TexCom is an app designed to assist individuals who are literate but have difficulty communicating verbally. The app comes with a set of preloaded phrases, but users can easily add their own phrases, and even import and export word and phrase lists. TexCom employs a rapid search and retrieval method to display phrases containing the characters entered in the text/search box. Additionally, the app can speak text inputted by the user using the chosen device text to speech voice.
To communicate privately, iPad users can flip their device over, and the display will expand for the viewer, or they can simply share their message. If you are a laptop using, holding down the CTRL (control) key will expand the view of the message.
Users can also customise their phrases by adding abbreviations or emojis for quick identification.
TexCom includes a set of easy communicate buttons, including a bell sound, SOS sound, Yes/No and Add Phrase to your phrase list.
AAC communicator apps like TexCom are especially useful for individuals with speech impairments, language disorders, or cognitive disabilities, as they allow them to express themselves and participate in social interactions more fully. TexCom does not require the creation of an app account, internet access, or include advertisements.
Get TexCom
TexCom Preview Video (on iPad)
TexCom has a toolbar with 10 buttons at the top of the screen. It then has a yellow "message bar" and a "speak" button, which speaks the content of the message bar. The message bar also acts as a "search box" to find phrases from the TexCom list.
To use TexCom, type some words into the message bar, and press the Speak button. TexCom will speak the words. Alternatively, you can choose a phrase from the TexCom list and it will be entered into the message bar. Press speak to announce that message. You can add any messages you type into the TexCom message list.
The 10 toolbar buttons do the following:
Button 1 - Clear text from the text window.
Buttons 2 & 3 - Undo and Redo for when editing text.
Button 4 - A bell sound to attract attention or respond.
Button 5 - Says the word "NO:
Button 6 - Says the word "YES"
Button 7 - SOS button making an alert sound.
Button 8 - Favourites Button - add the current text to the top of the list
Button 9 - Settings
Button 10 - Share Phrase button.
There is also a hidden setting if you are using an iPad. If you have created a phrase in the message bar, but you don't want to have it spoken aloud - you can flip over your iPad and it will show the message in a large text size for the viewer(s). The same function works on a Windows laptop or Chrombook, when holding the CTRL (Control) key down will zoom the display to full screen. This also allows for longer phrases to be viewed without scrolling.
Any sentences or phrases that are typed into the TexCom text panel can be saved into the phrase list. This means phrases will appear on searches, or even via abbreviations.
- Type a sentence or phrase into the TexCom text panel. Press the "heart" favourites icon, and this will add the phrase into the list as a "favourite". It is also possible to assign an emoji to the phrase, and to add an abbreviation to quickly recall that phrase to the text panel.
There are two ways to edit a TexCom phrase on a touch device.
- Press and Hold on the phrase you want to edit. You should be presented with a pop menu offering the choice of Edit, Add a New Phrase, or Delete the Phrase
2. Light Press on a phrase, and swipe left. This will revel the Edit Screen such as below.
From the edit screen, you can change the text to be displayed/spoken. You can also add an emjoi to help quickly identify the phrase when scrolling.
You can also add an abbreviation, that can be typed to load the full phrase. For example, If you enter a phrase "I live in Rochester", and add an abbreviation RO - then typing RO into the text panel followed by / (so RO/) then the full phrase will be shown in the panel and can be spoken.
TexCom has a settings menu as shown below
User's Name - Enter a name, and this will be entered into phrase(s) that include the users name. Use [***] to add the User's Name to a phrase.
Show Tooltips - helpful prompts.
Voice - choose from available voices, or use the "system voice". The voice choices depend on the type of device.
Pitch/Rate/Volume control the pitch, speed and loudness of the selected voice.
ADVANCED:
"Add text from file" - if you create a list of text phrases, and save them as a .txt file, then you can import them into the TexCom list. Once the new phrase are in the TexCom list, you could add emoji and abbreviations if required.
"Import Communicator from File" - if somebody has created a customised phrase list using their TexCom app, they can Share/Export this file to your device file system or a cloud drive such a Dropbox. You can then import that TexCom file list into your TexCom app, which will replace your existing list.
"Share Communicator" - If you have created a custom or personalised phrase list, you can share this to other TexCom users or export/save it on your local device or a shared cloud drive (for backup purposes).
TexCom on iOS (iPad and iPhone) uses the device's "system voice". Changing the iOS system voice is easy; navigate to Settings, then Accessibility, and finally, Spoken Text and Voices. See the video showing how to change the iOS system voice that will work in TexCom and PiCom
