Cancel“ were there, but trying to activate them had no effect, which again makes me believe that they buttons were not really on the screen.
As for Blink Shell: I will have to try it out a bit longer.
It‘s quite a different experience, as it tries to be as old-school terminal like as possible. For example: You don‘t find a „settings“ key to push. Instead, you type in the word „config“ to have the dialogue open. :)
It does have some accessibility isssues. Most notably, I am having a hard time getting VoiceOver to announce what I am actually typing.
Also, some of the gestures which supposedly make Blink Shell so great don‘t seem to work whilst VoiceOver is active.
I have however not yet given feedback to the developers. I am somehow hoping they would respond. I‘ll do it in the coming days.
Thanks for mentioning Textastic. Haven‘t tried this one so far. At least it would be cheaper than both Prompts2 and Blink Shell.
Textastic
Hello René,
Thanks for the heads up on Blink Shell.
Before you pull the trigger on Textastic you should be aware that it is primarily a text editor which I find pretty useful. The terminal mode that it offers seems to suffer from a similar problem as Blink Shell and Promt2 insofar that keyboard input is not echoed by voiceover. I haven't tried contacting the Textastic developer to see if he can be persuaded to fix this issue.
Good luck with your search.
SSH Terminal has been updated
The basic SSH Terminal app has been updated and no longer crashes under iOS12. For a free app I think it is the best value for a basic SSH client. Its accessibility is not perfect but once one figures it out you have a basic client shell for your Linux based machines.
All of the paid SSH client apps that I have tried are very disappointing from an accessibility point of view. None of the developers that I have contacted regarding this seem interested in incorporating any accessibility features.
So for now it's back to using SSH Terminal.
These are great news!
Wow! This one really comes unexpected to me. Thanks for sharing it. After my last iPhone re-install I didn‘t even bother downloading it again, because I really didn‘t think it would ever be updated again.
Glad it‘s back.
Any updates?
I know that this is a relatively recent discussion, but I was wondering if anything has changed over the past 6 months? Have any of the apps mentioned in this thread received accessibility improvements? Or have any other accessible SSH apps been discovered?
Thanks.
Re: Update
SSH Terminal is working well for my simple needs so I have not been motivated to look at any other options. Also, it is hard to argue with free.
However, if anyone finds a better app I would also be interested in hearing more.
Ios
Ios