Double Tap

Can VoiceOver on the Mac be made friendlier for blind users coming over from Windows? Steven Scott opens up the MacBook Neo, fights with the FaceTime app and finds a VoiceOver setting that changes how macOS navigation works. Shaun Preece pushes back, and the pair look at TurnOver, a new open source screen reader for the Mac.
Steven explains the Announce Groups and No Groups options under Navigation in VoiceOver settings (VO-F8). They let you move around without interacting with every group, and they make it easier to get into web content in Safari and Chrome. The hosts also cover single letter Quick Nav, the rotor and the actions menu, and ask whether VoiceOver's many settings work for it or against it.
TurnOver, a free screen reader that runs alongside VoiceOver, gets the hosts thinking about community-built tools for the Mac and whether Apple's accessibility APIs will eventually get in the way.
In the listener mail, James in Missouri argues that the iPhone and braille displays should come with manuals. That leads to a talk about onboarding, a "granny test" for tech companies, and young children using smartphones. Peter explains how Meta's walking directions on Ray-Ban glasses work alongside Soundscape Community. Siobhan asks where the spatial audio setting is. David needs GPS for rural areas with no signal, which brings up BlindSquare, Soundscape and the HumanWare StellarTrek.
Chapters
0:00 – Welcome
0:34 – MacBook Neo, macOS and FaceTime frustrations
7:35 – VoiceOver Announce Groups and navigation settings
18:52 – TurnOver, a community screen reader for the Mac
27:10 – James on manuals and onboarding
36:20 – Kids, smartphones and TikTok
41:08 – Peter on Meta navigation and Soundscape Community
44:43 – Siobhan asks about spatial audio
47:03 – David asks about offline GPS and the StellarTrek
53:48 – Double Tap app, JAWS 2027 and wrap-up
Relevant Links
Double Tap: https://doubletaponair.com
MacBook Neo: https://www.apple.com/macbook-neo/
TurnOver: https://github.com/TurnOver-For-Mac/turnover
Soundscape Community: https://soundscape.services/
BlindSquare: https://www.blindsquare.com/
HumanWare StellarTrek: https://www.humanware.com/support/stellartrek/
JAWS, ZoomText and Fusion 2027: https://training.vispero.com/download-jaws-zoomtext-and-fusion-2027/

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About Double Tap
Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.
"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Does reading braille define literacy for blind people? Steven Scott and Shaun Preece work through listener feedback on learning braille later in life, what it means to be literate, and AI assistants like Siri, Gemini and Meta's Muse that still trip over plain requests.
Larry, 74 and learning braille through Hadley, asks whether Olly Richards' language immersion method could work for braille. That leads into fatigue, the efficiency gap between braille and audio, and the move from magnification to a screen reader. Kevin pushes back on a Zero Project guest's claim that blind people who don't read braille aren't literate. Steven explains why he is pro-braille and still argues that price and access to teaching are the real problems.
Ron Peterson introduces STEP Navigation, a free indoor navigation app from Professor Paul Ruvolo, who also made Clew. It has a Start Outside feature and AI scene descriptions. Negative Julian finally gets Gemini to place phone calls, but only when he says "call" and keeps digits out of contact names. Callum asks Siri for a hospital department's number and ends up being put through to 999.
Allison uses Meta's Muse agent to track US policy changes and gets summaries with sources by email. The hosts talk about AI becoming a real productivity tool, Grok, and Europe and the UK waiting for Meta features. Chad Rohr shares his first iPhone Shortcuts, including Blind Mode, Sighted Mode and a Log a Pain Point note. Steven then gives an update on living with the iPhone Duo.
Chapters
0:00 – Intro
0:52 – Larry on learning braille later in life
8:33 – Kevin on braille, literacy and the Zero Project debate
20:15 – Ron on the STEP Navigation indoor navigation app
22:52 – Negative Julian on Gemini phone calls and smart speaker frustrations
32:22 – Callum on Siri calling emergency services
40:04 – Allison on Meta's Muse AI agent
46:56 – Chad's iPhone Shortcuts for VoiceOver users
50:47 – Living with the iPhone Duo
55:05 – Wrap up
Relevant Links
Hadley: https://hadleyhelps.org
At Your Fingertips - Braille Then and Now: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/at-your-fingertips-braille-then-and-now/id1841245814
Zero Project India: https://zeroproject.org/about/zero-project-india
STEP Navigation: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/step-navigation/id6448701994
Meta Muse: https://about.fb.com/news/2026/09/introducing-muse-personal-ai-agent/

