I pad.

[JJH]

Is it possible to have a working iPad without registering it? My mil who is 92 is profoundly deaf but very much in the room otherwise needs a speech to text app. I have an old iPad that would be ideal for her. Of course I could set it up using my Apple ID but I don’t think that would be a good idea. I’d rather just have the iPad without registering so I could put some speech app on it. Any thoughts? JJH

 

[SOAA]

As far as I am aware the iPad would need to be signed in to an Apple account before it can be used.

What are your concerns regarding having it signed in to an account?

 

[JJH]

My account. 60 miles away. Is there no need to worry? I could do it of course but I thought that wasn’t the safest thing to do. JJH

 

[SOAA]

I suppose the only real concern would be your MIL buying things, apps, subscriptions etc, that then get charged to your account.

But I believe you can set an option to require your account password before any purchases are authorised

 

[er-minio]

You can use an iOS device without logging into an Apple account.
The biggest limitation is not being able to download new apps from the App Store, that requires an ID.
S/O updates should work normally.

So, yes, she can use it.
But to download the app you'd need to create her an account and sign it in.

She can technically do text to speech from Notes app, without installing everything extra.
Even though the menu selection might be a tad small/complex to reach, but worth a try.

 

[SOAA]

You can use an iOS device without logging into an Apple account.

I was not aware of that.
Every day is a school day as they say

 

[er-minio]

I was not aware of that.

On iOS the limitation (for normal users) is fairly large, as it is basically impossible to download any software.
On Mac, less so, but they are getting there...


Anyway, Accessibility options have been inbuilt in Apple devices since we had black and white screens.
You can enable "Spoken Content" from the Accessibility options in iOS.
Then, select any bit of text and, from the menu that appears, you'll have a "play" or "speak" option. Tap that and it will do it.

Easiest setup is to use the Notes app to type the messages, then tap on the message > select all > play.


Of course a dedicated app with a clearer/bigger button to "speak" the content might be faster.
I think they also tend to have basic pre-made phrases/responses/common use terms.

 

[JJH]

You can use an iOS device without logging into an Apple account.
The biggest limitation is not being able to download new apps from the App Store, that requires an ID.
S/O updates should work normally.

So, yes, she can use it.
But to download the app you'd need to create her an account and sign it in.

She can technically do text to speech from Notes app, without installing everything extra.
Even though the menu selection might be a tad small/complex to reach, but worth a try.

Yes I’ve got the old iPad charged up and running. Unfortunately the keyboard and microphone would be too fiddly for her. It’s slow to put up the text. I’ve just found another newer I pad which I’m upgrading to iOS 12 or something like that. JJH

 

[JJH]

I’m going to try a dedicated app. JJH

 

[er-minio]

keyboard and microphone

Michrophone?
Oooh. Speech to text, apologies, I understood the other way round.

That's inbuilt too. She can "type" by talking, and also control most of the iPad with speech.

 

[JJH]

The newer iPad is better. Let’s see how she gets on. She is a really social person but she seems to be left behind in group settings. Her hearing aids are working fine. JJH

 

[karlp]

What is the issue with setting up an account for her under her own name/password.
you do not need to put a payment method on there

 

[JJH]

I think we’re good now. Thanks JJH

 

[JJH]

A bit of a laugh here. I bought an acer tablet for the mil. While showing her how to use it it became obvious that she could hear me without reading the tablet but she was pretending to but she isn’t a good enough actor. Turned out that the hearing aids were faulty and she got them fixed. She didn’t want to “upset” me having spent my money on the tablet. I’m just delighted that she is back giving out to all and sundry. Very opinionated and no filter at all it’s great. At 92 she is entitled to let fly every now and then. Here’s JJ big belly first. JJH