Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP. Over 36 years experience in AAC. OMazing Kids AAC and app consulting. Creator of several AAC Feature Matching resources (https://omazingkidsllc.com/omazing-kids-aac-resource-links/). Includes info about unique features to support Gestalt Language Processors
The sales on Amazon + the AAC app sales = an opportunity for very affordable AAC. Here are a few examples…
$44.99: Limited-time deal: Fire HD 8 tablet, 8″ HD display, 32 GB, latest model (2020 release), designed for portable entertainment, Twilight Blue https://a.co/1jbEW50
$59.88: Samsung Galaxy A03s, 32GB, Black – Prepaid Tracfone Smartphone (you don’t have to “activate” it) https://a.co/ccrm6PU
$249.00: SAMSUNG Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 10.4″ 64GB Android Tablet w/ Long Lasting Battery, S Pen Included, Slim Metal Design, AKG Dual Speakers, US Version, Angora Blue https://a.co/iSA07vZ
The update for the Android version of Avaz on 10/4/22 added access to setting Acapela as a Speech Engine. This allows you to use any Acapela voices that you have purchased and installed.
Super excited to have access to child voices again in the Android version of this app. The iOS version already has child voice options.
See my video:
There’s an extra step to get those to work side loaded on an Amazon Fire tablet.
• a tabbed 9-page Simple Eye Gaze Communication Flip Book with Open Source symbols and four extra customizable pages
• a blank tabbed 9-page eye gaze flip book template that can be totally customized with your own pictures, symbols and text
• written & video instructions for how to easily customize the printable using the free linked websites prior to printing
• written & video instructions for cutting and assembling
• Free Bonus Content: a download code for a digital companion file for GoTalk Now or GoTalk Now Plus. Includes links to a YouTube video to show how to find the GoTalk Now Online Gallery and an unlisted YouTube video to demo content in this companion file, settings to adjust to simplify the interface and editing within that AAC app, etc.
The design allows for quick communication and engagement with a Start Here cover page (I want, Tell you what I think, Quick Word & Something’s wrong), tabbed secondary pages, and longer tabbed tertiary pages. An blank set of the longer tabbed pages is provided for customization for each individual’s unique interests.
A totally blank template and tab labels is provided for those who want to translate it and use symbols relevant to that environment or culture.
The resource includes links to three free websites where you can download free Open Source symbols + a free website where you can import the PDF and then add your own text and symbols or photos prior to printing.
The Simple Eye Gaze Communication Book is easy to print, cut out, laminate and assemble. Written and video instructions are included.
I created this to be used as a simple way to get started with exploring eye gaze for communication. It’s sized to be portable and fit easily in a bag or tote for use in everyday environments and on the go. Parents of my students/patients/clients LOVED these and so did AAC users across a wide range of ages.
Free Bonus Content (requires an iPad & either the GoTalk Now or GoTalk Now Plus app by Attainment Company, neither of those are included with this purchase): This digital companion file for GoTalk Now matches the content of the Simple Eye Gaze Communication Flip Book. It is primarily designed for direct touch or scanning but other access methods might be possible depending on the particular model of iPad being used. I uploaded it as a template in the private sharing area on the GoTalk Now Online Gallery. It is exclusive free bonus content for those who purchased this resource. The free GoTalk Now Lite app and the inexpensive GoTalk Start app don’t have a way to import communication books.
Why was the Bonus Content created in GoTalk Now? It offers an Online Gallery with private sharing codes, it was easy to format it to match the content of the eye gaze communication flip book + GoTalk Now/GoTalk Now Plus offers a way to program buttons to link to play music that has been purchased and downloaded into the Apple Music app. See this blog post: https://omazingkidsllc.com/2020/10/20/saving-videos-vs-linking-to-youtube-videos-for-use-in-gotalk-now-plus-how-to-save-youtube-videos/ and offers a way to play videos that are stored on the Camera Roll or linked from YouTube. See this blog post: https://omazingkidsllc.com/2021/10/08/using-the-gotalk-now-app-as-adapted-access-to-play-songs/. Both are great for immediately reinforcing the request for a highly preferred song or video and for use as a means of adapted access to these leisure activities. I explored a few other options on iOS, Android and Amazon Fire but none offered all of what I needed.
