Why are we not able to use our braille displays to start controlling our iPhone when the screen is locked?

By a woman, 7 July, 2014

Forum
Braille on Apple Products

Are you a braille user who doesn't use speech? Would you like to be able to fully control your iOS device? Instead of having to first press the Home button on your iPhone, would you like to be able to just take out your portable braille display, press some keys and start controlling the iPhone? Does it annoy you when you're in the middle of writing a text or an email or taking notes and have to reach for the iPhone to press the Home button, just because you've paused too long so the iPhone is locked? Have you noticed that one can 'wake up' the iPhone by pressing the cursor keys on bluetooth keyboards, and have you perhaps wondered why something similar is not possible with braille displays?

Well, this could be done! It would require only small changes in the software. If the iPhone did not disconnect from the braille display when it is locked, we would be able to use a braille display instead of always having to press some button on the iOS device! Wouldn't that be great? Wouldn't it make controlling your iPhone with your braille display much more easy and convenient?

We can bring this to the attention of Apple's accessibility department (perhaps posting here helps too). And who knows – when the next iOS update comes along, we may be able to really fully control our iOS devices with our braille displays.

To 'increase the likelihood' that Apple will take notice of this suggestion, we can email accessibility@apple.com <mailto:accessibility@apple.com&gt; . I've already done that (and got a response saying that they'll 'pass' my suggestion 'on to the appropriate people') and I hope others will too! Imagine how cool it would be if this was fixed! And sending them a quick email doesn't take much time, right?

Thank you so much!

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Comments

By Kevan on Thursday, July 24, 2014 - 22:16

That does sound pretty cool.
I imagine it was an oversight of Apple not to include that stuff.
But yeah I agree with you if there's something we want it's good to be proactive.

Yes. Exactly! That's exactly what I was thinking: 'Why doesn't that work with braille displays? They must have forgotten to include it or something.'

But if we don't tell Apple about it, they'll never include this, and we'll just have to live with the fact that, as soon as it is locked, we have to press some button on our iOS device to be able to control it with our braille display. So yes, we really have to be proactive to get them to change this. That's our best hope :-) , don't you agree?

So have you sent them an email :-) ? Imagine how cool it would be if they really did fix this! The more emails they receive concerning this, the greater the likelihood they'll really do something about it. Don't you all agree?

Thanks so much for your 'support' :-) ! (And sorry for that unimaginative username, I don't really like to give my real name, and I certainly don't want to give myself some fancy name either, so I thought, well ... , 'I am a woman ...' :-) . Sorry. :) )

By KE7ZUM on Thursday, July 24, 2014 - 22:16

Frankly I woudl not want this as it is safer to push a button on your phone as in you can't accidently unluck yoru phone every time you bump your display.

Hello ...

Really? What a surprise :-) ! I was sure everyone would agree that it would be so much easier. And I was hoping if enough of us post here and/or send them an email, Apple would maybe do something about it. After all, it works with bluetooth keyboards! So why not with braille displays?

I have to say I can't really understand where you're coming from. Sorry. If you want to make sure nothing happens accidentally, you simply turn off your display. Do you really think that's less convenient than always having to press some button on your phone as soon as it's locked? Doesn't it annoy you that you always have to reach for your phone when you're in the middle of writing a text or something, you wait too long and it's locked? Do you mostly use your display or mostly speech? If you mostly use the speech, I can understand your argument. But if one wants to only use one's braille display, put it in ones pocket/purse and so on, so that one doesn't have to use the speech, it would be so much easier if one could use that display to start controlling the phone. Don't you agree with that?

Wouldn't it be so much better if we could use our displays to start controlling the phone when it's locked? And when we want to make sure nothing happens accidentally, we just turn off our display. That's how it works with bluetooth keyboards. So does that bother you too? I mean, don't you think it's extremely convenient that you can just use the keyboard to 'wake up' the phone, and when you put the keyboard in your pocket/purse, you just turn it off. When you want to use it again, you turn it back on and it automatically connects with your phone. Do you really think the same should not be possible with braille displays? Why? I would really like to understand exactly why you wouldn't want this, as turning off the display is so simple.