Hello aparna! Hearty thanks for sharing my concern and also for your idea which I intend to try when I am in the company of some sighted friend who uses iPhone. Incidentally, I did try with Siri; but not quite the way you are suggesting. Earlier on, when face with a similar situation, among other things, I had also asked siri to activate Voiceover on my phone after disconnecting a whatsapp call. It obliged me on a couple of occasions; but later, it started throwing up tantrums; it would just keep quiet after receiving my command.
Last evening, after some experimentation with the help of my daughter who is in New York, I have discovered that for now, the following steps do work for me: 1. connect the device with earphone or headphone. 2. Make a whatsapp call. 3. While the call is on, deactivate Voiceover by pressing the Home key thrice. 4. On conclusion of the call, ask the other person to disconnect the call as you can not locate the disconnect button since the Voiceover is off. 5. after the other person disconnects the call, reactivate Voiceover by pressing the home key thrice and you will see voiceover will speak in your ears though in a feeble voice. 6. thereafter, use the Homekey to switch whatsapp by pressing it twice. 7. now the voiceover resumes functioning normally. Earlier, I had tried almost all kinds of tricks which a layperson can possibly conceive of, including those that have been lately suggested to me through the social media. However, for now, it seems this trick works best for me so far. Prasanna Kumar Pincha Former Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, govt. of India, New Delhi. Former chairperson National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation, and Multiple Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India, New Delhi. -----Original Message----- From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of Aparna Sachdev Sent: Monday, October 14, 2019 8:20 AM To: AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and issues concerning the disabled. Subject: Re: [AI] interface of Voiceover with Whatsapp and Facetime --- issues regarding iPhone Hi sir I understand that it’s quite inconvenient, I’ve had the same issue even an iOS 12. While what I’m about to say is not a permanent solution for the problem, it is a temporary fix that’s functional enough for you to be able to carry out daily tasks on your own. after you’ve hung up on a call, just launch Siri for a second. You can dismiss Siri right after, You don’t have to get her to do anything at all. Just launching Siri after hanging up is generally sufficient to restore functionality. Hope this helps. Aparna > On 13-Oct-2019, at 12:45 PM, Prasanna Kumar Pincha <prasannapin...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > > > Dear friends! > > > > While I am not a very technosavvy person, I do use technology to cater to my > minimum current requirements. Myself being blind, I use accessibility > features like Voiceover, and Braille on my iPhone, Jaws screening reading > software on my laptop, ETC. Incidentally, I am currently using iPhone 7. > > > > Of late, I have been encountering serious issues of interface of Voiceover > with Whatsapp and Facetime. The Voiceover stops functioning when any > whatsapp call or facetime call concludes or ends; and, there is no way I can > bring it back, much less so without assistance from a sighted person. > Matters came to such a pass that Voiceover could not be restored even with > assistance from a sighted person. Since both my children are abroad, I need > to use Whatsapp and facetime almost on an everyday basis to stay in touch > with them. > > > > After grappling with this issue for quite a while and after trying all kinds > of tricks to resolve the issue, I had no choice but to lodge a > case/complaint with Apple vide case No. 100920048517 as all my efforts to > resolve the issue on my own failed. > > > > Following my complaint, the Apple engaged a technical adviser for me for > this issue who guided me, or for that matter my sighted assistant over the > phone for hours together on three different days if I remember > correctly.she, the technical adviser made my sighted assistant perform on my > laptop and my iPhone all kinds of tasks which resulted only in my iPhone > going blank and dead as all the software was uninstalled and it could not > be reinstalled. The only saving grace was that backup of my data was > retained in my laptop on itune. Finally, she advised me to go to a > nearest Apple service provider and get the phone restored. I however wish > to clarify that this problem happens only in respect of incoming and > outgoing Whatsapp and Facetime calls; and, it does not happen when I send or > receive text messages or voice notes. > > > > In pursuance of her advice, I had no choice but to fix a slot with the > nearest Apple service provider and visit them with my phone and laptop. They > restored my phone and my data and asked me to make a whatsapp call. > Accordingly, I made a brief Whatsapp call and found that the Voiceover did > work after the call ended. However, after I left the Apple service centre, > the same problem cropped up again with the result that I am now terribly > scared of making or receving Whatsapp or Facetime calls. And as if all > this was not enough, I was charged for restoring my phone though the issue > continues to remain unresolved; and, it all happened not owing to any fault > on my part. > > > > In the meantime, my daughter who operates out of new York got in touch with > some accessibility expert working with apple and explained my plight. The > said accessibility expert is understood to have told her that he has already > escalated this issue as he received similar complaints from other blind > users as well. He expressed the hope that the issue will be resolved when > apple comes up with next update. > > > > Last evening, after I returned from the Apple service provider, so utterly > distraught, I shot up a mail to my technical adviser. Following this she > called me and said that she too is escalating it; and she hoped that she > would perhaps get back to me after 48 hours. She also expressed her regret > for inconvenience caused to me and thanked me for my cooperation. One of the > facts which I pointed out to her is how inaccessible are customer complaint > services of apple for users with blindness. Just see, in order for you to > get in touch with your technical adviser who again is engaged with massive > struggle, the user has to first dial a 12 digit No., if I remember > correctly; then, he has to dial another 12 digit number which is her > extension; Thereafter also, the adviser does not come online directly. You > just are required to give your 12 digit case number and then leave a voice > message briefly stating your problem. Now, it is her/his choice to get back > to you. My point is how on earth do they expect a user with blindness to > remember 36 digits before even recording a voice message? It is difficult > for sighted persons also albeit they can dial the numbers while looking at > the screen. This is height of insensitivity and inhumanity on the part > of Apple in relation to users with blindness. > > > > In the course of my telephonic conversation, I also objected to apple being > so secretive as they are reluctant to give out details of their location and > other details when speaking to the customer over the phone. Ironically, How > such companies intrude into the privacy of others needs no elaboration. > > > > I hear with concern that the iPhones which are in the offing will further > complicate accessibility related issues for blind users. Against this > backdrop, I would request assistive technology experts in India to > emphatically take up this issue with appropriate companies and governments > so that trouble free and easy-to-operate accessibility features are > invariably incorporated in the upcoming devices and that accessibility > issues are kept in mind by such companies while releasing updates of > various softwares. Besides, customer care services must be made easily > accessible by users with blindness keeping in mind that one may not always > have the company of a computer skilled sighted person. > > > > Friends! In case you deem fit, kindly share this narrative with maximum > number of people as many other users with blindness are already facing this > issue and many more are likely to face this in the days ahead. > > > > With very warm regards, > > > > Prasanna Kumar Pincha. > > > > > > > > > > Prasanna Kumar Pincha > > > > > > Former Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, > > > > Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, > > > > govt. of India, New Delhi. > > > > > > Former chairperson > > > > National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, > Mental Retardation, and Multiple Disabilities, > > > > Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, > > > > Govt. of India, New Delhi. > > > > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ > > To unsubscribe send a message to > accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please > visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the > person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; > > 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails > sent through this mailing list.. > Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