Note: This AAC resource is not intended to be a robust communication option. It is something simple to allow early exploration of eye gaze for communication. The bonus content for those with an iPad and GoTalk Now or GoTalk Now Plus provides large target low cell count digital AAC for early exploration of AAC options. Both can also be a helpful supplemental resource as part of a comprehensive AAC system.
Looking for options for robust digital PODD on an iPad or other dedicated speech-generating devices? See my huge blog post: https://omazingkidsllc.com/2018/01/10/i-have-something-to-say-about-podd/. I update that post periodically. It also includes some info about other AAC apps or vocabulary sets within them that are built with pragmatic branching organization. Examples include the Voco Chat gridset available in Grid for iPad (or Grid 3 on Windows devices), the Sequoia board set in CoughDrop, pasco by Ace Centre, etc…
I was thrilled to discover a way to add high quality Acapela child voices to several Android AAC apps. Older teens and adults may be fine using the Android system voices but it’s important to have age appropriate voices for children using AAC. This video shows how I added high quality Acapela voices to several Android AAC apps:
The Acapela voices even worked in the Speech Assistant AAC app side loaded on my Amazon Fire tablet:
I installed the Android Acapela app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.acapelagroup.android.tts), purchased the USA English child voices Ella & Josh and the USA Spanish child voices Valeria & Emilio for $7.99 each, and then downloaded them within that app. There are lots of other voice options for lots of different languages. Then I set Acapela TTS as the preferred engine under the Samsung tablet Settings – General Management – Text to Speech. Also set Language to English. Some apps require it to also be set within the app. Those details will be included in the Android AAC feature matching charts (see links below). The Acapela voices worked in some but not all Android apps.
*** Update 9/22/22: The Android Acapela app has been updated so be sure to update it and then redownload your voices.
Here is a list of the Android AAC apps that it worked in on my Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite tablet at the time of this recording (9/20/22). These also work on my Samsung Galaxy A03s phone.
AAC Keyboard with Friends
AsTeRICS Grid
Avaz AAC (as of the 10/4/22 app update)
Cboard (only if using the app while in Guest Mode, not logged in; *** Updated 10/8/22- after the Acapela app update this also now works side loaded on my Amazon Fire Tablet)
CoreVoice
HelpTalk
I Can Communicate
LetMeTalk (an Amazon app that is side loaded on my Samsung tablet)
Predictable
SpeakEasy
Speak It
Speech Assistant AAC (also worked in the app side loaded on my Amazon Fire tablet. This was the only app that the Acapela voices worked in on my Amazon Fire tablet. *** Updated 10/8/22: after the Acapela app update I was also able to get the voices to work in Avaz AAC & in Cboard (not logged in)
Looking for a very affordable option for pocket-sized AAC? Many individuals prefer to just add an app to their iPhone or Android phone but some facilities don’t allow phones (or it would be a battle to get an exception) or a phone might not be the best choice for AAC for a younger child. The iPod Touch used to be my “go to” option for this. Since the iPod Touch is no longer available I purchased an Android prepaid TracFone (keeping it unactivated)… Shout out to Karen Erickson for sharing that idea in a comment in the AAC for the SLP group.
LeYi for Galaxy A03S Case with Screen Protector and Camera Protection Slide Cover, Military-Grade Samsung A03S Phone Case with Magnetic Ring Metal Kickstand for Men Boys (6.5 Inch), Green https://a.co/d/bLpM2Oe
$59.88 Android phone + $12.99 case + the cost of an app = very affordable pocket-sized AAC 🎉
(Updated 8/12/23: That Android phone is still available on Amazon and was even a little less expensive ($49.88). The case is still also available and was less expensive ($11.99). If you put the free Android version of Weave Chat AAC on it (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.weavechat.weavechat) you can have fairly robust pocket-sized symbol-based AAC for under $62 (+tax). The adult text-to-speech voices from Samsung & Google are pretty good. If you want Acapela voices, the Weave Chat AAC app and a few others allow use of the one you have purchased and set as a default within the Acapela app. That would be a way to add high quality child voices. Prices vary. I just purchased the child African American English voices (Tiana and Malik) for $7.99 each. The great thing is you only have to purchase the Acapela voices once and then can use them in any AAC app that supports use of them. I have previously purchased Ella & Josh (USA English) + Valeria & Emilio (USA Spanish). That app has voices available to purchase in several languages.
