Good afternoon Techstravaganza friends,

Have a listen today’s fantabulous tutorial of navigating the Home Screen, and other odds and ends, at the following link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7oBOqnvO4ppCpIvzvRooW1

Show Notes

Navigating the iPhone Home Screen with VoiceOver

Siena demonstrated how to navigate the iPhone home screen, open apps, and work with folders using VoiceOver gestures.

• Details
  • Siena: Explained that swiping up from the bottom edge with one finger produces two blips — the first indicating the start of the gesture, and the second (higher-pitched) confirming arrival at the home screen.
  • Siena: Demonstrated opening a folder (e.g., Social Networking folder) and launching an app (Messenger) via double-tap.
  • Siena: Showed how to return to the home screen by sliding a finger up from the bottom edge until hearing the two blips, then lifting.
• Conclusion
  • Beginners are advised to slide up slowly, pause at the second blip, and wait for VoiceOver to confirm “Lift for Home” before lifting their finger.

Using the App Switcher

Siena demonstrated how to access and use the App Switcher to navigate between open apps and close them.

• Details
  • Siena: Explained that swiping further up (past the second blip to a third blip) opens the App Switcher.
  • Siena: Demonstrated closing individual apps by swiping up with three fingers on the app in the switcher.
  • Siena: Showed that once all apps are closed, the phone returns to the home screen or the last active folder.
• Conclusion
  • The App Switcher allows users to navigate between open apps and close them individually.
  • After closing all apps, VoiceOver returns the user to the home screen or the last active folder.

Control Center Overview

Siena provided a detailed walkthrough of the Control Center, including its contents and how to navigate it.

• Details
  • Siena: Explained that the Control Center is accessed by swiping down from the top edge until hearing the second blip, then lifting.
  • Siena: Demonstrated available controls including Airplane Mode, AirDrop, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, orientation lock, brightness, volume, flashlight, timer, calculator, camera, alarms, music recognition, stopwatch, screen recording, watch ping, sound recognition, voice memos, screen mirroring, ambient music, and media playback.
  • Siena: Noted that the Control Center has multiple pages (e.g., Page 1: Favorites, Page 2: Now Playing) navigable by swiping up and down.
  • Siena: Mentioned that the Control Center can be customized, though that topic was noted as scope for a separate tutorial.
• Conclusion
  • The Control Center provides quick access to frequently used settings and features.
  • Customization of the Control Center will be covered in a future tutorial.

Notification Center Overview

Siena briefly demonstrated the Notification Center, including how to access and clear notifications.

• Details
  • Siena: Explained that the Notification Center is accessed by swiping down from the top edge until hearing the third blip.
  • Siena: Noted an anomaly where the Notification Center displayed an incorrect date (Tuesday, January 9) despite the correct date being Wednesday, July 15, 2026, as confirmed by Siri.
  • Siena: Demonstrated navigating notifications (Reminders, Calendar, Messages, Discord, Messenger) and clearing all notifications using the “Clear All Notifications” action.
  • Siena: Showed that the Notification Center heading can be accessed via the VoiceOver rotor using the Headings setting.
• Conclusion
  • The Notification Center is accessible via a downward swipe from the top edge.
  • All notifications can be cleared at once using the available action menu.
  • The incorrect date display in the Notification Center was flagged as an unexplained anomaly.

Moving Apps to Different Locations

Siena demonstrated how to move apps between pages and into folders on the home screen using VoiceOver edit mode.

• Details
  • Siena: Explained the process — navigate to the desired app, swipe down to “Edit Mode,” double-tap to activate, swipe down again to “Drag,” then navigate to the target location and double-tap to drop.
  • Siena: Demonstrated moving Google Keep from page 1 to page 2, and Find My into the Utilities folder in alphabetical order.
  • Siena: Showed how to navigate between home screen pages using three-finger swipes (left to go forward, right to go backward), noting this is the opposite of single-finger navigation.
  • Siena: Demonstrated creating a new folder by dragging one app onto another (e.g., Games folder created from Dirty Mind and Games apps).
  • Siena: Explained the concept of “phantom pages” in edit mode — temporary extra pages that appear to allow app placement but disappear when empty after exiting edit mode.
  • Diane: Asked about moving apps to different locations, which prompted Siena to cover this topic next.
  • Macara: Asked why the drag action times out even while in edit mode.
  • Siena: Responded that it may be intentional VoiceOver behavior, canceling the drag if no movement is detected, and suggested a workaround.
• Conclusion
  • Apps can be moved by entering edit mode, initiating a drag, navigating to the target location quickly, and dropping.
  • The drag action times out if the user takes too long, requiring the process to be restarted.
  • Recommended workaround: explore the target location outside of edit mode first, then re-enter edit mode and execute the drag quickly.
  • Three-finger swipes move between pages in the opposite direction of single-finger swipes.

