So, there is a book that going through my therapy, I'm being required to read. Unfortunately, it's only on Kindle. Now, that in itself isn't an issue really per sé. The issue is, in order to read with Kindle, my screen has to be unlocked. Well, that's also fine in and of itself, but as soon as a push notification comes down, and Voiceover focuses on the banner at the top of the screen, my display, which by the way is a Humanware NLS EReader, goes bonkers. It shows the little banner toast notification, if you want to call it that, but then as soon as it disappears, the display pans me all the damn way back up to the top of the current page in the book I'm reading, so if I was say, 3 fourths the way down the page, then something comes in, I now have to pan like a mad man to regain my place, and God help me that no second push notification pops up while I'm scrolling back with the display to get back to where I was. I hope and pray that this doesn't happen in all apps in iOS, as if it does, that's gonna be a deal breaker for me using braille. I know I can turn on do not disturb, but come on! That's like killing a nat with a sledge hammer. Wayyyyyy! over kill! Not to mention the fact that I may have certain notifications I need to be able to keep on top of at all times, and if I turn on focus/DND, then, I wouldn't see them. And actually, yeah, I probably would anyway, given I think if your screen is unlocked, DND doesn't apply. But regardless if it does or doesn't isn't the point of this thread, nor is it the point of this question, so let's not go down that rabbit hole. Short however of doing that and going into DND, is there any other way when reading a Kindle book to prevent this? Surely, by God I can't be the only person who uses Kindle in combination with a display of some type or another.
By glassheart, 11 October, 2022
Forum
Braille on Apple Products
Comments
Same
Hi--I had this problem too. What I did was create a focus mode so that when I open Kindle, notifications are shut off and I'm put in Do Not Disturb mode. This is unfortunate if you need to keep an eye on something, but it does help a lot.
deactivating app specific focuses
you know, I've done a lot with focuses, but having a focus be triggered specifically when an app opens is not something I've done very often, although it is a decent idea. as others have said, it's not ideal by any means, but if it's what we've got to work with, then it's what we've got to work with. it sucks, but oh well. anyway.. I digress on to my question.
let's assume for just a moment that I took the suggestion of setting up a focus which would turn do not disturb on whenever the Kindle app is launched. how does that work as far as the focus getting deactivated? do I have to manually go in and turn do not disturb off once I am done using the Kindle app, or is it something where do not disturb only would be on when the app was running and was in the foreground? for example, let's say that I had the Kindle app open, but then all of a sudden decided I wanted to very quickly stop, and switch over to my email. if I did this, by going to my home screen, then double tapping on the mail app, because of the fact that now email is in the foreground, even though the Kindle app is still running in my app switcher, would do not disturb remain on, or would it turn off temporarily while the mail app was in the foreground, but then as soon as I went right back over to the Kindle app, the focus would reactivate? how exactly does that work?
app focus.
Yes, when using an app focus, the focus turns on and off when you go to another app. I have done this exact thing for the kindle app, and I would be willing to show you how to get this done correctly.
Problem with focus mode
There are many times I read a book on, for example the BARD Mobile app or Voice Dream Reader app. Unfortunately, I often listen to these books using Airpods with the phone locked and in my pocket so that functions aren't accidetnaly activated.
The problem is that the focus mode for these apps doesn't work when the phone is locked, only when the phone is unlocked and the app is showing. so Focus mode doesn't work for me.
Wish there was a way to keep it active on the locked screen for specific apps.
--Pete
Turn off flash messages?
If you still want to receive notifications, you could also try turning off flash messages in VO settings, though that might cause its own set of issues. I don't open the Kindle app unless I intend to read for hours at a time. Apart from the focus issues you've described, the text becomes very fragmented, and it takes a few pans for the text to display properly again. For some reason, flash messages in Kindle don't disappear as quickly as I want them to–or maybe I'm just impatient–so I don't really like going in and out of the app.
Be advised that if you set a focus that triggers when launching the Kindle app, this alert message may or may not break up the first few lines of text. By "break up the text," I mean that you'll notice a few braille cells, a lot of empty space, and then a few more cells at the end of the display. Perhaps words will not wrap in addition to such wasted space. It's only an unpleasant experience for a few lines . . . unless you're like me and rely on auto-scroll... If you toggle auto-scroll on and off for any reason, you will risk weird formatting in the text for a few lines.
