Face-to-face communication for a person who is deaf with someone who does not sign, can be difficult. Interpreters are not always available. Writing doesn’t always work because it can be slow and not everyone has terrific penmanship. Texting is great sometimes, but it doesn’t work for everyone or when the service is down. There are two-way text communication devices specifically for this situation called the Ubiduo or Interpretype; however, these are expensive, not portable, and meant to be used while sitting at a table.
Enter a set of Android apps called “Deaf/Hearing Chat Device”. The purpose of this app system is to establish a running conversation in text form between a person who is deaf and does not speak with a person who can hear. This requires two Android devices (tablets or smartphones) and a Bluetooth connection. No Wi-Fi, 3G, or 4G required.
The person who is deaf uses an Android device with the Deaf/Hearing Chat Device-Deaf App ($5.99), and they communicate by typing or Swyping. The person who they want to communicate with is given another Android device with the Deaf/Hearing Chat Device-Hearing App ($8.99), and they communicate by typing, Swyping or entering their text by voice with the built-in Google speech recognition engine.
We tried this at IPAT with an Asus tablet and a Samsung Galaxy Note 2, both running Android 4.1 (Jellybean) with Wi-Fi and 4G turned off. The Bluetooth took a minute to connect, but once connected, the conversation commenced with virtually no delay between transmissions. The voice recognition worked well even without Wi-Fi or 4G. When the transmission was sent to the phone, it vibrated to alert the user (does not work with tablets), which is really nice if communicating with someone who is “long-winded” and you doze off.
The best features, in my opinion, were not having to pass a device back and forth and being able to see the threaded conversation in real time. In addition, the font size of the app user interface was very large, even on small devices, which would be great for someone with low vision. In the future for long conversations, I would increase the timeout on each device’s display setting, as it became annoying when the screens would turn off mid conversation.
Intrigued? Grab a friend with a smartphone or tablet and try the free limited trial versions of this app system. Let me know how it works for you!
UPDATE: Apple iOS versions of Deaf/Hearing Chat Device are available!
Jeannie, thanks for the great review!
After the massive success of ‘Deaf – Hearinf Chat. Device H/D’ for Android, I have now launched ‘Deaf – Hearing Chat’ for iOS. Version 1.1, that support iPhone, iPod, iPad, available on App Store.
That’s great! Thanks for letting us know!
I have Samsung galaxy s4 and I want to use voice to text message because when people calls to the voice mail then I can’t hear what they saying. I want to know what website for deaf/hard of hearing voice texts. I hate voice mail and it’s really annoying. I did download apps for deaf/ hard of hearing device. It already paid for it and I don’t know what to do. Because it’s not connected to my phone. Please help me and send me information. Thanks
Hi Crystal! I will email you privately as I have some questions re: your needs and the app you are using before I can give you an answer to your question.
I have a question. Do both phones have to be on a phone plan. Really interested in this app for student getting ready to go into work force
Hello! The devices connect via Bluetooth, so 4G or WiFi are not required, therefore no phone plan is needed for either device. Good luck with your students!
Has the system been accepted in court and the phone displayed be projected onto a screen or computer monitor?
Hello Mike- most smartphones have the ability to display or share their screens, just depends on what you are using. Some require a cable and some can do it wirelessly. In regards to the court question, I would refer you to the ADA.gov and the officials in your court system.
My neighbor has completely lost his hearing. I’m looking for something that he can hold and other people can talk into and it will type the text message for him to read.
Hi Susan! Voice recognition which is available on most smartphones now can provide you with this service. If you would like more information, please contact me at 1-800-895-4728 or jmkrull@ndipat.org.