Deleting Apps from the Home Screen and App Library

Siena demonstrated how to remove apps from the home screen and delete them entirely from the device.

• Details
  • Siena: Showed two options when deleting: “Remove from Home Screen” (keeps the app in the App Library) and “Delete App” (removes it from the device entirely).
  • Siena: Demonstrated removing Google Assistant from the home screen (kept in App Library) and fully deleting Studio, Google, Vimeo, Sero, Where Is My Ride, and AquaMail.
  • Siena: Showed how to access the App Library by swiping left past the last home screen page, and how to search or browse apps alphabetically.
  • Siena: Demonstrated deleting AquaMail directly from the App Library, including managing and canceling an associated App Store subscription before deletion.
  • Siena: Noted that iOS will prompt users about active subscriptions when deleting an app that has one.
• Conclusion
  • Apps can be deleted from both the home screen and the App Library.
  • Users are prompted to choose between removing from the home screen or deleting entirely.
  • If an app has an active subscription, iOS will prompt the user to manage or cancel it before deletion.

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Good evening Techstravaganza friends,

Tonight’s tutorial of downloading ringtones and text tones on Zedge was excellent; you can listen to it at the following link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0RhCoNbFr4xceDLlX7kPsC

Show Notes

Tutorial: Downloading Ringtones from Zedge on PC Using JAWS

Siena demonstrated how to navigate the Zedge website (zedge.net) on a Windows PC using the JAWS screen reader to find and download ringtones. She walked through bypassing ads, using heading navigation, and using the play audio button to preview ringtones before downloading.

• Details
  • Siena: Navigated to zedge.net in Google Chrome, used the H key in JAWS to jump between headings, and located the Ringtones section. She searched for specific ringtones by name.
  • Siena: Demonstrated how to close or dismiss ads using “Not Interested in This Ad” buttons, noting that ads do not block the actual download.
  • Siena: Used the B key in JAWS to navigate to the Download button and showed that files download to the Windows Downloads folder as MP3 files.
  • Ali: Noted that the JAWS voice “Richard” sounded a bit tinny; Siena switched to the Eloquence voice profile for better clarity.
  • Rob: Had difficulty with ads interfering with his browsing experience and asked how to send downloaded files to his phone.
  • Siena: Recommended using Google Drive as a shared location between PC and phone, creating a “Ringtones” folder to store and access files across devices.
• Conclusion
  • The Zedge website works significantly better on a PC than on a mobile browser; the PC with JAWS is the recommended method for downloading ringtones.
  • Downloaded ringtones are saved as MP3 files to the Windows Downloads folder and can be transferred to a phone via Google Drive or email.
  • Ringtones downloaded and previewed during the session included: Nokia 6086, Nokia Classic, “Stuck in Your Pocket,” “It’s in Your Pocket,” Skype ringtone, Reading Rainbow theme, Casio VL-1 demo tone, and Super Mario Death sound.

Transferring Ringtones to iPhone via Google Drive and Messages

Siena demonstrated how to move downloaded ringtones from the PC to an iPhone using Google Drive, and then how to set them as ringtones using the iOS share sheet.

• Details
  • Siena: Moved downloaded MP3 files from the Windows Downloads folder into a Google Drive folder called “Sienna’s Ringtones” using cut and paste in File Explorer.
  • Siena: On the iPhone, accessed Google Drive via the Files app and the Google Drive app. Noted that the Files app only displays the first 500 items in Google Drive.
  • Ali: Suggested using the search box within the Google Drive app directly, which is separate from the VoiceOver search.
  • Siena: Demonstrated using “Send a Copy” from the Google Drive actions menu to send a file via iMessage to herself or to another participant (Rob).
  • Ali: Clarified that “Open In” (rather than “Send a Copy”) is the option that triggers the full iOS share sheet, which includes the “Use as Ringtone” option.
  • Siena: Confirmed that using “Open In” from the Google Drive actions menu presents the share sheet with a “Use as Ringtone” option, which opens directly into Settings > Sounds & Haptics.
  • Rob: Confirmed he received the Casio VL-1 ringtone file via iMessage during the session.
• Conclusion
  • The correct workflow to set a ringtone from Google Drive on iPhone is: Google Drive app → long press file → Actions Menu → “Open In” → “Use as Ringtone.”
  • “Send a Copy” is best used for sharing a file with another person, while “Open In” is the correct option for setting a file as a ringtone on the local device.
  • Files under approximately 29 seconds in length are accepted by iOS 26 as valid ringtones.