So for under $70 (+tax) you can have fairly robust pocket-sized symbol-based AAC with Weave Chat AAC using a high quality Acapela voice)
Updated 11/19/25: The model of phone that I have is still occasionally available on Amazon but you may want to consider a newer model. I saw the Tracfone – Samsung Galaxy A15 5G 64GB Prepaid – Black on the Best Buy website for $49.99. And the same style of case available for it on Amazon for around $10.00. Acapela child, teen, and adult voices in the Acapela TTS app are still around $7.99 each.
So in late 2025 for under $70 (+tax) you can have robust pocket-sized AAC with Weave Chat AAC, TypingTalk AAC, and Speech Assistant AAC using a high quality Acapela voice.
See this video for a look at some of the AAC apps I have installed on it:
A short video specifically about Speech Assistant AAC on an Android phone:
And a longer in-depth video about Speech Assistant AAC on an Android phone that shows more about the app and all of the Settings:
Updated 1/26/23: Problems with iOS 16.3: Apple users – The latest iPadiOS update (16.3) seems to be causing issues with iCloud Backup and iCloud Drive – turning them off and showing an error message when you try turn them back on. It is requiring Two Factor Authentication to be turned on to use these features now. Please don’t install this update for the time being, until further information is known.
Updated 10/11/22: Based on this tweet it looks like iPadOS 16 might release the week of 10/24/22. Several replies to that tweet mentioned it being buggy/glitchy in beta testing:
iPadOS 16.1 is on track to be released the week of Oct. 24th — barring any new bugs or issues. Apple has historically held launches the week of its earnings calls in October.
Historically the whole number iOS updates tend to cause problems. Several years ago I had an iPad “brick” and it had to be restored to factory settings. Almost every whole number iOS release has caused issues with AAC apps and therapy apps. And general device issues unrelated to any specific app.
Most developers of robust AAC apps have done everything that they can do to prepare for the newest iOS. But it is wise to wait for awhile for kinks to be worked out and for app developers to have time to release updates to fix any problems. And Apple often releases secondary iOS updates to fix issues. I typically wait several months and watch for posts from app developers indicating that it’s safe to install the new iOS.
Unfortunately the “default” setting on an iPad is usually for the iOS updates to be automatically downloaded and automatically installed. In order to prevent that from happening, please check the settings on any iPad or iPhone being used for AAC or as a therapy tool. Even if you have toggled it off in the past please take the time to check it again. I found that a recent iOS update had toggled it back on.
• Go to Settings (grey gear) – General – Software Update – Automatic Updates – toggle off Download iPadOS (iOS) Updates
Update: I’m already seeing posts related to iOS 16 issues & some related to the iPadOS 15.7 update. I’ll keep updating this post to provide examples of what folks are experiencing
9/16/22 This info was posted in a comment in the Tobii Dynavox Community group on Facebook by one of the moderators of that group: “We are recommending to wait a little bit after release just to be safe. Once the final build of iOS16 comes out, we will be testing the final build with TD Pilot, TD Snap, and TD Talk and will then be able to make a definitive recommendation. Also, in the current beta, there is an issue with AssistiveTouch, however Apple says it will be resolved before release.”
And some folks are having problems with the iOS 15.7 & iPadOS 15.7 update:
9/23/22:
FYI… I shared this post with several AAC app developers and in several AAC user groups on Facebook to hopefully prevent AAC users from encountering issues.
