Settings, screen by screen
Hold the lock at the top of the board for 3 seconds and answer the sum to open the grown-up controls. They're in four groups. This page goes through them in the order you see them.
Most screens have a short tip, Why this matters.
Using it together
Modelling mode
Tap words while you talk, to show the child how. Your taps don't count as the child's words. A line at the top says "Modelling: you are showing, the child is watching", and hidden words show dimmed, so you can model them too. Show me where finds a word for you. Tap Done to leave. See Tips for families.
Show me where
Type a word to see the path to it, button by button.
Daily coaching
One 60-second modelling tip a day, and the Word of the week: up to 3 words the grown-ups model this week, highlighted in modelling mode. Daily reminder sends a notification at the time you choose; it asks for permission only when you turn it on.
Progress, Weekly summary and Goals
- Progress: new words, word combinations and the most-used words.
- Weekly summary: a short text about the week to share with everyone who talks with the child, with one word to model next.
- Goals: a weekly target, such as days used, new words or words per sentence, with progress.
Use the numbers to choose what to model next, not to test the child.
Why this helps
Short answers to common worries ("Will this stop my child from learning to talk?"), with the research.
Boards and words
- Edit this board: see Editing and moving buttons.
- Reveal words: show, dim or hide words without moving them. See Words and folders.
- Quick phrases: see Quick phrases and More.
- Languages: the main language, the other languages, and English spelling (UK or US) for this device. Translation review lists words that are still drafts, so you can check or correct them. Where the device supports it, Offline translation drafts missing words on the device after a one-time language download.
- Make a topic page: type a topic, like "birthday party", to get a ready page for it. Common topics are on the device.
- Share boards (Open Board Format), Print boards: see Sharing and printing.
- Symbol sets: the included ARASAAC pictures, your own photos, and an optional search of all ARASAAC pictures (about 13,000), which downloads a picture when you choose it. Use the new pictures on this child's boards updates built-in words that still have their original picture; your own pictures and photos are kept. ARASAAC is free for non-commercial use.
Sync and sharing, the Board library, Lesson pages and the cloud helpers need an online service. Where this version doesn't have one, their screens say so, and nothing is sent.
Settings
The child's name
The name, and how it's written in each language. You can also set how it's spoken. See Voices.
Speech and voices
The voice for each language, speaking speed, voice age, volume and saved speech. See Voices.
Touch and access
How the board reacts to touch. Change one thing at a time and watch the child for a few days.
- Hold time: the finger must stay on a button this long before it speaks. Helps when the hand brushes the screen, but a quick tap won't work.
- Ignore repeated taps within: a second tap on the same button soon after is ignored.
- Activate when the finger lifts: the child can slide to the right button before it counts.
- Bigger touch area: each button reacts a little beyond its edge.
- Tremor filter: for shaky hands, the button that counts is Where the finger first lands or Where the finger rests longest.
- Ignore a resting hand: a palm or a hand resting on the screen doesn't press buttons.
- Highlight while speaking: a soft tint on the button while its word plays.
- Practise with the child: a practice board that counts taps, ignored touches and misses between buttons.
Other ways of choosing are listed as Coming in a later version.
Display, hearing and sensory
- Look: Standard, Calm, Dark, High contrast, or Teen (no childish look).
- Word-type colours: Standard (Fitzgerald key), Calm colours, Colour-blind safe or No colours. Colour as border only gives a calmer look.
- Show words under pictures, Label above the picture, Text size, and Space between buttons.
- Reduce motion: follows the device's setting, or always on or off.
- Mute interface sounds.
- Show quick phrases: the phrase row at the bottom.
- Early mode: very simple, big buttons that speak at once, with no message bar. The full vocabulary stays underneath.
- Vocabulary level: see Words and folders.
- Board orientation on this phone: phones only. The board, the keyboard and scenes stay upright (or sideways); grown-up screens still turn. If the other orientation fits fewer buttons, Amalino asks before changing.
- Grid size: see Words and folders. On a tablet, a note says when some long words won't fit in full at 84 buttons upright.
Message bar
- Show the message bar.
- Speak each word when tapped: on by default. When off, words only go into the message until it's tapped.
- Clear the message after speaking it.
- Word forms: hold a word to choose another form (dogs, went, bigger…).
- Log adult modelling separately: counts how often adults model, never mixed into the child's words.
Keyboard
Word suggestions, Learn from what your child types, Layout and Key size on this phone. See The keyboard.
AI helpers
All off by default; the child always chooses. AI helpers on switches them all on or off. They run on the device:
- Highlight likely next words: gently outlines 2–3 buttons. Buttons never move.
- Sentence from first letters: type "iwgp" to be offered "I want to go to the park".
- Suggest pages for the moment: lunch at noon, the park when you're there. A card the child can ignore.
- Partner listening: while you switch the microphone on in the top bar, the device listens to what you say and highlights words that could answer. Speech is recognised on the device; audio is never saved or sent. It needs a one-time download.
Pages for the moment
The rules behind Suggest pages for the moment: a page at a time of day, at a saved place, for a calendar event (by a word in its title), or at meal times. Places and calendar events are checked on the device only.
Keep the child in the app
Step-by-step instructions for Guided Access on iPad and iPhone, and app pinning on Android (on Samsung tablets also Samsung Kids). The child can still talk; they just can't leave the app.
Edit lock
- Simple sum (default) or PIN code (4–8 digits). The PIN is for the device: the same PIN opens the grown-up controls for every child on it. Depending on the device, a PIN needs a screen lock or a recovery code you write down, so a forgotten PIN can be reset.
- Hold time to open: how long the lock must be held.
- Lock again after: how soon the grown-up controls lock themselves.
Data
- History and backups: undo any change, make a backup now, export a backup with a password, or restore one. See Sharing and printing.
- Children: each child has their own boards and words. Add a child for a brother or sister on the same device.
- About and licences: privacy, the licences of the pictures and voices, and feedback.
Next: Voices.