Google Drive vs. Dropbox for File Storage and Sharing

A brief discussion arose about the merits of Google Drive compared to Dropbox for storing and sharing ringtone files across devices.

• Details
  • Siena: Noted that Google Drive’s free tier offers 15 GB of storage, compared to Dropbox’s free tier of approximately 3 GB, making Google Drive a better value.
  • Siena: Mentioned that upgrading to a Google One plan can provide up to 2 TB of storage.
  • Ali: Added that if a user has a custom domain, Google Workspace is also an option and supports shared drives for organizational use.
• Conclusion
  • Google Drive is recommended over Dropbox for most users due to greater free storage.
  • Google Workspace is the preferred option for users with a custom domain who need branded email and shared organizational drives.

Google Workspace vs. Google One for Branding and Personal Use

Ali raised a question about the difference between Google Workspace and Google One, particularly in the context of using a custom domain for branding.

• Details
  • Ali: Asked whether having a domain (e.g., textravaganza.ca) makes it better to use Google Workspace for a branded email address.
  • Siena: Confirmed that Google Workspace is better suited for branding and business use, while Google One is the go-to for personal use.
  • Ali: Noted that Workspace also allows shared drives, making it easier to collaborate without sharing individual folders.
  • Siena: Agreed that having all work-related files (Docs, Drive, etc.) under a single branded storage is a key advantage of Workspace.
• Conclusion
  • Google Workspace is recommended for users with a custom domain who want branded email and collaborative shared drives.
  • Google One is recommended for personal storage needs.

Platform Discussion: Zoom vs. Google Meet

A broader discussion took place about whether Textravaganza should continue using Zoom or switch to Google Meet, following a previous session where the topic was raised.

• Details
  • Ali: Summarized that the consensus from the previous day’s discussion was to continue with Zoom for Textravaganza, despite it being more complex on the admin side.
  • Siena: Attributed the preference for Zoom to familiarity built during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Zoom became the dominant platform for virtual meetings.
  • Ali: Argued that Zoom’s interface has become significantly more complex and less intuitive since 2020–2021, noting it is now a resource hog on desktop.
  • Lily: Noted a specific accessibility issue where the Record button in the Zoom iOS app is described by VoiceOver as a button, but is actually a menu containing Stop and Pause options — potentially misleading for screen reader users.
  • Ashlyn: Observed that many controls in Zoom are now hidden in side menus where users would not previously have looked.
  • Ali: Reported hearing similar complaints from sighted users about the placement of controls, suggesting the usability issues are not limited to screen reader users.
  • Siena: Shared an example of Zoom’s AI Companion generating tasks (e.g., “Add XYZ song to the playlist”) that had already been completed, indicating the AI was not accurately tracking context.
  • Siena: Stated she intends to use Zoom only for Textravaganza sessions going forward, preferring other platforms for personal one-on-ones.
  • Ali: Noted that Google Meet has prioritized user interface clarity and ease of use on both mobile and desktop, which he considers a decisive advantage.
  • Ashlyn: Mentioned that her college switched from Zoom to Microsoft Teams after their Zoom license expired.
• Conclusion
  • Textravaganza will continue to be hosted on Zoom.
  • Participants acknowledged that Zoom’s usability and accessibility have declined as the platform has added more features.
  • For personal one-on-ones, participants are free to use their preferred platform (Zoom, Google Meet, or phone call).
  • Ali intends to maintain his current setup and may offer tutorials via Google Meet as an alternative.

Upcoming Session Coverage and Announcements

The group discussed upcoming Textravaganza sessions and other announcements before closing.

• Details
  • Siena: Announced that the Zedge app on iPad will be covered in an upcoming Techstravaganza Extra session, planned for August.
  • Ali: Confirmed that on Wednesday, July 15, Siena and Ashlyn will co-host Techstravaganza Afternoons, as Ali will be attending the play “Return to Grace.”
  • Ali: Announced an upcoming episode of the Ali Moosa Show (via the Moosa Slobodian Network newsletter) covering the end of 570 News, featuring guest Jim Snyder.
  • Siena: Reminded participants to subscribe to the newsletter and join the WhatsApp group to stay updated on session agendas.
  • Lily: Wished Siena good luck with bug reporting and Ali an enjoyable time at his play.
• Conclusion
  • Techstravaganza Extra in August will cover the Zedge app on iPad.
  • Siena and Ashlyn will host the July 15 Techstravaganza Afternoons session.
  • The Ali Moosa Show episode on the end of 570 News with Jim Snyder is forthcoming.