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Subscribe to the Podcast:
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About Double Tap
Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.
"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Amazon's new Echo devices cost more than ever, and iOS 27.3 brings Siri Recap and Safari dark mode. Steven Scott and Shaun Preece go through what's new for blind tech users, explain the risk of using third-party WhatsApp apps, and ask whether you can run AI on a laptop without the cloud.
Shaun has a grievance with Amazon. He bought an Echo Dot Max to get early access to Alexa+, and he still doesn't have it. The iOS 27.3 beta brings Siri Recap, which listens all day so you can look back on conversations later. That leads into a talk about privacy, phones that seem to be listening, and when a recording device crosses a line. Steven is pleased to see per-site dark mode coming to Safari, and Siri shortcuts are arriving in the VoiceOver rotor.
Saqib Shaikh's TypeOver lets your Windows PC act as a Bluetooth keyboard for your iPhone. That sets off a comparison of the Logitech MX Keys and Keychron mechanical keyboards. Steven also explains the risk of using accessible WhatsApp clients such as WhatSnap. Meta's terms allow it to ban accounts that use them, so the developers aren't the problem. Meta's inaccessible apps are.
David Ward of the Echo Tips podcast covers four new Echo devices: the Echo Show 16, the Echo Time, the Echo Studio with camera, and the sixth-generation Echo Dot, which now costs twice as much. A listener asks about running local AI models on the ASUS ProArt PX13. Steven explains why RAM and the graphics card limit what you can do on the machine itself.
Chapters
0:00 – Intro and the Alexa+ early access frustration
3:41 – iOS 27.3 beta, Siri Recap and privacy
11:46 – Safari dark mode, Dark Reader and Siri shortcuts
15:15 – Image descriptions and the VoiceOver rotor
17:13 – TypeOver and the keyboard debate
23:07 – WhatSnap, WhatsApp bans and Facebook accessibility
28:45 – Clipboard sharing, Clipman and VoiceOver Ignore Groups on the Mac
32:45 – David Ward on Amazon's new Echo devices
46:56 – Listener email: local AI on the ASUS ProArt PX13
54:33 – Your midterm voting experiences and goodbye
Relevant Links
TypeOver: https://github.com/SaqibS/typeover
WhatSnap: https://github.com/aryanchoudharypro/whatSnap
Clipman: https://github.com/OnjLouis/Clipman
Dark Reader: https://darkreader.org
Echo Tips podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/echo-tips/id1396874548
Logitech MX Keys S: https://www.logitech.com/en-us/shop/p/mx-keys-s
Keychron: https://www.keychron.com
ASUS ProArt PX13: https://www.asus.com/us/laptops/for-creators/proart/proart-px13-hn7306/

