Scanning

An access technique is how Switchify decides which part of the screen you mean. A scanning mode is who moves the highlight: Switchify (auto) or you (manual). Choose both under Settings → Scanning. You can change the technique at any time from the Settings item in the menu without leaving what you are doing.

Access techniques

Item scan

Item scan highlights the interactive things on screen, such as buttons, links and text fields, one at a time. Press Select when the one you want is highlighted. This is the default and the quickest for everyday tasks.

• Row/Column Scan moves through rows first, then the items in the chosen row.
• Group Scan splits long rows into smaller groups to shorten the scan. Applies when Row/Column Scan is on. You can also toggle it from the menu.
• Item Scan Speech speaks each item’s description as it is highlighted.
• Scan Cycles: how many times to go round before stopping, from 1 to 10.
• Item Scan Speed: 0.2 to 10 seconds per item, in auto scan.

The highlight can be a Border, a Fill, or a Spotlight that dims everything except the current item or row. You can animate the highlight as it moves and show a countdown of the time left before it advances.

Point scan

Point scan picks an exact spot with moving lines. Two modes:

• Line only. A line moves across the screen; press to stop it. A second line then moves the other way; press again. Where they cross is your point.
• Grid + line. The screen is first divided into a grid from 2 × 2 to 10 × 10. The blocks highlight in turn; pick one, then the lines run inside it.

Line speed has five presets, from very slow to very fast. Grid scan speed (0.1 to 5 seconds) applies while you are choosing a block. Both are auto scan settings.

Radar

A line rotates round the screen like a windscreen wiper. Press to lock the angle. A circle then travels out along that line; press again to drop the point there. It reaches awkward corners and overlaid menus that item scan cannot.

• Radar only sweeps the whole screen. Grid + radar picks a grid block first, then sweeps inside it.
• Radar speed has five presets, from very slow to very fast, with a separate grid scan speed.
• Slow Down Then Select: press once to slow the sweep, press again to select.
• Radar Starting Position: Top, Bottom or Center.

App-specific scanning

Settings → Scanning → App-specific scanning gives an app its own technique. Apps without a rule use your default.

Scanning modes

Auto

The highlight moves by itself at the speed you set. Press Select when it reaches what you want. One switch is enough.

Under Auto Scan Settings:

• Auto-start scanning starts the next scan by itself after a selection.
• Pause on first item holds the highlight on the first item of each cycle for 0.5 to 3 seconds.

Manual

The highlight moves only when you press Next or Previous, and Select picks the item. Manual needs all three actions.

Under Manual Scan Settings, Move Repeat keeps moving while you hold a Next or Previous switch, with a delay of 0.1 to 2 seconds between moves.

Speeds

Settings → Scanning → Scan Speeds gathers the auto scan speeds in one place: point scan speed (shown as line speed and grid scan speed when a grid is used), item scan speed, and radar speed with its grid scan speed.

What happens after you select

With item scan, selecting an item opens the menu at that spot by default. Auto select under Settings → Selection taps the item instead after a delay of your choosing (0.1 to 100 seconds); press again during the delay to open the menu. Assisted selection chooses the nearest interactive item to where you selected.

Highlight colours

Settings → Scanning → Scan Color offers five colour sets: Default (blue and amber), High Contrast (black and white), Deuteranopia-safe (blue and yellow), Tritanopia-safe (red and teal) and Monochrome (greyscale).