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Good afternoon Techstravaganza friends,

listen to this afternoon’s fantastic tutorial of the GoodReads app at the following link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7s0JGePBk4dxEnPDwU2i1v

Show Notes

Techstravaganza Tutorial: Goodreads App Overview

Siena delivered a full tutorial on the Goodreads app using VoiceOver on iPhone 15, walking participants through all major sections of the app.

• Details
  • Siena: Described Goodreads as a social media platform for book lovers, allowing users to track books read, books to read, share reviews, and see what friends are reading.
  • Siena: Demonstrated the tab bar structure: Home, My Books, Discover, Search, and More.
  • Siena: Showed the Home tab feed, including friend activity (e.g., Makara Slobodian, Ashlyn, Tiana Dunkley), Goodreads recommendations, and giveaways.
  • Siena: Demonstrated the Actions menu (swipe down with one finger) for each feed item, allowing users to go to a profile, go to a book, go to an author, add to Want to Read, change shelves, rate a book, like, and comment.
  • Palmer: Asked for clarification on how the Home tab works and how friend activity appears.
  • Siena: Explained that users add friends by email; once connected, their reading activity appears in the Home feed.
  • Liz: Asked whether reviews are visible only from added friends or from all Goodreads users.
  • Siena: Clarified that the Home feed primarily shows activity from added friends, while broader recommendations appear in the Discover tab.
  • Liz: Asked how to add a friend and whether an account is required.
  • Siena: Explained that friends are invited by email; if they do not have an account, they can create one upon receiving the invite.
• Conclusion
  • Participants gained a clear understanding of the Home tab and its social features.
  • The Actions menu was highlighted as a key accessibility feature for VoiceOver users.

Goodreads: My Books Tab

Siena demonstrated the My Books tab, including shelves, tags, and progress tracking.

• Details
  • Siena: Showed the default shelves: Reading (Currently Reading), Want to Read, Read, and Did Not Finish.
  • Siena: Demonstrated how to update reading progress and change a book’s shelf status.
  • Siena: Moved “Stop Saying You’re Fine” by Mel Robbins to the Did Not Finish shelf.
  • Siena: Showed books currently on her Reading shelf, including “Unseen” by Molly Burke and “Music is History” by Amir Thompson.
  • Ali: Clarified that users can create tags (not additional shelves) to further categorize books within their existing shelves.
  • Siena: Confirmed this distinction.
  • Siena: Demonstrated searching for books by author (Adriana Trigiani) and shelving results, including “The Shoemaker’s Wife” (marked as Read) and “Lucia, Lucia” (marked as Want to Read).
  • Ali: Mentioned that “Losing the Signal” (the BlackBerry book) is one he would reread and suggested it as a potential Books Panel selection.
  • Siena: Agreed and noted it would be captured in the meeting notes.
• Conclusion
  • The My Books tab allows users to manage and track their reading across multiple shelves.
  • Tags can be used to further organize books within shelves.
  • “Losing the Signal” was proposed as a future Books Panel book.

Goodreads: Discover Tab

Siena walked through the Discover tab, highlighting trending books and Goodreads recommendations.

• Details
  • Siena: Showed categories including “Dark and Twisty,” “Trending with Goodreads Members,” and “Most Read This Week.”
  • Siena: Read book descriptions for several titles, including “The Calamity Club” by Katherine Stockett, “Theo of Golden” by Alan Levi, “My Husband’s Wife” by Alice Feeney, and “The Nightingale” by Kristen Hanna.
  • Siena: Shelved multiple books as Want to Read during the demonstration.
  • Liz: Confirmed she had read “The Nightingale” and praised “Theo of Golden” as one of her top books of the year.
  • Ashlyn: Confirmed she had read “The Nightingale.”
  • Ali: Confirmed “Theo of Golden” is available on CELA and posted the link in the chat.
  • Siena: Noted that the Discover tab can be navigated efficiently using the Headings rotor option in VoiceOver.
  • Liz: Asked about reading author names character by character using VoiceOver.
  • Siena: Demonstrated reading “Freida McFadden” character by character using the VoiceOver rotor set to Characters, spelling out the name.
  • Ali: Noted this technique could be the basis of a future tutorial.
• Conclusion
  • The Discover tab provides broad book recommendations and trending titles.
  • VoiceOver’s character-by-character reading is useful for confirming author name spellings within any app.
  • “Theo of Golden” is available on CELA; link was shared in the chat.

