In this Blind Vet Tech Quick Guides and Tutorials podcast, we discuss the role of cloud services when syncing across multiple devices. Apple’s iCloud Drive, Microsoft One Drive, Google Drive, and Dropbox represent the most popular cloud services. Each service possesses it own positive and negatives. The range of options and prices enables the individual to either select a single service or mixture of services to meet their needs. Each service, storage amounts, and personal thoughts may be found below.

iCloud Drive

Storage options includes 5GB for free, 50GB for $0.99, 200GB for

* $2.99, and 1TB for $9.99

* iCloud Drive comes with all iTunes accounts and is the primary method one may backup their iOS devices. The Storage is used for iCloud email, file storage, Photos, contacts, calendars, and apps using iCloud storage for syncing information. Individuals living in the Apple ecosystem with iOS devices and Apple computers will greatly benefit from the numerous features and integration options from iCloud Drive embedded in iOS and MacOS. However, iCloud Drive is less important if you utilize Windows or Android devices for primary computing or mobile needs.

Microsoft One Drive

* Storage options includes 5GB for free, 50GB for $1.99, and 1TB for $6.99 to $9.99

* Microsoft One Drive comes with any Outlook account or subscription to Microsoft 365. Budgetary speaking, one obtains the best savings by subscribing to Microsoft 365, since it bundles 1TB of storage along with Microsoft Office’s Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, and One Note. Each of these apps are fully accessible on Windows, MacOS, and iOS with most screen readers and magnification programs. Even if you solely use Apple products, you can easily ignore iCloud Drive if you live through Microsoft Office 365 on all of your devices. Microsoft is even packaging some additional accessibility tools into One Drive to create descriptions for pictures in Office Lens to Power Point.

Google Drive

* Storage options includes 15GB for free, 100GB for $1.99, 1TB for $9.99, 10TB for $99.99

* Google Drive offers the largest amount of free storage4 at 15GB with every Google account. However, you basically need this amount if you rely on a Gmail account for regular emailing tasks. Google Drive is a natural fit if you rely on Gmail to sync your email, contacts, calendars, Chrome bookmarks, photos, and Google Docs across your computers and mobile devices. Google Drive is a natural fit for Android and Chromebook users, but users of a mixture of Apple, Android, and Windows devices may find Google drive suitable for their needs.

Dropbox

* Storage options includes 2GB for free and 1TB for $9.99

* Dropbox differs from the previous cloud services by restricting usage to file storage and synchronization across all of your devices. However, Dropbox remains the leader in cloud storage for individual to business power users alike. This stems from its ease of use and ability to share, collaborate, and host documents and files through a very simple and accessible interface. Many individuals find themselves relying on iCloud, Outlook, and Gmail to sync mail, contacts, calendars, and bookmarks, but turn towards Dropbox for file storage.

Each of the cloud services found a way into my regular workflow. My office centers around a late 2016 MacBook Pro and an iPhone 6, while my family utilizes a pair of 2012 MacBook Pro’s and other iPhones. We rely on iCloud Drive for our primary file storage, calendar, Safari bookmarks, and Photos storage across all of these devices. However my most used cloud service is Google Drive, as I rely on Gmail and Google Docs for various tasks.

In this Blind Vet Tech Quick Guides and Tutorials podcast, we demonstrate how to resolve an potentially scary situation when a pop up informs you your device is infected. This pop up sounds extremely official and asks you to contact Apple Support with a toll free number. First, your device is not infected. Secondly, this is not the number for Apple support. Do not panic, and follow these steps:

* Press the Home button to return to the home screen

* Place the Voice Over focus on the menu bar and do a three finger swipe up to bring up the Control Panel

* Turn Airplane mode on and press the Home button

* Double tap the Home button to bring up the app switcher and close the app

* Navigate to Settings and find the menu option for Safari

* Navigate towards the bottom of Safari’s menu and double tap the Clear History and Website Data button

* Press the Home Button, bring up the Control Panel, turn airplane mode off, and go back to navigating the web

Thank you for listening to this Blind Vet Tech tutorial on removing the threatening pop up stating your device is infected.

Stay Informed

Stay up to date with the latest news and announcements from the Blind Vet Tech team, by doing one of the following:

* Subscribe to the Blind Vet Tech News and Announcements podcast on iTunes

* Subscribe to the Blind Vet Tech Quick Guides and Tutorials on iTunes

* Follow the Blind Vet Tech podcasts on your Victor Reader Stream, Hims Blaze, or podcasting app by searching for Blind Vet Tech in the podcast section

* Receive an email about any posts by subscribing to our blog

If you have any questions, comments, or requests, feel free to send us an email here. All of our podcasts and other information related to Veterans, blindness, acceptance of a disability, and other resources may be found at BlindNotAlone.com

Don’t miss another Blind Vet Tech teleconference, click here to see a list of our teleconferences and others we support.

