1. Plug the male end of the switch/toy into the Stick/Puck to turn it on. Blue LED will blink
2. Open the SwitchForLife app, go to app Settings => Connected Devices
3.  Tap the device under “Available Sticks/Pucks”
4. Optional: Customize the name / image associated with the Stick/Puck
5. Optional (Stick only): Customize the debounce time, the time in milliseconds to ignore unintentional activations for users with tremors or movement disorders
6. Tap “Pair”. Blue LED will be solid

Here is a video demostration of the above steps: Connecting the Stick and Puck

Yes, of course. This is the most common use of SwitchForLife since many users can interact with the touch screen, and SwitchForLife offers everything and more than other AAC apps!

Make sure Settings -> Touch Activation is ON and enjoy the same features without using the Stick/switches. The Puck is needed for switch activated toys for touch users. To activate the toy, touch the center of the Puck (logo) on the iPad/iPhone in the Puck tab, and it acts like a switch! 

Tap the Edit button in the top right of the Talk screen (if Edit button not visible, turn it on in app Settings):

Tap the item you want to edit, then tap the pencil icon in the top right to open the Item Editor:

Yes, but only 1 board is allowed in the free version, so you will first have to delete the board that came pre-installed.

Tap the Edit button in the top right of the Talk screen (if Edit button not visible, turn it on in app Settings):

Expand the row that displays available boards, click the red delete button in the top left of the board:

Create a new board, optionally customize the board name, image and background color:

Board Types:

• Fixed Grid: 1 page traditional communication board where you can select the number of rows and columns
• Visual Scene: Start with a picture and customize it with talk items, music, videos and homekit scenes. This is a Pro version feature
• Dynamic Grid: Similar to a 1 page grid but allows more than 1 page of items. Typically used when the user has a communication partner
• Slideshow: This is similar to a grid when defining the items, but when in use, it displays only one item at a time and touch/switches allow scan/select. Great for users with a Visual Impairment. 

Go to the Item Editor for the item you would like to add media to:

Select “Actions” in the Item Editor, and choose which action to assign:

Adding a YouTube video is as simple as copying/pasting the video’s URL into the item. Adding Music will launch the music picker dialog. Adding a HomeKit Scene requires the Pro version. 

HomeKit devices such as smart outlets, lights, music, door openers, thermostats and more, can be controlled by adding them to any item in a board or Visual Scene. Similar to adding music or a YouTube video, adding a HomeKit scene is done in the Item Editor:

The dialog to select HomeKit items, is populated with HomeKit Scenes that are created with the native Apple Home App. For more information on creating Apple Home Scenes please click this Apple Support Page.

The free version has a single page board to ensure that all communicators have at least one option for beginning core-base communication. 

For more options, the Pro version is required. In the Pro version there are 24 and 60 item per board motor-planning based vocabulary systems of linked boards, and functional communication board systems for an adult population of communicators. New board systems are being added regularly.

Yes! We found a great outlet that is easily switch adapted and works great with The Puck. You can buy it on our product page here, or save some money and buy your own on Amazon or directly from the vendor. You will have to make your own cable with a female mono jack compatible with switches, and a way to close the circuit via the green Phoenix connector. If this sounds interesting, but you need technical assistance, feel free to email us, we are happy to help. 

You can use any micro USB style charger. The red LED illuminates when the internal battery is below 10% charged. When charging, an orange LED near the micro USB port on The Stick/Puck will illuminate. The orange LED will turn off when the battery is fully charged.

This will be driven by you… users, AT leads, teachers, SLP’s, parents and caregivers. Here is a sampling of planned new features based on your great feedback so far:

• Support for adult rehab use cases
• Dual channel Bluetooth audio output so that visually impaired users can receive a cue phrase independently (e.g., Bluetooth earbud) of the word/phrase they select to speak (output to built-in speaker or other Bluetooth speaker)
• Word prediction
• Phrase expansion
• Eye Gaze using Apple Device’s built-in True Depth camera (on select iOS devices)

We would love to here from you, on how we can keep SwitchForLife as the best in class!