There is no instructional material in this lesson as Amelia and the chatbots are assigned to tidy up the Office of Outdated Equipment. This marks the start of The Chatbot Chronicles and the crew head off for their own adventures. Those episodes can be found on YouTube and most podcast apps, or use this RSS feed: https://pinecast.com/feed/voiceover-tutorial February 2025, iOS 18 What You’ll Learn: • That outdated tech is lurking everywhere—including fax machines, cassette drives, and the most feared of all… landlines. • That even data-optimized bots need a moment to dream about becoming espresso machines, karaoke kings, or minimalist holograms. • That being replaced by tiny, chip-based AI who don’t even need cloud support is the digital equivalent of being called "Boomer." Pro Tips Shared: • When scanning for clutter, beware of dial-up sounds. Retro audio is highly contagious. • Existential dread hits harder when you realize your server rack might now be… vintage. • If a fax machine stares at you, do not engage. Just back away and call IT support. Learn More & Connect I’m Brian Clark, Lead Trainer at First Aid for the Blind, where we help people confidently learn non-visual tech skills and regain independence. My life without sight began in 2014, and it is now with great joy that I help others adapt to successful lives without useable vision. https://faftb.com brian@faftb.com

Learn to master your iPhone using VoiceOver! After a few high jinks, Junie and Brian show how to use the Phone and Messages apps using VoiceOver to effectively communicate. February 2025, iOS 18 What You’ll Learn: • How to navigate the Phone app using VoiceOver, including tabs like Favorites, Recents, Contacts, Keypad, and Voicemail. • How to read, compose, and send text messages efficiently in the Messages app—with dictation, group chats, and a few hidden landmines. • How to create and manage contacts, use Siri for quick communication, and access options like blocking or reporting spam calls. Pro Tips Shared: • Add frequent contacts to your Favorites tab so you’re not scrolling like a lost space probe every time you want to call Grandma. • Use Siri for fast actions like “Call Mom” or “Message Jenny”—unless Jenny’s number is still 867-5309, in which case… good luck. • Dictation is your best friend: two-finger double tap to start talking, again to stop, and send with one more swipe. • Use the section index in Contacts for fast scrolling by letter—because flicking through 500 names just to find “Zelda” is a tragic misuse of TFlops. Learn More & Connect I’m Brian Clark, Lead Trainer at First Aid for the Blind, where we help people confidently learn non-visual tech skills and regain independence. My life without sight began in 2014, and it is now with great joy that I help others adapt to successful lives without useable vision. https://faftb.com brian@faftb.com

Learn to master your iPhone using VoiceOver! Archer introduces the App Store, your one-stop shop for new apps. He also covers some ways to make getting apps easier and other areas of interest in this app. February 2025, iOS 18 What You’ll Learn: • How to navigate the five main tabs of the App Store—including Today, Games, Apps, Arcade, and Search—with VoiceOver. • How to install new apps using Face ID, Touch ID, or the ever-so-classic Apple ID password. • How to manage your account, subscriptions, and App Store settings like a true digital commander. Pro Tips Shared: • Use dictation in the Search tab—because saying “Spotify” beats typing it out letter by letter at impulse speed. • If an app disappears after download, check the App Library or use Spotlight Search—it didn’t vanish into a wormhole, promise. • Keep your default payment and security settings updated to breeze through downloads like a Vulcan through logic puzzles. Apps used in this lesson include: Learn More & Connect I’m Brian Clark, Lead Trainer at First Aid for the Blind, where we help people confidently learn non-visual tech skills and regain independence. My life without sight began in 2014, and it is now with great joy that I help others adapt to successful lives without useable vision. https://faftb.com brian@faftb.com

Learn to master your iPhone using VoiceOver! Amelia and Ellie cover the basics for TouchID and FaceID, identity security features for the iPhone, and then Brian does walk throughs for each feature. January 2025, iOS 18 What You’ll Learn: • How to set up and use Touch ID or Face ID with VoiceOver to unlock your device, approve purchases, log in to apps, and autofill passwords like a total tech ninja. • Why a clean finger and a well-lit face are your best friends when it comes to biometric wizardry. • How Apple keeps your fingerprint and face data locked away in a top-secret digital vault (aka the Secure Enclave). Pro Tips Shared: • When setting up Touch ID, don’t press—just rest your finger gently or you’ll end up teleporting back to the Home Screen. • Set your default payment card in Apple Wallet to make Apple Pay as fast as your best action movie one-liner. • Keep iCloud Keychain enabled to autofill passwords using Touch ID or Face ID—less typing, more doing. Apps used in this lesson include: Learn More & Connect I’m Brian Clark, Lead Trainer at First Aid for the Blind, where we help people confidently learn non-visual tech skills and regain independence. My life without sight began in 2014, and it is now with great joy that I help others adapt to successful lives without useable vision. https://faftb.com brian@faftb.com

