Like others, I'm tsad to see this keyboard leave the app store. Kosta and Ashley, is there any chance you can open source the: FlickType code? So that people with the knowledge and know how can build upon this app and keep it alive expand it to other platforms etc.

I have tried other methods of typing on IOS and none are nowhere near to my satisfaction of keyboard input.

Going to feel really lost if it really does go away. It was kinda why I brought an iPhone in the first place.   

 

On 19 Aug 2021, at 14:25, Jessica D <jldail13@...> wrote:

 Hi Shaun,

First, I'll apologize, just in case, I misspelled your name. 

I was going to say, "what if you used braille screen input?" 

I'm using it right now, to type this message. 

For the most part, it works well. 

Sometimes though, if I do the delete last typed word, (2 finger flick left) or a new line (2-finger flick right) It gets misinterpreted and results in the rotor changing, and voiceover announcing  "stopping braille screen input." 

From there, you're put back in the text field, most likely at the bottom, of the field you were in, which for me, right now, is the body of this email message. 

So far, braille screen input hasn't crashed once, since I began typing this message. 

I can type very quickly with it. 

Please feel free to contact me offlist, at jldail13@..., if you have any questions, or would like to discuss this further. 

Thanks,

Jessica

, 

On Aug 19, 2021, at 4:54 AM, Shawn Krasniuk via groups.io <bbsshawn@...> wrote:

 Hi Kosta, Chuck and others. Kosta, I share the same sentiments as Chuck. This app has basically changed the way I use my iPhone for the good. When I first heard about it from my friend Helena when it was still in its infancy as just a beta, I jumped at the opportunity to join the beta testing team and installed it on my iPhone. It solidified as a main stable of my phone after I had you on my radio show, Accessibility Matters. I basically used dictation maybe a few times while using this app, and before I was using dictation basically all the time because typing on the iOS keyboard for me is very slow, even when I'm using touch typing. And now I hear that this app won't be developed anymore. I'm a little saddened by this news, but I realize that you've taken a lot of abuse from Apple and I don't blame you for this decision. I was really hoping though that an update would've been released for us testing iOS 15 as there are issues with typing feedback. For example, sometimes Flicktype will just say the last letter of a word when flicking down through the choices of words, such as O for when you flick down to get the word hello. Deleting words doesn't speak all the time either, you just get either it saying space or end of text. So for users of Flicktype, if you desperately need this app, I would recommend not updating to iOS 15 as it won't work properly.

Now as for what I said in my previous paragraph about me not blaming Kosta, this doesn't mean that I blame Apple. This doesn't mean that I'm an Apple fanboy. Don't get me wrong, I'm mad at Apple for how they're treating a helpful Mac app that I use every day and I prefer it over the stupid notification center, but I realize that it is what it is. I realize that I'm a part of a minority which is the blind community and unfortunately we don't get the same treatment as the sighted folks. But that doesn't mean that I need to act entitled and throw a temper tantrum like a 3 year old who has just been told that he/she can't have candy right now. Believe me, there's a lot of things I'd like to have happen like finally having accessibility in video games, but realistically that may not happen in my lifetime. I can hope for it though, but demanding that it happen right now isn't realistic. So in the meantime, I'll keep putting the word out that we are people too, we just can't see.

As for the debate about Apple vs. Android, I've used an Android before and I will never switch to one for personal use. I found Talkback very clunky. Also, I have both a Mac and an Apple Watch so I don't want to screw up my perfect setup. I guess what I'm trying to say is if Flicktype does eventually stop working altogether, I'll manage. Hell, I did it before with using dictation. If I have to, I'll use it again or maybe buy a Bluetooth keyboard and be like one of those people in the visually impaired community who has to lug it around in a bag or something. It's not the end of the world, just the end of an era.

Regards,
Shawn,
Sent from Sophia, the MacBook Air

Want to join my WhatsApp groups such as Echo Enthusiasts, Accessibility Matters, Mac Users And Newbies or the Tech Zone? Send me a private email with your contact information and the group you wish to join and I'll happily add you.

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On Aug 17, 2021, at 5:08 PM, Chuck Dean <cadean329@...> wrote:

Hello Kosta,
This truly is sad news, especially since you broke your promise to me.
Before Theodore was born, and Ashley had her health problems, you asked me to be an alpha tester for Flicktype. I was somewhat reluctant to spend time with the app  after seeing what happened to Fleksy. You assured me that you were totally committed to the Flicktype app, and would fight for it no matter what to keep it in the App Store forever!
After hearing this I decided to become an alpha tester, and I spent many hours working with you and other people to try to make Flicktype a great app.
Also, as a beta tester and moderator, I spent a lot of time helping other beta testers understand the new incarnations of Flicktype, and explaining to people what the differences were. Through many Test Flight trials, a great app was developed.
 
I also defended Flicktype like a lioness  defending her cubs. I explained many times why apps built for the visually impaired community did not have the same revenue as other apps, and why it was necessary for her to have a higher dollar value, or a subscription price.

When you developed the watch app, you actually called me on the phone and we talked for about an hour and a half  and how the watch app could be developed and used by visually impaired people.
When you released the watch app, to the general public, many people came on the Internet and said this was the end of  Flicktype.They feared the same thing was going to happen to Flicktype that happened to Fleksy once the general public started using it, it would stop being accessible. I explain to these people that I thought the reason why you were allowing the Apple Watch app to go public is because you would use the revenue to support the Flicktype app for the visually impaired.
Your answer was “bingo”.

I guess the most disappointing thing to me is I’m usually a pretty good judge of character.
I hate when I’m wrong.

Chuck 

Pleez x cuze enny tie ping or spelin air ores.

Our 1972 Honda 600 Coupe       Our 1961 Vespa 400

On Tue, Aug 17, 2021 at 1:41 PM FlickType <hello@...> wrote:

It's with a heavy heart that we're announcing the discontinuation of our award-winning iPhone keyboard.

Apple has thrown us obstacle after obstacle for years while we try to provide an app to improve people's lives, and we can no longer endure their abuse.

Read more about our announcement below, and thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years:

https://twitter.com/FlickType/status/1427292830523744257?s=20

- Kosta