I hope that you are able to find a solution that works for you! Good luck and enjoy that mandatory reading!
avoiding banners and focus automations
Ok. Here's my 2¢ worth.
First, I don't use banners at all for this very reason. Even before I had Braille, I still avoided them because they overshadowed anything that I was currently doing. The only thing I've done is keep badges on some apps like Mail, and have sounds on, and have them on the notifications center and maybe the lock screen.
Second, you can create automations that turn your focus on automatically. I have SEVERAL set up to work this way, including a reading focus. Every time I open Kindle for instance, my reading focus gets activated automatically. When setting up a focus, there's a heading called either automation or smart automation, I can't recall which one exactly, but, know it's one of those two.
Third, you can decide which apps are allowed to come through and can even have time-sensitive notifications allowed as well. This, is something that I also do. So, say you have your reading focus on, but, you still want to know if Mom calls you. You can have her in your allowed people list, and any time she calls, your phone will ring like normal. But, if the boss calls, you won't know, because he's not in your allowed people list.
I've done this for all my focuses I have set up.
Third, remember how I said you have control over who you want to hear from when in reading focus? Well, you can do the same thing with your apps too. So, say you're reading, but, you want to still be notified in your calendar when it's time for a meeting. Well, you can put your calendar in your allowed apps list! For me, I have that set up. But, you also have the ability to allow time-sensitive notifications as well. So, say you're chilling at home, and you decide to order some take-out from your favorite restaurant using DoorDash. While you're waiting, you decide to get some reading done, so, you open your Kindle app.
Well, if you have the automation set up, your reading focus will trigger automatically. But, because of time-sensitive notifications being turned on, you'll know when your food is on its way, and when it's been delivered.
I'll leave you with 2 more things, my reading focus and how I have it set up, and something that might give you more info on focuses and setting them up.
First, my set-up:
I have a focus called Reading, and, as the name implies, this is what I want when I'm... well... reading. First, after calling xReading, I set up my list of people who are allowed to bug me, as I call it. The people who are allowed to bug me when I'm reading are my parents, my Grandmother, and my best friend. So, any time and any way they contact me I'll know about it right away.
Then, came my apps that are allowed to bug me. I have Messenger, Calendar, Google Calendar, Teams, Zoom, and I think one or 2 other apps on that list. As well as time-sensitive notifications. This means, that, if I get a notification from Messenger, it will come through. But, if I get a notification from Mail, it will not come through.
When I say won't go through, it will still be in your notifications center, and if you have it on the lock screen, it will be there too. But, you will not hear any sound, see any banner, etc. So, I'd hear my Messenger app ding, but, I would not hear the choo choo train on my mail app. But, it's still in my notifications center.
So, now, it's time for the really geeky fun part. NOW, you get to automate every thing, and have even more power! So, first, you turn on the automation. The only part about this that I hate, is that you have to do this one by one. So, I have Audible, Kindle, and the BARD Mobile App set up so that when ever I go into one of those apps, my Reading focus gets activated immediately. So, you choose the app or apps you want to have in this mode. Then, you're done! There's several other things you could do like home and lock screen customizations, etc. But, I don't feel the need to do that for my use case.
So, now, when you open your Kindle app, your reading focus will be instantly activated, and you can read in peace! While still keeping an eye on the things that matter.
Last but not least, I recommend you check out the podcast that Thomas Domville did on a deep-dive into setting up focus modes. Which, as usual with his podcasts, was well-informed, thorough, and generally, extremely well-done and well put together!
Also, don't discount focuses right off the bat. For a long time there was only DND. or nothing. Like you, and various other people on here I imagine, wanted more control over my notifications. I wanted to know if a friend texted me at 3 AM. but, I certainly didn't want to know about the email that I received at 3 in the morning! :-) Now, we have that! I'll admit, it can seem a bit confusing. But, I assure you, once you get the hang of it, I think you'll be ok. Plus, I think focus is one of those things that doesn't seem like much on the surface. But, if you look under the hood, you'll be pleasantly surprised! As they say never judge a book by its cover.
I hope at least some of what I've said helps, and that I've cleared up a few things. I wish you the best of luck in your therapy as well! :-)
RE: avoiding banners and focus automations
Hello Daun. Just wanted to take a moment to tell you thank you for your informative post, and giving me some ideas, regarding reading, specifically. Thanks for taking your time to share.