Blind Android Users Podcast

Episode279: ROADS AUDIOWelcome to episode 279.ANNOUNCEMENTSComing up on April 25, 2026 is our 2nd “open-listener/Developer” session.Mark your calendars to join us at 9AM Pacific time.ANDROID BASICSGoogle dropped the April Security patch for Pixel 6-10, fixing a number of some issues.https://source.android.com/docs/security/bulletin/pixelSPOTLIGHTThis week, we caught up with the Developer of “Roads Audio,” where Dave Faliskie intimates us with the history and goal of the app.https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.onemanstartup.roadsAPP OF THE WEEKFor this week’s “app of the week,” we demonstrate “BookFusion—Natural TTS,” a TTS engine with support for a number of languages.https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bookfusion.voiceSTAYING IN TOUCHMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 278, a visit with the developer of ToBe SAIDAnnouncementsSave the date: our second quarterly listener and developer session will take place on 25 April, we’ll circulate joining details nearer the time.SpotlightThis week we’re joined by the developer of the Text to Speech app, ToBe SAID/ToBe SAID Pro.App of the weekWarren brings us a demo of the AI-enabled voice-to-text app, Wispr Flow.CommentaryKarene shows us the new AI text correction functionality in Jieshuo.Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode277 SEEING WITH SOUND (vOICe)Welcome to episode 277.ANNOUNCEMENTSComing up on April 25, 2026 is our 2nd “open-listener/Developer” session.Mark your calendars to join us at 9AM Pacific time.ANDROID 17 BETA 3Google dropped beta 3 of Android 17 on Thursday, March 26 and with that, the version has reached platform stability.https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2026/03/the-third-beta-of-android-17.htmlSPOTLIGHTThis week, we caught up with the Developer of “seeing with Sound” AKA “The vOICe for Android).Get to know the history of the app as Peter Meijer intimates us with its history and both Jacob and Pranav illustrate their experiences and usage scenarios.APP OF THE WEEKFor this week’s “app of the week,” we demonstrate “AudiFlo,” an e-Book reading app with a difference.STAYING IN TOUCHMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 276, sideloadingAnnouncementsSave the date: our second quarterly listener and developer session will take place on 25 April, we’ll circulate joining details nearer the time.Android basicsThis week, it’s all about sideloading.  What is it, and should you do it.App of the weekJacob Kruger demonstrates The vOICe for Android, a visual assistance app with a difference in that it uses soundscapes to describe camera images.  It’s also worth reading Jacob’s setup tips.Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode275 THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF THE OS AND SECURITY PATCH UPDATESWelcome to episode 275.ANDROID BASICSThis week, we focus on the important roles of both the “OS” (Operating System) and Security patch updates.Your faithful crew lays out the important role that each of these updates brings to the table.Let us know whether you agree with our take on the subject matter or not.APP OF THE WEEKFor the “App of the week,” we take a look at a brand-new TTS engine with a promising prospects.The TTS engine in question, is the “ToBe Said” TTS.Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 274, the Pixel March feature drop and Mobile World CongressAndroid basicsWe discuss what’s new in the Pixel March feature drop.SpotlightWe focus on the Mobile World Congress, which took place in Barcelona from 2-5 March.App of the weekSnehashish Mahato brings us a demo of the AI assistant app, ScribeMe whose developer we featured a few weeks ago.Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode273 Galaxy S26-Series Unpack Welcome to episode 273. ANDROID BASICSGoogle dropped the 2nd beta of Android 17 in some 13 days after the first beta.Release Notes explain what’s new and the fixes found in this release. SPOTLIGHTIn the Spotlight for this week is the Samsung Galaxy S26-series unpack, where Samsung unveiled the trio of phones in the way of the S26, S26+ and the S26Ultra. We also gave a general overview of the history of the S-Series to the current iteration of the series. Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 272, the Google Pixel 10ASpotlightThis week we discussed the recently announced Google Pixel 10a, which will be released on 5 March and is available for pre-order now.App of the weekWarren demonstrates another AI-enabled e-book reader, Paper2Audio.Tip of the weekKarene shows us new functionality in the Gmail app which allows you to create a new label.Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 271 Flagship Versus Mid-range PhonesWelcome to episode 271.ANDROID BASICSThis week, your faithful crew discuss the question of getting a flagship phone versus a mid-range phone.Does one really need a flagship phone, or would a mid-ranger suffice in a pinch?Take a listen and leave your comments.SPOTLIGHTIn the Spotlight for this week is the Android 17 Beta 1. What features does it come with?APP OF THE WEEKFor the App of the week,” we turn our attention to “Anytime  Podcast Player,” a podcasting client.Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 270, a visit with the developer of ReadestSpotlightThis week we are joined by Xin Huan, the developer of the cross-platform reading app, Readest.  Download the app for other platforms and contact the developer via the Readest website.Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode269 First Quarter 2026 Open-listener SessionWelcome to the very first 2026 “Open-listener session.”We took this opportunity to ask listeners as to which is their favorite apps for the year 2025, following the podcast crew choices of the best apps of 2025.The categories are:1. E-Book readers2. Audio Recorders3. TTS Engines4. Podcast Players5. offline music players6. Audio-Book PlayersStaying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode268: A Visit with the Dev of Audivision (Formally Audiblevision)Welcome to Episode 268 where we talked exclusively about the new revamped “Audivision” (formally known as “Audiblevision).ANNOUNCEMENTS: First 2026 Open-listener/Developer sessionOur very first “Open-listener/Developer session” of 2026 comes up on Jan. 31, 2026.Make note of the time zone for your area.Spotlight:In our “Spotlight” segment, we exclusively chatted with Aadhar, one of the Devs of “Audivision,” an app that  has immensely improved with features that aren’t found elsewhere.TalkBack Highlights: Enhanced KeymapJohn shows us how to use the new enhanced keymap and browse mode introduced in TalkBack 16.2.Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 267, apps, tips and tricksAnnouncementsOur first listener session of 2026 takes place on 31 January.  Please do join us if you can! We’ll post the link on social media closer to the time.Apps of the weekThis week we bring you a couple of demonstrations: Riz demonstrates the RSS reader SmartRSS and Warren showcases another ebook reader, Readest.Tip of the weekJoseph Hodge shows us how to share a file with a Pixel 10 series phone using Airdrop on the Mac.Talkback highlightsJohn shows us the text formatting announcements feature introduced in Talkback 16.2.Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode266: Meet the Devs of Navis from TouchpulseWelcome to Episode 266 where we talked exclusively about the new GPS app from “Touchpuls” called “Navis.”Take a listen and discover the different approach that these folks have regarding the subject of navigation.Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode265: BAU Best Apps of 2025 Part2.Welcome to Episode265 where the BAU and AA Podcast Crew continue with the Best apps of 2025 as Part 2.For Part 2, we dive into the following Categories:Audio Book Players, Audio and Video Players, Audio Recorders, Podcast Players, OCR Apps and GPS Apps.For the Audio Book Players, the “Smart Audio Book Player” is crowned king.For the Audio and Video slot, the “VLC For Android” takes the cake.The kingship for Audio Recorders category goes to “ASR Recorder.”The category for Podcasting apps finds the “Antennapod” taking the crown.When it comes to the OCR category, however, both the Google Lookout and the Microsoft Seeing AI are a tie for the 1st position.The last category is the GPS apps and the 1st place goes to the “Soundscape for Android” with the “Seeing Assistant Go” taking the 2nd place.Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode264: BAU Chosen apps of 2025 Welcome to Episode264 where the BAU and AA Podcast Crew choose the best apps of 2025 in the following categories: TTS Engines, E-Book Readers and Image/Video Description apps. Owed to time constraints, only those 3 categories above were discussed.We intend on doing a part 2 the following week to cover the other categories.For this week, when it comes to the TTS of the year, that crown went to Eloquence from Codefactory. For the specialized E-book reader for the blind, the crew gave that crown to the Tech-Freedom app.For the general e-Book Reader app, it’s a draw between the “Readify” the “Quickify” app. Next, it’s the Image/Video Description app, where the Image description went to Talkback Image Description.The Realtime Video Description is a draw between the Gemini Live and the ScribeMe app. Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 263, The 5 year anniversaryWe’re joined by listeners and developers for our 5 year anniversary.  Thanks so much for your support, and here’s to the next 5 years!Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode262: Meet the Dev of ScribeMeWelcome to Episode262 where we meet the developer of the ScribeMe app.In addition to meeting the Developer of the “ScribeMe” app, we also discuss the updated Android Accessibility Suite 16.2.SPOTLIGHT 1:Mark Morad of the ScribeMe app gives us insight into the background of the app.SPOTLIGHT 2:In our Spotlight 2, we discuss some of the new features of Talkback 16.2 that debuted with the release of Android Accessibility 16.2.TIP OF THE WEEKFor this Episode’s “Tip of the week,” we take a look at the “Notification Organizer” that dropped alongside with the December 2025 Pixel feature-drop.Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 261, Music players – online vs offlineannouncementsWe’ll be celebrating the podcast’s 5th birthday on 20 December! Please join us and keep an eye out across our various channels for the joining link nearer the time.Android basicsWe discuss the state of music players in 2025, including the merits of online vs offline playback.  Apps we cover include Powermp Music Player, GoneMad Music Player, VLC Media Player, Shuttle Music Player, Spotify and BubbleUpNP.  We also touch on the capability of other app categories to play music such as file managers and browsers.SpotlightWe discuss various developments from Google, including the Quarterly Platform Release 2, December security patch and latest disability-related features.  Also, the public beta of Eloquence was released by Code Factory this week.  Don’t worry if you can’t join immediately, while it’s a public beta numbers may be limited.Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 260: THE STATE OF SHIPPING TRACKERS IN 2025Welcome to Episode 260 where we discuss the need or the lack thereof shipping trackers.This is the shopping season and lots of folks are shopping for stuff for themselves or for family.Does one need a third-party shipping tracker or is it enough to track the items direct from the merchandise store?APP OF THE WEEK:For this week’s “app of the week,” we spotlight the “Readify,” an e-Reading app.JIESHUO (CSR)Kareen brings us another entry from the Jieshuo (CSR) Screen reader in the way of excluding apps from using volume key shortcuts.Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 259, camerasannouncementsWe’ll be celebrating the podcast’s 5th birthday on 20 December! Please join us and keep an eye out across our various channels for the joining link nearer the time.Android basicsWe return to our occasional series on app categories, and this week your crew discuss different camera options.App of the weekWarren demonstrates the Tropical Hurricane Tracker app.Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 258, It’s all about EloquenceannouncementsWe’ll be celebrating the podcast’s 5th birthday on 20 December! Please join us and keep an eye out across our various channels for the joining link nearer the time.SpotlightWe are joined by Eduard Sanchez from Code Factory to talk about the much anticipated return to Android of Eloquence.Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 257, InnoSearch AIannouncementsWe’ll be celebrating the podcast’s 5th birthday on 20 December! Please join us and keep an eye out across our various channels for the joining link nearer the time.SpotlightWe catch up with Patrick Long on what’s new at InnoSearch AI, including their Android appApp of the weekWarren demonstrates Sora by Open AI, which lets you generate videos from text.Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode256: MEET BLIND SHELL CLASSIC3 WITH AIWelcome to Episode256 where we chat with Diane from the Blindshell group. The Blind Shell group has a new phone in the way of the “Blind Shell Classic3” and this time, it has tapped into AI.APP OF THE WEEK:For this week’s “app of the week,” we spotlight the “Innosearch,” an app intended to make online shopping easier for blind folks.Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode255: 2025 4th-Quarter Open-listener SessionWelcome to Episode255, the 2025 4th-quarter “Open-listener and Developers Session.Meet some of your Developers and listeners as we interact with these Developers who talked about their projects.Following the segment that features the Developers and their projects, we have the “Q” and “A” segment, where listeners asked their questions. Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 254, setting up an Android phoneAndroid basicsThis week, John presents a beginner’s guide to setting up an Android phone for the first time.SpotlightWe discuss Quarterly Platform Release 2 Beta 3, and new initiatives from Google to protect you from scams.App of the weekJacob Kruger demonstrates Umsizi Reader, which offers support for many South African languages.Tip of the weekWarren shows us how to prioritise messages in the Google Messages app by pinning them to the top of the conversations list.Staying in touchMake a donation via PayPal, Email us your Android journey stories, suggestions or comments, subscribe to our Email list, join our Telegram and Facebook groups, subscribe to our YouTube channel.Leave us a voice message via our suggestions, comments and questions phone number at: +1-307-202-9797. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.