Support

SpeakPad requires an iPhone or iPad running iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 or later. It is a universal app, available on both iPhone and iPad.

SpeakPad is completely free - every feature is included with no subscriptions, no paywalls, and no hidden fees. An optional tip jar lets you support development if you'd like, but nothing is ever locked behind it.

No. SpeakPad works completely offline. Speech, symbols, and all data are on-device.

In Caregiver Mode, tap any empty cell to add a new word: type a label, pick a symbol, and tap Save. To edit an existing word, tap it. For sub-board (folder) tiles, tap the pencil icon. To rearrange, press and hold a button, then drag it to a new position. Drop it on an empty cell to move or on another button to swap. If your grid is full, tap the Grid Size button to increase the grid size, or add a folder-type item to create a sub-board.

In Caregiver Mode, tap the Grid Size button in the toolbar, then adjust the number of rows and columns. Items already on the board stay in their saved positions.

SpeakPad uses Fitzgerald Key colour-coding, a system widely used in speech therapy. Green = verbs (actions), orange = nouns (things), blue = adjectives (describing words), pink = social words, purple = questions, yellow = pronouns (people), brown = prepositions (where), and grey = other. This colour consistency helps children find words faster through visual pattern recognition.

Long-press any word on the communication board to see grammar variants. For example, long-pressing 'go' shows 'going', 'went', 'goes', and 'gone'. Tap a variant to speak it and add it to the message bar. Grammar popups are available in all 7 supported languages.

In Caregiver Mode, tap Find Word in the toolbar. Type any word to search across all boards. Tap a result to jump straight to that board and word.

In Caregiver Mode, tap the Hide button in the toolbar, then tap any vocabulary item to toggle its visibility. Hidden items appear greyed out in the editor but are completely invisible to the child on the communication board. This lets you introduce vocabulary progressively without permanently removing words, a technique called Progressive Disclosure.

First, check that your device is not on silent (mute). On iPad, check Control Centre or the side switch if your model has one. On iPhone, flip the ring/silent switch on the left side so no orange is showing. Also make sure the volume is turned up. SpeakPad uses a special audio mode that should play through silent mode, but some devices require the ringer to be on. If you still hear nothing, go to your device's Settings → SpeakPad and make sure Speech is not disabled.

In Caregiver Mode, tap Profile in the toolbar, then tap Communication. Expand the Voice section to choose from all available system voices for your selected language, and adjust the speed and pitch with sliders. Voices marked with a star (★) are higher-quality enhanced voices. Tap Preview to hear a sample.

Yes. In Caregiver Mode, tap Profile → Communication, then tap Language. Turn on 'Show Bilingual Labels' and choose a secondary language. You can set whether the primary, secondary, or both languages are spoken aloud. Each profile can have its own language pair.

Yes. When adding or editing a vocabulary item, you can choose a photo from your device's photo library.

SpeakPad includes 16,900+ symbols from two open-source collections: Mulberry Symbols (CC BY-SA 4.0) and ARASAAC (© Government of Aragon, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Both are designed specifically for AAC use.

A Visual Scene Display (VSD) uses a real photo - such as a playground, bedroom, or kitchen - as a communication board. Tappable hotspots are placed on the image, and when your child taps one, SpeakPad speaks the word or phrase. VSDs are great for contextual communication in familiar environments.

In Caregiver Mode, tap Profile in the toolbar, then tap Layout & Display, then tap Board Pack. Browse the available packs and switch to one. Switching replaces boards for the current profile only. SpeakPad creates an automatic rollback backup before switching, and you can share or restore that rollback backup from the same screen.

In Caregiver Mode, tap the More (⋯) menu in the toolbar, then tap Share Board. This exports the currently viewed board as a .speakpad file that you can send via AirDrop, email, or any sharing method. The recipient can import it into their copy of SpeakPad. To share all boards at once, use Export Backup instead.

In Caregiver Mode, tap Profile in the toolbar, then tap Accessibility, then tap Switch Scanning. Turn on 'Enable Switch Scanning' and choose a scan pattern: Row-Column (highlights a row, then individual cells), Linear (scans cell by cell), or Group (divides the board into quadrants for faster access). Adjust the scan speed and highlight colour to suit the user. SpeakPad's scanning also works with iOS Switch Control - pair an external Bluetooth switch in your device's Settings under Accessibility → Switch Control → Switches.

In Caregiver Mode, open the More (⋯) menu and tap Print Board. SpeakPad generates a printable PDF of the current board. You can choose options like orientation, black-and-white mode, and bilingual labels, then print or share the PDF.

When adding or editing a vocabulary item in Caregiver Mode, look for the Custom Pronunciation field. Type exactly how you want the voice to say it. Useful for names, places, or words the voice mispronounces (for example, labelling a tile 'Gran' but typing 'Grahn' so it sounds natural). Leave it blank to speak the label as written.

