Compatible with iPhone
and iPod Touch
iConverse
The first thing you should know is that the developer of iConverse has not updated this app in a very long time. So it may not be compatible with the latest iOS on your device. That's a big problem.
For some of you the name iConverse may conjure up thoughts of a new line of high-top shoes made by Apple with Chuck Taylor. Well, to the best of my knowledge neither of those entities had anything to do with this app. iConverse is a nice little augmentative and alternative communication app. It sports a simple interface and clean icons. And the developers were wise to keep it uncluttered so it's not overwhelming like some other AAC apps for the iPhone.
You can use your own pictures and your own voice to record audio enabling you to create custom icons that are appropriate for you or your child. The first screen shot over there on the right shows four custom icons I created. The third screen shot shows me in the process of creating an icon. And with these custom icons, if you decide you'd rather not record your own voice, you can type in the words you want and iConverse will speak them for you when that icon is used. Nice feature!
You can't hide icons once you create them however. You can, of course, delete them though. But if you want to have that icon available again you'll have to recreate it.
You can control whether you want to see the default buttons (That's screen shot 6) or your custom buttons when the app first boots up. That's cool, but I noticed that you can't mix the two, such as displaying four of the defaults and two of your own. That would be great functionality to add in the future.
You have a choice of four different built-in voices, plus recording your own if you like. And the developers were smart and they hid most of the settings in the device's own settings area. That's always a great idea so our children can't accidentally change something.
Speaking of changing things, you can't change the audio for the default icons. In fact, you can't edit the default icons at all. While in iConverse you also cannot use your device's standard volume controls on the side. This iPhone app forces you to use their button and slider within the app to control volume. Not sure why that is but I don't like it and don't see a reason for it.
If your child accidentally double taps an icon quickly the audio will play twice (simultaneously) and sound like you're in a canyon... a deep canyon with an echo. If you tap one icon then another then another then another they will all play their audio at the same time and that's like being in a room where everybody's talking at once. Very confusing. I noticed if I turn on the option for "Display Text Alerts" then this confusion stops. But I don't see a reason for text alerts right now. I had to exit and return to the app a couple times to correctly setup my custom icons.
Despite its shortcomings iConverse may be a viable app to help your child communicate. It has a lot going for it, but with the problems I listed above I can't give it more than three stars.