In this Blind Vet Tech Quick Guides and Tutorials podcast, we demonstrate how to select and format text with a few swipes and gestures within Voice Over’s Rotor. It matters not if you are selecting text from a webpage and pasting it into a note, email, or text message, the Voice Over Rotor simplifies and expedites the process. If you are new to the Voice Over Rotor, listen to this podcast first. Below you will find the different options available in both the Text Selection and Edit rotor options as well as a basic list of steps to activate the rotor.

Text Selection

* Character

* Word

* Line

* Page

* Select All

Edit

* Copy

* Cut

* Paste

* Look Up

* Share

* Make checklist item (Notes only)

In this Blind Vet Tech Quick Guides and Tutorials podcast, we demonstrate how to download Netflix movies and TV shows to your iPhone and iPad. Netflix consumers have been wishing for this feature for a number of years, especially after Amazon Prime released a similar feature for its video selection at release. Completing this task is very simple for Voice Over users. Here is a list of steps you can use as a reference:

* After opening up the Netflix app, double tap on the Browse button in the upper right corner of the screen.

* Locate the My Downloads button to view any episode or Movie you downloaded.

* Locate the Available for Download button to view content you can download.

* When you find a video you wish to download, double tap on it, and swipe until you find the download button.

Please keep in mind that downloading movies and TV shows will require anywhere from 100MB of space to 3GB of storage. If you have limited space, keep track of what you download, as filling up your storage may result in your device slowing down. To delete videos, do the following:

* Navigate to the My Downloads menu in Netflix

* Click on the the Edit button in the upper right corner

* Find a video you already watched and there is an unlabeled button immediately before the name of the episode or show name.

* Double tap on this unlabeled button to delete the file.

* Click done in the upper right corner when complete.

Thank you for listening to this Blind Vet Tech tutorial on downloading movies and TV shows from Netflix onto your iPhone or iPad.

Stay Informed

Stay up to date with the latest news and announcements from the Blind Vet Tech team, by doing one of the following:

* Subscribe to the Blind Vet Tech News and Announcements podcast on iTunes

* Subscribe to the Blind Vet Tech Quick Guides and Tutorials on iTunes

* Follow the Blind Vet Tech podcasts on your Victor Reader Stream, Hims Blaze, or podcasting app by searching for Blind Vet Tech in the podcast section

* Receive an email about any posts by subscribing to our blog

If you have any questions, comments, or requests, feel free to send us an email here. All of our podcasts and other information related to Veterans, blindness, acceptance of a disability, and other resources may be found at BlindNotAlone.com

Don’t miss another Blind Vet Tech teleconference, click here to see a list of our teleconferences and others we support.

In this Blind Vet Tech Quick Guides and Tutorials podcast, we demonstrate Siri’s commands associated with the iOS App Store. These commands are limited to searching for a specific app, apps by a developer, or apps within a genre. Below you will find example command phrases for Siri.

* Siri, search for (insert app name here) in the App Store.

* Siri, get (insert app name here) from the App Store.

* Siri, search for apps by (insert name of developer here) in the App Store

* Siri, search for (insert genre here)apps in the App Store.

Thank you for listening to this Blind Vet Tech tutorial on Siri’s commands for the App Store. If you have any questions, comments, or requests, feel free to send us an email here. All of our podcasts and other information related to Veterans, blindness, acceptance of a disability, and other resources may be found at BlindNotAlone.com

In this Blind Vet Tech Quick Guides and Tutorials podcast, we explore the iOS App Store. The App Store is how we turn an iPhone or iPad into the best mobile accessibility tool in our arsenal of independent living tools. The phrase, “there is an app for that,” originated because of the App Store’s existence. It might be tricky to find those accessibility apps because a plethora of apps exists, however, the five tabs at the bottom of the App Store’s screen makes it a cinch to navigate. Those tabs include:

* Featured – This lists those apps Apple wishes users to look at. These are generally based on a theme associated with the time of year, as the podcast demonstrated the strong focus on Thanksgiving and holiday traveling apps on the Featured page in November.

* Categories – This lists the major genres of apps. Keep in mind that there is no accessibility category, and our blindness specific apps might be found in a host of different categories.

* Top Charts – This identifies the top paid, free, and grossing apps. This is fun to look at to see current trends.

