FAQ

Will Spiel make the calendar/web accessible?

No. Spiel is limited to the constraints of the Android platform, which currently does not provide the necessary accessibility information to make many components usable. Spiel cannot provide any more access than TalkBack does.

Will Spiel make my touchscreen accessible?

No. Again, Spiel is constrained by the limitations of the Android platform. While I can make the touchscreen accessible within a single app, I couldn't do so globally. This is why the Eyes-free Shell provides an accessible touchscreen expeerience, but it can only do so for its own functions.

Will you add global key commands for time/signal strength/battery level/price of rice in China?

No, because again I can't. The Android platform restricts app developers from adding global key commands as found in all other screen readers for mobile and desktop platforms alike. As such, all I can do is to provide the triggers framework which offers limited control tied to a fixed set of physical actions.

Will Spiel support screen review or allow me to read non-focusable items?

No. Basically, Android's accessibility API is push-based. When you type a character into an edit box, an event gets pushed to Spiel and the newly-added character is spoken. When a new app opens, another event is pushed and Spiel speaks the window title. When a widget is focused, an event is pushed and Spiel speaks text for the newly-focused item. But there's another component present in most accessibility APIs that is missing from Android, the ability to pull. Simply put, it is impossible for Spiel to look at your screen to determine what it displays and how those items are displayed. Without that, it is impossible to provide useful screen review.

Another related limitation is that non-focusable items are completely invisible to the Android accessibility API and, as such, to Spiel. After all, you cannot generate an event from such items by, for instance, focusing on them. Without that ability, it is impossible to read the contents of any item that cannot be focused.

Will Spiel support Braille/magnification/telepathy/my other favorite information delivery method?

No, for three reasons. First, Spiel is a screen reader, implying that it reads your screen. While other screen readers on other platforms may provide this functionality, there's really no reason for them to do so. Furthermore, Android itself is focused on delivering accessibility functionality as self-contained services. As such, the correct way to use magnification or Braille is to build separate services for those specific cases.

Second, the Android platform doesn't yet support Braille or magnification. As such, it simply wouldn't be possible for anyone to support either at this time.

Finally, I myself am both blind and lacking of a Braille display. As such, it would make more sense for a low-vision user to step forth and develop the former, and the latter should be developed by a Braille user with the necessary hardware once the required support has been added to Android.

Will Spiel work on phone X from manufacturer Y?

No clue. I'm just one developer working on this from his bedroom. There are no other employees and, indeed, no budget. You can purchase a device for me and I'll be glad to tell you whether or not Spiel runs on it. Or, for that matter, you can ask a store employee to install Spiel on whatever device you wish to purchase. Unlike other commercial screen readers, a fully operational version of Spiel can be installed on any device in seconds, no need to tether to a PC or interact with other overly-complicated installation processes. As such, it is completely within your ability to determine whether or not Spiel runs on a device you wish to buy.

As a general guideline, though, Spiel works best with devices running Android versions as close to stock as possible. Manufacturer-customized overlays often neglect accessibility in ways that are beyond Spiel's ability to work with.

Will you maintain a device compatibility list indicating whether or not certain phones work with Spiel?

No, for three reasons. First, as this is a fairly understaffed project, I don't have time to take on further tasks related to it. Second, as was mentioned above, it's already fairly simple to determine whether Spiel works on a given device. Since there are so many, and since the landscape of available devices is constantly shifting, taking on the burden of maintaining a compatibility list would be quite huge. Finally, if a device works with Spiel then it should also work with any other Android screen reader, so perhaps the task of maintaining a compatibility list should belong to Google or some other Open Handset Alliance member.

That said, if a community member wishes to maintain such a list and keep it updated, I'd happily link to it from the main Spiel site. But I personally lack the time.