For people who prefer to make edits on a computer, Proloquo4Text for Mac allows you to easily transfer your customizations to your iPad or iPhone. But don’t take our word for it. Some people in our online community have shared their first impressions of the new Proloquo4Text apps for all platforms. Here are some of their highlights!
AAC to the Macs
MacBook Easy
It is easy to love a Mac, but having Proloquo4Text on a Mac laptop was especially loved by contributors for a variety of reasons:
“It was much easier to add or edit Phrases, and it was simply nicer to do it with the bigger keyboard that is built into my laptop. I have never been able to type very fast or accurate on the iPad/iPhone maybe it's a generational thing, I don't know. I just do much better on a full size keyboard.” ~ Glenn Moscoso
“It is comfortable to have the option of my speech on a full-sized device with its own speakers” ~ K.A.P.
“The speakers on my laptop are better AND I can plug USB speakers into them. I imagine this would help better with using it during presentations. I think it will REALLY help in situations where an AV hookup is needed. It’s much easier to get things plugged into a laptop than an iPad.” ~ D. Burrow
A Weight Off Your Back
Several contributors also mentioned the convenience of not having to switch between devices when using a Mac during work, school, or social activities, making Proloquo4Text much more convenient and flexible:
“The primary difference is that I do not have to carry several pieces of equipment to have my 'voice' setup. My backpack is much lighter!” ~ Cary Grant
“I really liked the ability to switch between apps without having to pull out my iPad. As a result, I found myself using the iPad much less because I simply didn't have to.” ~ Glenn Moscoso
Don’t forget iPad and iPhone!
Besides releasing the Proloquo4Text Mac app, we have also brought the new, helpful features that we added to Proloquo2Go 7 to Proloquo4Text 4 for iPad, and iPhone. These include the ability to make phone calls with Proloquo4Text, Dark Mode support, and improvements to the app’s backup functionalities with the introduction of AirDrop and Google Drive support.
Call Me
With Proloquo4Text 4 and iOS 13 or iPadOS, you can now use Proloquo4Text to speak on a phone or FaceTime call made with the same device. Opening many new possibilities, we received several positive comments from our contributors on how they enjoyed this feature:
“My favorite benefit of having Proloquo4Text is that I can prepare for phone calls MUCH, MUCH easier. For example, I have to call various places. Every time, I have to provide the same identifying information. So, what I am able to do on the Mac is go into Microsoft Word and type out that information. When I'm in the call I can copy/paste the information as I am being asked for it during the call. This makes the call go much smoother! I save the Word file as that company and then put it in the Proloquo4Text folder I created for future use.” ~ Glenn Moscoso
“Well, my boss loves that I can be part of phone calls now. But I still hate phone calls in general, so...basically everyone else is happy but I would still rather stick to texting, lol.” ~ D. Burrow
“Having the possibility of making phone calls is reassuring, as I can potentially make phone calls independently, even if my voice doesn’t cooperate.” ~ K.A.P
In order to make calls with Proloquo4Text, simply start the phone or FaceTime call, launch Proloquo4Text, and use Proloquo4Text to speak. No need for special settings or actions. The only catch is that during the call, Proloquo4Text will automatically switch to one of the built-in iOS voices. Once the call concludes, Proloquo4Text will automatically switch back to your regular voice.
You will need iOS 13 or iPadOS for this feature. Note you can download higher quality iOS and iPadOS voices for use in calls. Visit Apple's Support site to learn more about the iOS voices.
Dark Mode: Easy on the Eyes
With Dark Mode support, Proloquo4Text will automatically get a dark appearance when Dark Mode is turned on. Some people prefer using Dark Mode when using a device at night or during low-light conditions. More importantly, for some people with visual impairments, migraines or other visual disorders, Dark Mode can make a real difference. Our contributors enjoyed having this feature available:
“I like the dark mode on my devices… Partly due to being autistic, and made worse by other conditions, I am quite sensory defensive. This includes aversion to bright lights. Dark mode is simply easier on my eyes in most situations and conditions
” ~ K.A.P.
“The
integration with dark mode was really nice. I'm photosensitive, and having the dark mode puts significantly less strain on my eyes, as well as helping with contrast issues.” ~ D. Burrow
You can turn Dark Mode on or off in the Display & Brightness section of the iOS or iPadOS Settings app.
Better Backup
We added support for Google Drive and AirDrop for expanded possibilities for backing up and restoring your customizations. This way, you can keep all your devices well in sync. One user particularly liked this functionality:
“The AirDrop functionality definitely made it easier to toss a backup over to my phone and laptop! I *LOVE* that Proloquo4Text for Mac integrates with iOS, so I can still use all of my saved settings and phrases, and can share between my 3 devices (laptop, phone, and iPad). The AirDrop is PERFECT there, as it lets me do this instantly, in the moment, and not have to worry about additional backups.
” ~ D. Burrow
Read our support article on how to export backups to Google drive, or how to import and restore a back up from Google Drive. If you prefer using AirDrop, you can read our support article on how to transfer backups using AirDrop.
¡Gracias! Merci! Dank je! Thank you!
A huge thank you goes out to all of those who helped test Proloquo4Text for Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch and shared their feedback for this article. AssistiveWare’s community of people who use our products has always been our source of motivation and love for what we do. We really appreciate all your help and support!