* Search – This is where you will spend your time finding those accessibility related apps. You can specifically search for the name of an app or just type in blindness to see what comes up.

* Updates – This is where you will update your apps and see a list of when different apps where updated. Double tapping on the name of the app will allow you to see when the update was published and a list of changes.

Thank you for listening to this Blind Vet Tech tutorial on navigating the iOS App Store. If you have any questions, comments, or requests, feel free to send us an email here. All of our podcasts and other information related to Veterans, blindness, acceptance of a disability, and other resources may be found at BlindNotAlone.com

In this Blind Vet Tech Quick Guides and Tutorials podcast, we discuss different options for voting with a disability and demonstrate how to use the Electoral Services and Software Express Vote. Your vote as a disabled voter counts the same as anyone else’s, but our fellow Americans with disabilities face voting participation barriers.

The Department of Justice describes the numerous pieces of legislation and regulations protects and encourages our participation in the voting process. These safeguards includes:

* Americans with Disabilities Act,, through Title II, mandates all aspects of voting, from registration to sights to casting ballots, is completely accessible for everyone.

* Voting Rights Act of 1965 permits disabled individuals to select who might assist while voting, including site staff to family members.

* Voting Accessibility for the elderly and handicapped Act of 1984 requires accessible voting locations or alternative arrangements be made available, like curb side.

* National Voters Registration Act of 1993 requires public offices and state services serving largely individuals with disabilities a chance to register to vote.

* Help America Vote Act of 2002 requires every voting site possess at least one accessible voting system.

Click here to learn more about #CripTheVote and where the candidates stand on disability rights.

Thank you for listening to this Blind Vet Tech tutorial on how to vote and #CriptTheVote.

In this Blind Vet Tech Quick Guides and Tutorials podcast, we demonstrate how to add a pause (aka comma) or wait (aka semicolon) to a phone number in Contacts. Any smart phone may preform a similar trick where a comma or semicolon means pause or wait while dialing a number from your contacts list.

Here is how to insert a pause or wait in iOS with Voice Over if you are using the onscreen keyboard.

* Open a contact where you are dialing a number requiring an access code or numerical prompt system

* Press the Edit button in the upper right corner of the screen

* Double tap on the field where you insert the phone number

* After typing in the phone number, determine if you need to insert a pause (aka comma) or a wait (semicolon)

* Press the shift button, visually it contains a few symbols like plus and number sign,

* Find the pause (aka comma) where the 4 button previously was located

* Find the wait (aka semicolon) where the 6 button previously was located

In this Blind Vet Tech Quick Guides and Tutorials podcast, we explore Siri’s Settings and teach you some fun Siri commands for practicing speaking to Siri. Siri is one of the most powerful digital assistants, controlling anything from enabling Voice Over to starting a Skype call. In order to do this, you need to ensure Siri is set up to your liking. Here is how to find Siri’s Settings and some basic practice commands:

* Manually opening Siri’s Settings

* Navigate to your Settings App

* Swipe until you find Siri on the main screen of the Settings menu

* double tap on Siri

* Opening Siri’s Settings with Siri

* Say, “Open Siri’s Settings”

* Say, “Open your settings”

Here are some fund Siri commands to practice:

* Say, “What is infinity times infinity”

* Say, “What is 10 divided (or other math function) by 10”

* Say, “Spell amazing (or any other word)”

* Say, “What is the synonym (or antonym) of huge”

* Say, “Say a tongue twister”

* Say, “Tell me a story”

There are many more of these types of fun commands to find, so start talking with Siri.

Thank you for listening to this Blind Vet Tech tutorial on Siri’s Settings and some fun practice Siri commands.

In this Blind Vet Tech Quick Guides and Tutorials podcast, we demonstrate how to update your iPhone or iPad to the latest software update. Periodically Apple publishes updates to address known software and security issues, new features, or behind the scenes updates to improve performance. Knowing when these arrive and how to install them is an important part of owning an iOS device. The updating and installation process is rather straight forwards, and listening to this podcast will alleviate any concerns about completing this on your own. FYI, this podcast uses an iPhone 6 installing iOS 10. Here are a few tips to expedite the process:

* Have your iTunes or Apple ID and password available before starting.

* If setting up a new device, the process will differ slightly from one who is updating or restoring their device.

* Triple Click of the home button on the first screen will activate Voice Over.

Steps to Update:

* Open your settings app.

* Navigate to General. If there is an update, a notification will be next to General.

* Navigate to Software Update. If an update is available a notification will appear.

* Click on the download and install or the install button to start the process.

Thank you for listening to this Blind Vet Tech tutorial on how to update your iPhone or iPad.