Talk Forward Screen Reader

By Trenton Matthews, 10 June, 2026

Forum
Android

Created by the same person who made AGram for the Mac:

https://applevis.com/forum/macos-mac-apps/launching-app-suiteeu-ascan-simplified-ocr-local-ai-agram-native-telegram

Talk Forward is Talkback (based off of AOSP), with a more VoiceOver native feeling to it.

Download and details, can be found at:

https://app-suite.eu/talkforward

But in short after playing with it for around 10 minutes, most things work well! Only thing that's missing is split tapping on the screen which native Talkback has.

I am guessing that Talk Forward could be on the play store at some point, since I did see a link to a 404 not found page to it under the advanced settings. With that being said though, my main concern, is that I hope it actually 'can' be added to it, given what's going to be happening with sideloading (installing unknown apps) in a few months' time.

I will definitely be supporting its development when I can.

PS. Unlike Samsung's version of Talkback (until OneUI 9 rolls around) or if not using Jiesuo premium, Talk Forward does allow you to use your free Google Gemini API key for describing Images/screens. Or support the project with a onetime payment like I'll be doing in the future, which also unlocks said feature.

Options

Comments

By Brian on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 - 11:44

It had split tap functionality. I use that so much on my iPhone, and I was happy to hear that it came to Android awhile back.
Still, I guess they're still Prudence, and I don't know about CSR... was there a reason that was taken off of the Google play store?

By Trenton Matthews on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 - 11:57

prudence did get an update, though it's mainly a bug fix. It's not up to Talkback 16 standards yet sadly.

As for Commentary, it was removed from the play store
because it uses Paypal for payments and not the Play Store directly. With that being said though, that should be changing hopefully, thanks to what Google's doing with Sideloading and that Advanced Flow thang.

By Justin Harris on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 - 12:11

I think this one has potential. I like that you can use the rotor, or you can use the normal Talkback way of doing things. It's a bit faster than regular Talkback too. And the dev is pretty active on the Blind Android Users telegram group and has been quick to make changes based on user feedback.

By Trenton Matthews on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 - 14:05

Honestly,

Once Talk Forward's text descriptions get cleaned up/replaced a bit more with their own specific ones throughout the interface, I could see myself ditch Google's own Talkback in the future! And keep Jieshuo as a backup.

Now this is a screen reader I would love a Voiceover sound pack for!

And unlike with Jieshuo & Prudence sound pack areas (if they ever come to Talk Forward), should not have
repetitive versions of sound packs! At least like, check for quality control please?

By TheBlindGuy07 on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 - 15:37

I 101% trust @kaillewaille with anything he comes up with so :) cool!!

By Maldalain on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 - 17:47

We are stuck with one screen reader on iOS and MacOS.

By Trenton Matthews on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 - 19:16

Okay!

It's there... I guess I'm still getting used to the concept of it being on Android still. But yes, it's there (even on Samsung's latest version using OneUI 8.5.)

Still not there for Jieshuo & prudence though...

By jim pickens on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 - 20:03

I don't know whether to laugh or repeatedly slam my head against the nearest available surface.

By Trenton Matthews on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 - 20:22

, considering that Braille back, Sound back, and Kickback were all separate products back in the day when Talkback was known as the Eyes-Free Shell.

And yeah... Talk Forward is a silly name. But for what it is meant to do, totally makes sense.

Easy to remember, that's for sure.

By Brian on Thursday, June 11, 2026 - 00:06

Awesome. So happy to hear that it's on TalkForward. So I have a question, do the angle gestures exist with TalkForward?

By Justin Harris on Thursday, June 11, 2026 - 05:48

No, they don't. Dev might bring them back, but one of the ways he was able to improve latency involved zapping those. As far as I'm concerned, good riddens. With Talk Forward, you get edge gestures, so you go home, to recents, quick settings or notifications with one finger drag from either the bottom or top of the screen. Still slightly buggy but when it works, it's really cool.

By kaillewaille on Thursday, June 11, 2026 - 15:05

Dear all,

First, thanks to all of you who expressed support and encouragements for this new project. A few notes before going away to finish shaping the next Talk Forward release:

  • It will definitely end on the play store at some point: the process towards play store distribution progresses very well, and as soon as the next release is published, it will be my top priority.
  • Although it's for Android, keep an eye on this thread , as the next Talk Forward version may bring something very cool for Apple users.

Thanks again!

By Ambro on Thursday, June 11, 2026 - 17:46

Thank you very much for your project.
As an Apple user, you made me want to buy an Android phone just to try it with VoiceOver sounds and gestures.
I use Agram for iOS, and you really made a masterpiece.
Your passion and your attention to users are admirable, and I am sure that Talk Forward will also go very far!

By Trenton Matthews on Thursday, June 11, 2026 - 19:38

As of the 12th of Jun 2026, interacting with Talk Forward with home screens just gotten a lot easier! Thus, this post is now Redundant. I am keeping it here, just for posterity.

By Brooke on Thursday, June 11, 2026 - 20:18

I'm off to pull out my Google tablet to check it out, this is exciting!!! I got so frustrated with the Talkback lag that I kind of gave up on Android temporarily.

By Brian on Friday, June 12, 2026 - 05:27

Since you mentioned removing the angle gestures to reduce lag, how responsive is TalkForward on your Pixel?