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Subscribe to the Podcast:
Apple: https://www.doubletaponair.com/apple
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RSS: https://www.doubletaponair.com/podcast
iHeadRadio: https://www.doubletaponair.com/iheart
About Double Tap
Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.
"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Vibe coding with Claude has taken over Steven Scott's spare time, and he and Shaun Preece think more blind people should try it. They explain how the setup works, why your files stay on your own computer, and whether building our own accessible tools lets big tech developers off the hook.
Steven explains how he builds iPhone apps with Claude and Xcode, then shows Records, a small app he made that scans letters, summarises them and adds appointments to his calendar. They also cover the privacy side of uploading documents to the cloud. Shaun announces a public beta of Claudio, his accessible Windows app for Claude Code. They talk about apps people have built for Plaud note takers, and why unofficial WhatsApp clients could get your account banned.
Next comes a grumble about iOS and Windows. Steven and Shaun talk about noisy iMessage group chats, FaceTime calls that won't start, and the latest VoiceOver bugs. They also cover the Windows start menu bug that Microsoft is now fixing on its servers.
In the inbox, Leander picks up on the jobs we'd have done if we weren't blind. Lindy from Australia asks whether Tailscale can link an iPhone with a Windows laptop. Shaun explains what Tailscale does, and suggests iCloud for Windows and Phone Link as easier ways to get the job done.
To finish, ET asks whether vibe coding takes accessibility off developers' plates. Steven argues that blind people should stop waiting for permission and build things themselves. He points to Saqib Shaikh and Seeing AI as proof of what can happen.
Chapters
0:00 – Welcome to the therapy session
0:45 – Can't leave Claude alone: building your own tools
5:05 – Inaccessible PDFs, privacy and the Records app
12:12 – Claudio, an accessible Claude Code client
13:51 – Plaud tools and WhatsApp client risks
16:01 – iMessage, FaceTime and iOS and Windows bugs
22:50 – The inbox: the jingle and Leander on dream jobs
29:15 – Lindy asks about Tailscale, iPhone and Windows
39:55 – ET: is vibe coding letting developers off the hook?
54:38 – How to get in touch and the Double Tap newsletter
Relevant Links
Double Tap: https://doubletaponair.com/
Claude: https://claude.com/product/overview
Claudio beta from Slight Perception: https://slightperception.com/beta
Tailscale: https://tailscale.com
iCloud for Windows: https://support.apple.com/en-us/103232
Phone Link: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/phonelink/phone-link-requirements-and-setup
Seeing AI: https://www.seeingai.com/

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Subscribe to the Podcast:
Apple: https://www.doubletaponair.com/apple
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RSS: https://www.doubletaponair.com/podcast
iHeadRadio: https://www.doubletaponair.com/iheart
About Double Tap
Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.
"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Can a blind player enjoy a mainstream video game as much as a sighted one? Steven Scott and Shaun Preece talk accessible gaming with Stefan Wilhelm, co-founder of Inclusive Gaming, a Leipzig studio building games blind and sighted people can play together.
Steven wants to play Grand Theft Auto and misses the CB radio banter of Euro Truck Simulator. Shaun isn't sure a game run by audio cues and assisted driving is any fun. Their debate sets up a bigger question: does accessible mean enjoyable?
Stefan, who is sighted, explains how a podcast with blind gamer Christian Ohrens, who plays Super Mario by ear, led him to start Inclusive Gaming. He talks about learning from the studio's community of blind players, why some prefer screen reader speech to recorded voices, and why playing with your eyes closed is no substitute for real users.
He also covers AVOS, an AI assistant in development that describes menus and scenes and uses fast object detection to help blind players with games that were never made accessible. Stefan builds in Unity with FMOD and Steam Audio, and he runs the Gaming Lab at SightCity in Frankfurt with support from Xbox.
Last up is Dinonid, a turn-based dinosaur puzzle game coming to Windows, iOS, Android and BlindShell, plus an update on the Double Tap website.
Chapters
0:00 – Intro and retro gaming memories
2:14 – Mainstream games, online communities and assisted mode
10:24 – Stefan Wilhelm and the founding of Inclusive Gaming
15:13 – Learning from blind players' feedback
18:41 – Designing games blind and sighted players can share
26:42 – AVOS: an AI assistant for inaccessible games
36:11 – Spatial audio with Unity, FMOD and Steam Audio
40:00 – Running the SightCity Gaming Lab
46:10 – Dinonid, BlindShell and where to find Inclusive Gaming
52:51 – The Double Tap website and your feedback
Relevant Links
Double Tap: https://doubletaponair.com
Inclusive Gaming: https://inclusive-gaming.de/en/
Dinonid demo: https://inclusivegaming.itch.io/dinonid-accessible
SightCity: https://sightcity.net/en/
Unity: https://unity.com
Steam Audio: https://valvesoftware.github.io/steam-audio/

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Follow on:
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Subscribe to the Podcast:
Apple: https://www.doubletaponair.com/apple
Spotify: https://www.doubletaponair.com/spotify
RSS: https://www.doubletaponair.com/podcast
iHeadRadio: https://www.doubletaponair.com/iheart
About Double Tap
Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.
"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.