Getting started
Amalino runs on iPhone, iPad and Android phones and tablets. It is free, and it works without the internet once it's set up.
Setup takes about five minutes. Everything you enter stays on the device, and you can change any answer later.
Before you start
- Charge the device and turn the sound up.
- If you can, have the child nearby for the touch step. It helps to see how they tap.
- If you'll use a natural voice, be on Wi-Fi: the voices are one larger download.
The setup steps
Welcome
Choose the App language: the language of the grown-up screens. You'll choose the child's languages in a later step.
If the child already uses Amalino on another device, tap I already use Amalino to bring their boards over from a backup file. See Sharing and printing.
About the child
- How old is your child? The age range suggests a starting board size and look. Any age is fine; even toddlers can start.
- How does your child communicate today? This helps choose the first words.
- Child's name (optional). It is shown and spoken in the app, for example "My name is…". It stays on the device.
Languages
Choose the Main language, the one the child will use most, and any other languages the family speaks.
Every language uses the same button in the same place. The child can switch languages with one tap and doesn't have to learn the board again.
In Russian, Ukrainian, Arabic and Spanish, setup also asks which word forms to use for the child (for example "устал / устала"), so sentences about the child sound right.
Words in some languages are still drafts until a native speaker has checked them. You can correct any word yourself.
If your language isn't listed, you can still make boards: record each word with your own voice, and the board plays your recordings.
Voice
Choose how the child will sound in each language. Tap a voice to hear it.
- Natural voices sound the most human. They are one download for all of them and work offline afterwards.
- This device's own voice needs no download and is ready at once.
You can change the voice at any time. See Voices.
How the child chooses
Amalino is used by touching the screen. Other ways of choosing are shown as Coming in a later version.
Then answer How does your child touch the screen?
- Taps small things easily
- Needs bigger buttons
- Taps are shaky, or the finger slides or rests on the screen
The answer sets up the touch settings and the board size. Try it now (optional) lets the child tap a few times; Make it easier adjusts things if many taps miss. More touch settings are in Settings → Touch and access.
5 favourite things
Add up to five things the child loves: bubbles, a cartoon, grandma. Take a photo or choose one, and type what the child calls it. They go into the Favourites folder, one tap away from every board. Photos work best for people and the child's own toys.
Grown-up controls
The settings are protected so the child can't change the board by accident. To open them, hold the lock at the top of the board for 3 seconds, then answer a short sum. Try it here once. Choose Longer hold (5 seconds) if the child explores the screen a lot.
The name in each language
If you added a name, you can say how it's written in each language and hear how the voice says it. If it sounds wrong, type how it sounds, for example "Shawn" for Sean.
Summary
The last step shows all your answers. Tap Change next to any of them.
Here you also see the suggested Grid size: how many buttons fit on the board. More sizes shows the others. Try to keep one size: the board grows by showing more words, not by changing size. See Words and folders.
For very young beginners, setup may offer Early mode: a few big pictures that speak at once. The full vocabulary stays underneath and can be turned on later.
After setup
Tap Start talking. The board opens, ready for the child.
A few things you can do later, under Finish setting up in the grown-up controls:
- choose the two phrases the child needs most,
- hear how the child's name sounds,
- try the touch settings with the child.
Next: The child's board.