Beginners questions about using braille display on iOS

By Vsevolod Popov, 13 December, 2021

Forum
Braille on Apple Products

Hello everyone,
Today I have purchased QBraille XL from Hims and I have some questions about using a braille display on iOS. Even if that's not my first display, some things are really confusing. If some of these questions were already answered somewhere earlier, please tell and point to the answers!
1. Editing text using a braille display in safari or mail app. I found it really frustrating. I switched my table from Russian to English Unified and started typing. The first thing I noticed was that the braille display showed the first 2 words of a message and I have to scrolle down with panning buttons to the cursor position. Is there maybe a checkbox that can togle that behavior? Also, what frustrated me even more, when typing a first draft of this message, I heard that VoiceOver often pronounced some other words or something like that when I pressed space. When I started reading what I typed, I found out the whole message is a gibberish from different letters I haven't even typed. What's more funny, the letter t was typed like 40 times I think which is the thing I didn't do. So I had to start typing this message I am writing now over with braille screen input as I usually did.
Is there a way to control this behavior?
2. For some reason, I cannot change the braille table. I know that can be my local issue and maybe I have to completely reset my device for that to fix, but still it's an issue that it seems like can be fixed somehow. I want to choose a contracted English braille to learn it. But when I go to accessibility/VoiceOver/braille/output or input, it doesn't matter, all braille inputs and outputs except of six dot braille are dimmed and I cannot change anything. I had that on iPhone 8, I have that on iPhone 13.
Is there anything I can do about that?
3. After the notification is displayed, the braille display jumps to the first line of an eMail message and I have to scrolle with panning buttons to the cursor position. I already wrote that, but this time it happened after a notification was displayed.
Is there a quick way to jump to a braille cursor?
Any help will be highly appreciated!
I thought I could start using braille more activly, but it seems like on iOS it's a huge problem. Or there is something missing, I hope? Thank you!

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Comments

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Tuesday, December 28, 2021 - 19:59

Hi!
If you have any windows device, use it for braille.
Are you deaf blind or just blind?
If you are just blind don't use braile on IOS.
If you are also deaf blind, then take ios 13 and enjoy with braille.
Or simply do not use braille at all on ios, Windows is better. Better than Mac too, at least in using braille.
Cheers!

Hello!
Thank you for your answer!
No, I am simply blind user who would like to use braille more active.
Everyone tell that the situation with braille on iOS is good, but I am glad that is not only me who has these issues. It means that they are wide and really need fix. Thank you!

By Maldalain on Tuesday, December 28, 2021 - 19:59

Braille on iOS is just good, I have no complaints about it, still you can not compare it to the experience on Windows. However, there is always ways to improve it. To answer your questions:
1. There is no way you can togqle cursor tracking on iOS. However one trick I use is to leave the app then go back to it and you will land on the cursor position. For the gibberish, make sureYou are
typing with grade 1.
2. Use space with G to switch between output braille grades.
3. I myself switch off notifications from appearing on my display. So either you disable it or you hav
To follow th
Same procedure I detailed in answer one. All problems on iOS as far as braille 1`s concerned can be solved, so feel free to ask any further questions.
I use my iPad as my daily drive and this a device I us
All the time with my braille display.
Good luck!

By Vsevolod Popov on Tuesday, December 28, 2021 - 19:59

Hello,
Thank you for your answer!
I am not sure what is English grade 1 in turms of IOS, but the table that's always selected is six dot braille.
For some reason, the space key +g doesn't work. It does nothing. I think the only fix I could think of is to completely reset my device without restoring from a backup, because I have no clue what could that be. Why it doesn,t give me to switch tables.
I can switch them inquick VoiceOver settings though. But that's not really comfortable.
I emailed Apple Accessibility team and waiting for the reply.

By Vsevolod Popov on Tuesday, December 28, 2021 - 19:59

Hello,
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that there is an easy and straight forward fix for the issue, but still I found it! The reset of all phone settings helped to fix it, plus my VoiceOver settings were restored so it is also good! So if you encounter this issue with inability to change braille tables, try to reset all settings in settings/general/reset. Hope that helps someone!