In Caregiver Mode, tap a vocabulary item to edit it, then scroll down to the Word Forms section. Add or edit variants such as tenses (went, going) and plurals (dogs), each with its own optional custom pronunciation. SpeakPad includes built-in forms for common words. Tap Reset to Defaults to restore them. These variants appear when a child long-presses that word on the communication board.

Yes. Each child gets their own profile with separate boards, voice, language, and settings. If you have multiple profiles, tap the profile chip in the top-right corner of the communication board and complete the caregiver gate to switch. You can also manage profiles from Caregiver Mode.

In Caregiver Mode, tap Profile in the toolbar, then tap Data & Backup, then tap Back Up Now. To export a .speakpad file instead, tap the More (⋯) menu and choose Export Backup.

On your old device, open Caregiver Mode, tap Profile in the toolbar, then tap Data & Backup and tap Back Up Now. On your new device, install SpeakPad and complete setup. Then open Caregiver Mode, tap the More (⋯) menu in the toolbar, and tap Import Backup to restore your data. Alternatively, you can use Export Backup on the old device to save a .speakpad file (via AirDrop, Files, or email) and import it on the new device the same way.

In Caregiver Mode, tap Profile in the toolbar, then scroll to the Support & About section and tap Usage Analytics. You'll see word frequency charts, daily communication counts, and session data. Use the date filter to narrow the range. To export a report, scroll to the Export Data section and choose Export as CSV, Export as JSON, PDF Report for SLT, or Plain Text Report. All analytics data stays on-device and is never shared.

Yes. In Caregiver Mode, tap Profile → Data & Backup and make sure Sync between devices is turned on. When a backup from your other device arrives in iCloud, SpeakPad detects it and shows an Update available prompt. Tap Update to apply it. Before syncing, SpeakPad automatically creates a safety backup of your current data. You can restore it any time from the backup list on the same page.

The Core Zone is the top rows of your home board - high-frequency words like 'I', 'want', 'go', and 'more' - that stay frozen at the top of every sub-board. These core vocabulary words are always one tap away, no matter which category board you navigate to. Caregivers can adjust how many rows appear in the Core Zone from Caregiver Settings.

Tap symbols to build a sentence in the message bar at the top of the screen. Tap the message bar to speak the full sentence aloud. To clear it, tap the × button. Your recent sentences are saved automatically - tap the clock icon to recall and re-speak previous messages.

Tap the keyboard button in the message bar to open a full keyboard from any board. As you type, SpeakPad suggests word completions based on common words and your own message history -- all processed on-device, never sent anywhere. Tap a suggestion to accept it. This is ideal for users who are developing literacy skills. Caregivers can show or hide the keyboard button in Profile Settings under Layout & Display.

SpeakPad supports 7 languages: English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Portuguese, Hindi, and Simplified Chinese. All symbols, labels, text-to-speech, and the app interface are fully translated. You can also enable bilingual mode to show labels in two languages at once.

In Caregiver Mode, tap Profile in the toolbar, then tap Profiles. Swipe left on the profile you want to delete and tap Delete. This removes all boards, settings, and history for that profile. If you want to keep your data but reset the boards, switch to a different board pack instead. SpeakPad creates a rollback backup automatically.

First, create a Visual Scene board: in Caregiver Mode, tap the Category button in the toolbar, choose 'Visual Scene', give it a name, and pick a photo from your library (or use one of the built-in demo scenes). Once the board is created, navigate to it and tap the Hotspots button in the toolbar. Tap anywhere on the photo to place a hotspot, then give it a label and choose a category colour. You can drag hotspots to reposition them and use the resize handle to adjust their size.

SpeakPad is permanently free, but if you'd like to support development, you can leave a tip in the app. In Caregiver Mode, tap Profile, then tap 'Support SpeakPad' at the top. There are three optional tiers - supporters get a small cosmetic badge in Settings as a thank-you. You can also help by leaving a review on the App Store or sharing SpeakPad with other families.

Tap the keyboard button (labelled 'Type') in the message bar at the top of the screen. The keyboard opens as an overlay on any board, so you never lose your place. Tap the button again to return to the board. Caregivers can show or hide this button in Profile Settings under Layout & Display. You can also create a dedicated Keyboard board from the Category button in the toolbar if you prefer a board-based approach.

Completely. SpeakPad collects no data at all. See our Privacy Policy for details. →

On the parental gate screen, enter an incorrect answer 5 times. A 'Forgot PIN?' option will appear. Tap it and follow the steps to reset your gate. If you're using the maths-problem gate (the default), there is no PIN to forget. Just solve the sum shown on screen. You can switch between gate types (easy maths, hard maths, or 4-digit PIN) once you're back inside Caregiver Mode.

Use Apple's Guided Access. Open your device's Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access, turn it on, and set a passcode. Return to SpeakPad, then triple-click the side button to start Guided Access. Triple-click again and enter your passcode to exit.