Using Zello PTT with Voiceover for vision impaired users.
Welcome to Zello with Voiceover.
This article is only for Zello on IOS devices and assumes you can use Voiceover and the various gestures needed to get the best out of it.
It also assumes you have loaded Zello on your IOS device and have created an account and now wish to get started.
The first thing we need to do is to create a profile and for this we need to be on the "Navigation Menu" .
It's worth remembering that On Zello you can always get back from where you are with the button that is near the top left of your screen. If you put your finger at the top left and move down, you will first find your service provider details, time etc. Move on down and you'll find a button which will say "Navigation Menu." Split tap that button and you'll be presented with a series of options on screen:
Update Profile;
Speaker;
Status (either solo, available or busy;)
Recents (a list of your recent contacts;)
Contacts (a list of the people you can talk to personally;)
Channels;
Options.
Let's go to "Update Profile," the first item on the menu.
If you now feel round slightly down from the centre of the screen you will find a series of edit boxes which are self-explanatory. To access each one, split tap the name. Fill in the details you want to - they are not mandatory but can be useful for other people to know a little about you. When finished, at the top right of the screen you'll find the "done" button. Split tap that and you're back at the Navigation Menue. .
The next thing to do is add what channels you want.
As you're now on the Navigation Menu, move your finger down to the "Channels" item and split tap that and you'll be presented with a list of the channels you are subscribed to, if any.
This is where it can get a little difficult. Near the bottom right of your screen, if you feel around you'll find something which just says "button." Split tap that and you'll be taken to the channel finding screen where once again you'll find a number of options.
If you go roughly half way down the screen you should find the first of these which is "find a channel." The others are:
Trending Channels (the channles that are most popular in your region;)
Scan QR Code
Create a Channel (where you can make your own channel if you like;)
Cancel.
The one you want is at the top of this menu - "Find a Channel." Split tap that.
You're presented with another screen which as well as having a list of the channels you already have, if any, has a search field.
This can be found near the top of the screen and slightly right of centre. Split tap that and you're in the search box with the on-screen keyboard at the bottom of the screen.
If you know the channel you want, put as much of it in the edit box as you think is necessary and split tap the "search" button at the bottom right of the screen. You will then be on the channel's profile. If it's the channel you want, and you can find the text from approximately half way down the screen - the top half is very often a picture; feel round near the top right of your screen till you find the "Add Channel"button and split tap that: job done! Now you're ready to talk, but first let's look at options and make a change or two here which will make things easier for you.
Use the "back" button and go to the Navigation Menu.
At the bottom of this list you will find "Options" which you need to split tap. Here again you will find a list:
Alert Tone/Vibrate (this gives you beep tones and little vibrations to signify start and end of either your speech or the person speaking.
History: (Zello keeps a recording of conversations and we'll deal with this later.)
Push to Talk Button
Restrictions (this should be set to unlocked.)
Themes (these are different ways Zello is shown on screen and if you have a little sight it may be worth experimenting with to get the best contrast.)
Support
Let's now go to "Push to Talk Button." Life is made a lot easier if you set this to "Toggle." This means that you can use the "universal two finger double tap" to toggle the Press to Talk button. The rest you can leave alone and play with in your own time.
Let's now press the "back" button till we get to the Navigation Screen and go down to Channels and by split tapping that you now should be on the channel selection list. Select your channel and again you're ready to talk using Zelo.
Let's now look at the Zello screen when you're in a channel.
At the top left, again you'll find the "Back" button. Under that you'll find the profile of the person speaking, and if there's no one speaking, the profile of the channel. The Zello "Push to Talk Button" is a large circle in the center of the screen, but, if you're using the universal two finger double tap to use the Push to Talk (PTT) button, you can do this anywhere on the screen. There are various things you can also do here - try swiping with one finger and you'll go through the list, including
number of users on the channel,
disconnect channel,
camera (you can take pictures and send them to the channel should you so wish.)
One of the most important buttons is the "Available" button. You don't need to swipe either left or right with one finger to find it. If you put your finger on the "Home" button and move up slightly directly above you should find it. This is a very important button and has three states
Available: this means that you'll hear, in the order they come in, anything that is transmitted on any channels you have connected. This can be very confusing as you'll hear things from different channels and won't necessarily know on which channels they are being sent.
Solo: this is the important one in that it allows you only to hear the channel you're on.
Busy: You can use this if you want silence but don't want to turn Zello off.
There are indeed many other features to #Zello but this should get you started.
