A talking calculator for blind and low-vision iPhone users

The iPhone calculator works with VoiceOver, but entering a long sum by swiping and double-tapping each key is slow. Speaking the numbers is faster.

What Voice Calculator does

• You say the calculation in plain language.
• Each number goes on a tape, one line per entry.
• When you say “equals”, the app speaks the total.
• The app supports VoiceOver and Voice Control, so you can move through the tape and fix an entry.

Set-up tips

1. Use headphones in noisy places. The mic hears better, and you hear the result without the room hearing it.
2. Speak at a normal pace, with short pauses between numbers. Running two numbers together is the most common source of errors with any dictation.
3. Check the total against a rough estimate. If you expect around 300 and hear 3,000, go through the tape.

Background listening

The app can keep listening while you’re in another app. That helps if you’re reading figures from an email or a bank statement with VoiceOver, then want the total. Listening stops after five minutes of silence.

Low vision

If you have some sight, the app supports Dark Mode and higher contrast. Increase Text Size in iOS settings for the rest of the phone.

The longer piece on our product site: voice calculator for accessibility. And the overview page: talking calculator.