iPod Touch/iPhone as a Communication Device

iPod Touch/iPhone as a Communication Device

For those PALS (Patients with ALS) who have good hand function, but just have trouble speaking, this may be a solution for you.

If you already own an iPod Touch or iPhone, there are a host of applications that you can purchase to have your device speak out loud things that you type or select on a screen:

Proloquo2go: Fully featured communication software with over 7000 items. Good quality voices. www.proloquo2go.com. $189.99 on iTunes

Talk Assist: Speaks anything typed into the application. Phrases can be saved, and it also keeps a history of typed phrases. Free on iTunes

iSpeech – Text to Speech: Speaks anything typed into the application. Free on iTunes


Speak it! Text to Speech: Turns anything a user types into speech. Good voice synthesizer with very clear speech. $1.99 on iTunes

Talk to Me – Text to Speech: Speaks words as they are typed, and will speak whole phrases. $1.99 on iTunes

Locabulary: Speaks preprogrammed word/phrases. Free on iTunes


Small Talk to Aphasia: Designed for people with aphasia, Small Talk provides a vocabulary of pictures and videos that talk in a natural human voice. Free on iTunes


If you do not have an iPod Touch or iPhone, you may be interested in this option. You should go to a store that sells iPod Touches or iPhones to see how you like the touch screen before you purchase this device.

Other accessories that you may find helpful:








Ewest Super Mini Stereo Speaker








iMainGo 2 Handheld Speaker Case








If you have difficulty touching the screen, there is a stylus that you can purchase to help make selecting items easier called the Pogo Stylus.