Author: Chrissie Cochrane G4IZO
This article is only for Zello on IOS devices and assumes you can use Voiceover and the various gestures needed to get the best out of it.
It also assumes you have loaded Zello on your IOS device and have created an account and now wish to get started.
The first thing we need to do is to create a profile and for this we need to be on the "Navigation Menu" .
It's worth remembering that On Zello you can always get back from where you are with the button that is near the top left of your screen. If you put your finger at the top left and move down, you will first find your service provider details, time etc. Move on down and you'll find a button which will say "Navigation Menu." Split tap that button and you'll be presented with a series of options on screen:
Update Profile;
Speaker;
Status (either solo, available or busy;)
Recents (a list of your recent contacts;)
Contacts (a list of the people you can talk to personally;)
Channels;
Options.
Let's go to "Update Profile," the first item on the menu.
If you now feel round slightly down from the centre of the screen you will find a series of edit boxes which are self-explanatory. To access each one, split tap the name. Fill in the details you want to - they are not mandatory but can be useful for other people to know a little about you. When finished, at the top right of the screen you'll find the "done" button. Split tap that and you're back at the Navigation Menue. .
The next thing to do is add what channels you want.
As you're now on the Navigation Menu, move your finger down to the "Channels" item and split tap that and you'll be presented with a list of the channels you are subscribed to, if any.
This is where it can get a little difficult. Near the bottom right of your screen, if you feel around you'll find something which just says "button." Split tap that and you'll be taken to the channel finding screen where once again you'll find a number of options.
If you go roughly half way down the screen you should find the first of these which is "find a channel." The others are:
Trending Channels (the channles that are most popular in your region;)
Scan QR Code
Create a Channel (where you can make your own channel if you like;)
Cancel.
The one you want is at the top of this menu - "Find a Channel." Split tap that.
You're presented with another screen which as well as having a list of the channels you already have, if any, has a search field.
This can be found near the top of the screen and slightly right of centre. Split tap that and you're in the search box with the on-screen keyboard at the bottom of the screen.
If you know the channel you want, put as much of it in the edit box as you think is necessary and split tap the "search" button at the bottom right of the screen. You will then be on the channel's profile. If it's the channel you want, and you can find the text from approximately half way down the screen - the top half is very often a picture; feel round near the top right of your screen till you find the "Add Channel"button and split tap that: job done! Now you're ready to talk, but first let's look at options and make a change or two here which will make things easier for you.
Use the "back" button and go to the Navigation Menu.
At the bottom of this list you will find "Options" which you need to split tap. Here again you will find a list:
Alert Tone/Vibrate (this gives you beep tones and little vibrations to signify start and end of either your speech or the person speaking.
History: (Zello keeps a recording of conversations and we'll deal with this later.)
Push to Talk Button
Restrictions (this should be set to unlocked.)
Themes (these are different ways Zello is shown on screen and if you have a little sight it may be worth experimenting with to get the best contrast.)
Support
Let's now go to "Push to Talk Button." Life is made a lot easier if you set this to "Toggle." This means that you can use the "universal two finger double tap" to toggle the Press to Talk button. The rest you can leave alone and play with in your own time.
Let's now press the "back" button till we get to the Navigation Screen and go down to Channels and by split tapping that you now should be on the channel selection list. Select your channel and again you're ready to talk using Zelo.
Let's now look at the Zello screen when you're in a channel.
At the top left, again you'll find the "Back" button. Under that you'll find the profile of the person speaking, and if there's no one speaking, the profile of the channel. The Zello "Push to Talk Button" is a large circle in the center of the screen, but, if you're using the universal two finger double tap to use the Push to Talk (PTT) button, you can do this anywhere on the screen. There are various things you can also do here - try swiping with one finger and you'll go through the list, including
number of users on the channel,
disconnect channel,
camera (you can take pictures and send them to the channel should you so wish.)
One of the most important buttons is the "Available" button. You don't need to swipe either left or right with one finger to find it. If you put your finger on the "Home" button and move up slightly directly above you should find it. This is a very important button and has three states
Available: this means that you'll hear, in the order they come in, anything that is transmitted on any channels you have connected. This can be very confusing as you'll hear things from different channels and won't necessarily know on which channels they are being sent.
Solo: this is the important one in that it allows you only to hear the channel you're on.
Busy: You can use this if you want silence but don't want to turn Zello off.
There are indeed many other features to #Zello but this should get you started.
Author: Chrissie Cochrane G4IZO
Many thanks to Chrissie G4IZO for writing the above guide to help blind and vision impaired users to get started using the Zello PTT app on Apple iOS devices.