Goodreads: Notifications Tab

Siena briefly demonstrated the Notifications section of the app.

• Details
  • Siena: Showed three sub-sections: Notifications (activity feed), Messages (direct messages to friends), and Requests (friend requests).
  • Siena: Noted sample notifications including reading challenge reminders, Choice Awards announcements, and friend activity alerts.
• Conclusion
  • The Notifications tab consolidates activity alerts, messages, and friend requests in one place.

Goodreads: Account Creation and Sign-In

Siena demonstrated how to create a new Goodreads account and sign in, including logging out to show the process from the beginning.

• Details
  • Siena: Showed sign-up options: Sign Up with Email, Continue with Amazon, and Continue with Apple.
  • Siena: Explained she originally signed up via Amazon due to her existing Audible account.
  • Siena: Demonstrated the email sign-up form, including name, email, and password fields (minimum 6 characters), and the Show Password toggle.
  • Siena: Noted that signing in with Amazon is automatic if already signed into Amazon or Audible on the device.
  • Liz: Confirmed she does not have an Amazon account and will create a new Goodreads account via email.
  • Ali: Noted that having an Amazon account may automatically create a Goodreads profile.
• Conclusion
  • New users can sign up via email, Amazon, or Apple ID.
  • Liz will create her account via the email invite link sent by Siena.

Goodreads: Adding Friends

Siena demonstrated how to invite and add friends on Goodreads.

• Details
  • Siena: Navigated to More > Friends > Add Friends and showed options to search by name/email, invite via contacts, or invite via email/message.
  • Siena: Sent a friend invite to Liz directly from within the app using her contact information.
  • Ali: Noted that Ashlyn and he are already in Siena’s friends list.
  • Liz: Confirmed receipt of the invite and expressed appreciation.
• Conclusion
  • Liz received a Goodreads friend invite from Siena during the session.
  • Once Liz creates her account, she can accept the friend request.

Platform Decision: Continuing with Zoom

Siena announced the team’s decision to continue using Zoom as the platform for all Textravaganza sessions.

• Details
  • Siena: Explained that after team discussions, Zoom was chosen over Google Meet due to participant familiarity and ease of use.
  • Ali: Confirmed Zoom will remain the platform, including for office hours.
  • Ashlyn: Suggested informing Tiana, who had expressed a preference for Zoom.
  • Siena: Confirmed Tiana would be re-added to the mailing list and notified.
  • Ali: Noted Zoom may also become the platform of choice for other events beyond Textravaganza.
• Conclusion
  • Zoom is confirmed as the ongoing platform for all Textravaganza sessions and office hours.
  • Tiana will be re-added to the list and informed of the decision.

Techstravaganza Rebranding Announcement

Siena announced the new naming structure for Techstravaganza sessions.

• Details
  • Siena: Announced that Wednesday workshops will be called “Techstravaganza Afternoons.”
  • Siena: Announced that the second Thursday of each month will be called “Techstravaganza Evenings.”
  • Siena: Announced that the first Friday of each month will be called “Techstravaganza Extra,” covering topics not addressed in previous tutorials.
  • Jackie: Noted the naming structure makes logical sense.
  • Ashlyn: Expressed amusement and approval of the rebranded names.
• Conclusion
  • The three-tier Techstravaganza branding structure is now in effect: Afternoons (Wednesdays), Evenings (second Thursday), and Extra (first Friday).

Upcoming Event: Techstravaganza Evenings – Zedge App

Siena announced the next Techstravaganza Evenings session scheduled for Thursday, July 9, 2026.

• Details
  • Siena: Announced the session will run from 7–9 PM and will cover the Zedge app (zedge.net), which allows users to download ringtones.
  • Siena: Noted that iOS 26 now allows ringtones to be added directly from the share sheet, provided they are under 29 seconds.
  • Siena: Clarified that the Zedge iPhone app only supports wallpaper downloads, so the tutorial will focus on the website and demonstrate how to save files as ringtones and text tones.
• Conclusion
  • Textravaganza Evenings on July 9 will cover the Zedge website and iOS 26 ringtone functionality.

Contact the team:

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