Amelia, David and Deiter hang out in the break room and talk about Glide, a new fully autonomous mobility guide coming in the fall of 2025. Ellie stops by to hang out too. There is no lesson material in this episode. January 2025, iOS 18 What You’ll Learn: • How to embrace the fine art of doing absolutely nothing productive for one glorious episode. • That sometimes the best ideas bubble up between the lessons—preferably near a coffee machine. • Why even chatbots, robots, and Mr. Fingers deserve a breather between deep dives into settings and rotors. Pro Tips Shared: • Take a break! Your brain (and your iPhone) will thank you. • Use this time to reflect on all your amazing progress—or invent a new kind of digital snack. • Never underestimate the power of a good interlude to spark your next big idea (or your next groan-worthy tech pun). Apps used in this lesson include: Learn More & Connect I’m Brian Clark, Lead Trainer at First Aid for the Blind, where we help people confidently learn non-visual tech skills and regain independence. My life without sight began in 2014, and it is now with great joy that I help others adapt to successful lives without useable vision. https://faftb.com brian@faftb.com

Learn to master your iPhone using VoiceOver! Brian lets the chat bots handle lesson 9, which covers standard iPhone settings and the Home Screen. This is covered from the perspective of the VoiceOver user. January 2025, iOS 18 What You’ll Learn: • How to navigate and customize key iPhone settings like Apple ID, iCloud, Battery, and General settings using VoiceOver. • How to adjust important accessibility features including Auto-Lock, Siri announcements, and biometric security settings like Touch ID. • How to use and customize Control Center for quick access to commonly used features with VoiceOver. Pro Tips Shared: • Use Spotlight Search to jump directly to a setting—just swipe down with three fingers and type what you're looking for. • Adjust Auto-Lock to avoid screen interruptions, and use Screen Curtain (three-finger triple tap) to save battery if set to “Never.” • Test Touch ID setup with VoiceOver guidance, and always have a backup passcode in case fingerprint recognition fails. Learn More & Connect I’m Brian Clark, Lead Trainer at First Aid for the Blind, where we help people confidently learn non-visual tech skills and regain independence. My life without sight began in 2014, and it is now with great joy that I help others adapt to successful lives without useable vision. https://faftb.com brian@faftb.com

Learn to master your iPhone using VoiceOver! Deiter joins the antics, Amelia debuts a new song and the group covers using the share sheet on the iPhone and the Home Screen from a VoiceOver perspective. January 2025, iOS 18 What You’ll Learn: • How to use the Share Sheet to create bookmarks, send items between apps, and add shortcuts to your Home Screen. • How to customize the Share Sheet by adding or removing actions for faster, easier navigation. • How to organize and navigate your iPhone’s Home Screen, including using Edit Mode, folders, the App Library, and the Dock. Pro Tips Shared: • Add frequently visited web pages to your Home Screen from the Share Sheet—it creates app-like shortcuts you can access instantly. • Use folders to organize apps and reduce clutter—VoiceOver will let you rename folders and manage their contents easily. • Customize the Share Sheet by removing clutter—toggle off options you rarely use to make your most important actions easier to find. Learn More & Connect I’m Brian Clark, Lead Trainer at First Aid for the Blind, where we help people confidently learn non-visual tech skills and regain independence. My life without sight began in 2014, and it is now with great joy that I help others adapt to successful lives without useable vision. https://faftb.com brian@faftb.com

Learn to master your iPhone using VoiceOver! Amelia and Brian team up to show some tips and techniques for navigating web pages using VoiceOver. They also introduce Safari and give a brief tour of this browser. January 2025, iOS 18 What You’ll Learn: • How Safari is organized and how to use key features like the Address Bar, Toolbar, and Bookmarks button with VoiceOver. • How to use the rotor to navigate web pages by specific elements like Headings, Links, and Buttons. • How to customize the rotor for efficient web browsing and use Siri as a shortcut to open websites or search. Pro Tips Shared: • Use the rotor to navigate by Headings first—this gives you a quick overview of a page's structure and content. • Add commonly used elements like Links, Buttons, and Form Controls to your rotor to jump directly to what you need. • Save time by bookmarking frequently visited sites and using Siri to bypass typing in the Address Bar. Learn More & Connect I’m Brian Clark, Lead Trainer at First Aid for the Blind, where we help people confidently learn non-visual tech skills and regain independence. My life without sight began in 2014, and it is now with great joy that I help others adapt to successful lives without useable vision. https://faftb.com brian@faftb.com