By Justin Harris on Friday, June 12, 2026 - 10:52

It's kinda hard to say. I notice the difference, but after a year on Android I don't notice regular talkback lag much anymore. I can say Talk Forward is faster, but hard to quantify. Until a few more bugs are fixed I can't commit to using it full time, but it is very promising and I look forward to seeing what else this dev can do. I also brought up in the Blind Android Users telegram the need for a good NVDA remote app, as the one on the play store that was first released on iOS then Android just force closes whenever you try connecting. Whether he releases it as a standalone app or bakes it in to Talk Forward, he did say he might be doing something for NVDA remote access, which will be amazing.

By Brooke on Friday, June 12, 2026 - 11:50

The only major issue I'm having is with the Google keyboard. It's a little jumpy; after I type a letter, Talk Forward repeats that letter over and over, even if I'm not touching the screen.
But a huge positive is that I can now easily moderate Facebook groups again! The join requests and pending posts, which have been a nightmare to handle on iOS for weeks, are completely accessible on Android.
I'm really looking forward to future Talk Forward updates!

By Karok on Friday, June 12, 2026 - 19:09

does talk forward work with samsung edge display features? this sounds amazing, and if image descriptions work it will be incredible

By Trenton Matthews on Friday, June 12, 2026 - 21:37

Yes, Talk Forward does work with Samsung's Edge Pannel. Easiest way to reach it at any time is to swipe left or right with four fingers, then do whichever method you prefer of tapping on the screen.

As for Images, you can enable said feature by becoming a Talk Forward Supporter:

Settings, My account, Support Talk Forward.

More details on that, can be found within the second link on the top post.

Alternatively, you can use your private Gemini API key on the device you're using. Though it is not required if you or others do decide to become a supporter.

By tunmi13 on Sunday, June 14, 2026 - 06:42

Title says it all. I'm going to try this on my tablet and see how it goes. I really approve of this project. TalkForward. Has a nice ring to it.

By Joshua on Monday, June 15, 2026 - 01:43

I still like TalkBack and the other screenreaders with angle gestures but it's a good screenreader

By kaillewaille on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 - 12:26

Hi everyone,

A big update — here's what's new:

A sound of our own. Thanks to our supporters, Talk Forward now has its very own sonic identity — a custom Talk Forward sound pack, on by default. Prefer the familiar? You can switch back to the classic TalkBack sounds any time. And this is only the beginning: more sound packs and app scripts are on the way, downloadable right from the in-app catalog.

Voices, your way. A new "Voice" screen (under Audio) lets you set up several voices — engine, voice, rate, pitch, volume — and switch between them on the fly with the rotor. Voice names are finally readable — you'll see "Graham" (UK) or "Samantha" (US) instead of cryptic IDs like "en-us-x-iol-local" — and when you pick a voice we now list only the ones actually installed on your device, so no more scrolling past 200 Google voices.

Smarter dictation. A two-finger double-tap in any text field starts Talk Forward's own dictation (no more hunting for the keyboard mic). Every dictation option now lives on its own screen, and the start/stop sound plays on the accessibility volume — so you hear it even on silent or vibrate — with an optional quick double-buzz.

Read numbers digit by digit. A new verbosity option reads "1 2 3" instead of "one hundred twenty-three" whenever you prefer.

Speak the hint, on demand. A new assignable gesture reads just the usage hint of the focused item — even if you keep automatic hints switched off.

Live translation, per app. Read foreign text in your own language as you go. Turn auto-translation on for the apps you choose, pick a source language (or let it auto-detect) and the target language you want — it runs entirely on your device, free and offline.

Volume and ringer, from the rotor. Adjust the accessibility, media and ring volumes straight from the rotor — and switch the ringer mode between normal, vibrate and silent — without ever leaving the app you're in.

A tidier settings menu. We've reorganized Talk Forward's settings so everything's where you'd expect it: the Audio section now gathers Voice, Dictation and image descriptions together, each on its own clear screen.

Settings, one tap away. Talk Forward now has its own icon in the app drawer that opens its settings directly.

A couple more: an assignable two-finger rotation rotor, and a "Move to picture-in-picture" action.

Thank you. Huge thanks, again, to everyone sending bug reports and feedback — it genuinely shapes every release and makes Talk Forward better for all of us. Keep it coming!

By Trenton Matthews on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 - 14:57

What an update!

I especially enjoy this new Talk Forward sound pack! Absolutely calming and Majestic to the ears.

And you're very welcome!

By Brooke on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 - 15:23

Thank you so much for all you're doing! My Pixel tablet is so much more pleasant to use now.

By Brian on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 - 16:20

...and yet I am super excited about this update!!!
I do have one question. As I understand it, the angle gestures are disabled with TalkForward. I am absolutely fine with that, but I was wondering have you, or will you, consider adding the Voice Command option to TalkForward, like the angle gesture For TalkBack? I think it would be a nice addition to the rotor, and the last time I played around with a Pixel 8 Pro, I found Voice Command to be incredibly useful.

By Trenton Matthews on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 - 16:39

The Start Voice Command' is still there in the gesture options. It's just not assigned by default.
Almost forgot to mention that it's also in Talk Forward's own menu proper.