Using Speakyboo on mobile
Most of your translating happens on the job, in the truck, or in a customer's living room. The phone is the main tool. Here is how to make Speakyboo work great on it.
Add it to your home screen
Speakyboo runs in your phone's browser, which means you can pin it to your home screen and use it like an app. No download needed.
On iPhone: Open Safari, go to speakyboo.com, tap the share button, then tap "Add to Home Screen." On Android: Open Chrome, go to speakyboo.com, tap the three dots, then tap "Add to Home Screen."
Now you have a Speakyboo icon on your home screen. Tap it and you are in. It opens full screen, no browser bar.
Use it offline (with limits)
Speakyboo needs an internet connection to translate. If you lose signal, the mic still works and your typing still works, but the translation will not come back until you have a connection again.
For job sites with bad reception, set up a mobile hotspot. Most carriers throw one in with the regular plan now.
Keep the screen on
Translating on a long call means staring at the screen waiting for words to appear. By default your phone will lock the screen after a minute or two and you will lose your place.
Inside Speakyboo, tap the lightbulb icon in the top corner to enable "Keep screen on" mode. It overrides your phone's auto-lock as long as the app is open.
One-handed mode
If you are holding tools in one hand and the phone in the other, switch on the big-button layout. Settings → Display → Big Buttons. The mic doubles in size and everything moves closer to the bottom of the screen where your thumb can reach.
Battery tips
Translating uses the mic, the screen, and the network all at once. That eats battery. A few tips:
- Plug in during long calls.
- Close other apps running in the background.
- Turn down screen brightness when you are reading text outdoors.
A full charge will get you through a full day of normal use. If you are doing back-to-back customer meetings all day, carry a power bank.
Lock-screen widget (iPhone)
Add the Speakyboo widget to your lock screen for one-tap access to the mic without unlocking the phone. Long-press your lock screen → Customize → Add Widget → pick Speakyboo.