What’s interesting is one AAC app developer chose to remove my post from their group with the “feedback” that “new versions of iOS do not get installed automatically”. While in theory that should be true I’ve personally had an iPad revert to auto download and auto install of iOS updates and had to manually toggle it off again. Plus my post is intended to help folks make an informed decision as to whether or not it would be wise to upgrade to iOS 16 / iPadOS when it first comes out. It can’t hurt to be cautious and wait to upgrade to the new iOS.
If you’re in a very large school district that has hundreds of students using iPads for AAC, then I’d check with your IT department to see what the options are for temporarily toggling off the automatic download and installation of iOS updates. If that’s not feasible in your district, then take this as a “heads up” that you may need to have paper-based AAC options on hand just in case they are needed.
What to do if you have an iPad on an older iOS: Unfortunately on older versions of iOS there’s not a way to prevent the iOS update from downloading. But it should ask for permission before installing it. A sign that an iOS update has downloaded is a sudden large drop in available memory. To find that file to delete it on an older iOS, go into Settings – General – Storage & iCloud Usage – Storage – Manage Storage. Wait for the app list to populate and then delete the one with the grey gear. For example, I have an iPad Pro 9.7” that I purposefully kept on iOS 10.3.3 in order to avoid losing a bunch of apps when iOS 11 rolled out. By deleting that iOS update file I freed up 3.7GB of memory and helping to prevent an accidental update. I periodically get a notification asking me to update the iOS. I am very cautious to tap “Details” and then close out of it. Also go to Settings – iTunes & App Store – and toggle off Updates under Automatic Downloads.
Why am I concerned? There are historical issues every time that Apple rolls out a whole number iOS update. Some caused major problems. iOS 15 had several issues. The fact that Apple has delayed release of iPadOS to work out bugs is a red flag 🚩. Of course I have no way to know what will happen with iOS 16 but am seeing enough red flags to be concerned and to post about it.
It’s heartbreaking when AAC users lose their voice when a new iOS rolls out and causes glitches. Now is the time to prevent that from happening.
I receive frequent requests for info about things that can be done to maximize the battery life on an iPad or iPhone. So I’m sharing the resource that I have bookmarked for this.
Disclaimer:Please think through the pros/cons of any of the options mentioned in the article. For example, adjusting the brightness might not fit some user’s visual needs, toggling off Bluetooth would interfere with use of a Bluetooth speaker, toggling off Location Services may interfere with being able to use “Find My”, etc…
Use of these iOS devices for AAC takes more consideration than other uses. So weigh the pros/cons to make a thoughtful decision. Sometimes having an external battery pack available can be a solution to recharging on the go.
🎉 Resource Update Alert 🎉 8/23/22 Updated Feature Matching Chart for the Top 12 Robust iOS Symbol-Based AAC Apps. Those who have previously purchased this resource can download the latest version for no additional cost on TPT: https://bit.ly/SymbolBasedAACapps.
Want more info? See this blog post: Five Feature Matching Resources for AAC Apps (comparing features in AAC apps) + several videos comparing AAC apps across platforms (iPad, Android, Amazon Fire, Windows), https://bit.ly/5aacFeatureMatchingResources
Want a quick way to consider 10 features in AAC apps that may be critical for a particular user’s needs? This recorded webinar + interactive resource makes it simple and then has links for where you can get info for a deeper dive into learning more.
While there isn’t a “perfect” AAC app there are features that might make one a better “fit” over another option.
Finding a good “fit” is similar to taking a test drive to find a form of transportation that you like and meets your needs at that point in your life or in that situation.
The “best” AAC options are the ones that meet the needs of that individual in that situation.
What’s included:
Recorded Webinar (23:34 unlisted YouTube video)
Interactive Handout (20 page PDF)
TPT Preview Video:
Looking for in-depth info about features AAC apps? Check out these resources:
AAC Feature Matching Resource Bundle (includes all three, save 10%): https://bit.ly/aacFeatureMatchingBundle. If you are looking to purchase resources for several staff / team members, take a look at the Multiple Licenses discount (saves 20%)
OMazing Kids AAC Consulting 