Just got new smart phone need help with TTY

wilykat

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It's been oh about 15 years since I've had a working TTY. When it broke, pay phones were already becoming rare and if I needed help on the road, I was more likely to get someone to call for me than to make a call myself. So I never got a replacement TTY.

I got a cell phone a few years later and it was so much easier to text for help. But even today not all services supports texting like my doctor's office. I still need to have someone make a call to set up appointment. (thankfully text to 911 is just starting to be available in parts of Michigan)

Anyway when my old "dumb" phone broke last week and I went to check for replacement, they sweet talked me into a smart phone since it would have been cheaper. (paid only $10 just for the tax, rest on monthly plan) and a free Samsung Galaxy phone. Specifically Galaxy Grand Prime. (non-smart phone aren't available for free and aren't cheap anymore due to low demand)

I've checked the instruction that came with it, whoever thought printing 3 point font was a good idea needs to be fired as not everyone can read those. I've tried online and found 3 different manuals PDF that I could search but they all gave different information. Version manual says I need an external device and special cable to plug in the mic port (and there's no mention of WHERE the mic port is on Galaxy Grand Prime)

Sprint says it's built in. Another says I need to download.

:hmm:

One thing I know, there is no mic port on my phone. There's only 2 ports, audio out and USB. Maybe I got the wrong Verzion manual somehow? The phone uses Android OS so it should be easy to find software but what? Google fu is not working for me today :aw: When I tried Google store for teletypewriter, I got GPS stuff.

So I need help, is there a TDD software I can use on my phone or do I need an external device? And if it's external, how would it be connected to my phone? I'd need to find a good magnifying glass to read it, the one I have are dollar store junk that looks like it's covered in vaseline.
 
I have the galaxy note 3, and in the settings there is an accessible section and when you click it a lot of options pop up for deaf, mute, and blind users. One of them is the tty option. Hopefully that works out for you. Another choice is the Google store and find an app if your lucky.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using AllDeaf App mobile app
 
You will get more results on the Google play store if you look up 'deaf' and not tty

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using AllDeaf App mobile app
 
First of all Bottesini is right you will need to connect a TTY to the phone if you want to use a TTY.

Then we need to know who you get you cell phone service from. It appears that several different carriers offered this phone and what you can do with it probably varies from carrier to carrier. Your carrier may well offer a PDF of the manual on their site.

There is another option with a couple of IF's connected for it to work for you. If the carrier that you have service from has simultaneous voice and data, there are apps that you can download, sign up with the service and get captions of what the other person on the call is saying to you. BUT you have to be able to talk for what you want to say to them.
 
TTY technology is now at least 50 years old

Verizon have not made TTY compatible and is now on hold as per FCC.

If ur concern, u could use 911 though text u will get better response though text to 911 dispatcher than if using TTY. Remember, 911 network has best coverage than if ur using data with TTY.

I am not saying cant use tty, but the truth is tty is getting past the point of obsolete.
 
It's been oh about 15 years since I've had a working TTY. When it broke, pay phones were already becoming rare and if I needed help on the road, I was more likely to get someone to call for me than to make a call myself. So I never got a replacement TTY.

I got a cell phone a few years later and it was so much easier to text for help. But even today not all services supports texting like my doctor's office. I still need to have someone make a call to set up appointment. (thankfully text to 911 is just starting to be available in parts of Michigan)

Anyway when my old "dumb" phone broke last week and I went to check for replacement, they sweet talked me into a smart phone since it would have been cheaper. (paid only $10 just for the tax, rest on monthly plan) and a free Samsung Galaxy phone. Specifically Galaxy Grand Prime. (non-smart phone aren't available for free and aren't cheap anymore due to low demand)

I've checked the instruction that came with it, whoever thought printing 3 point font was a good idea needs to be fired as not everyone can read those. I've tried online and found 3 different manuals PDF that I could search but they all gave different information. Version manual says I need an external device and special cable to plug in the mic port (and there's no mention of WHERE the mic port is on Galaxy Grand Prime)

Sprint says it's built in. Another says I need to download.

:hmm:

One thing I know, there is no mic port on my phone. There's only 2 ports, audio out and USB. Maybe I got the wrong Verzion manual somehow? The phone uses Android OS so it should be easy to find software but what? Google fu is not working for me today :aw: When I tried Google store for teletypewriter, I got GPS stuff.

So I need help, is there a TDD software I can use on my phone or do I need an external device? And if it's external, how would it be connected to my phone? I'd need to find a good magnifying glass to read it, the one I have are dollar store junk that looks like it's covered in vaseline.

TTY technology is now at least 50 years old

Verizon have not made TTY compatible and is now on hold as per FCC.

If ur concern, u could use 911 though text u will get better response though text to 911 dispatcher than if using TTY. Remember, 911 network has best coverage than if ur using data with TTY.

I am not saying cant use tty, but the truth is tty is getting past the point of obsolete.

diehardbiker
You did not read the OP post closely enough!! The concern is contacting places other than 911. I have added bold to the quote of the OP where calling their doctor's office is given as an example.
 
You could use Sprint Relay app, its better than having to deal with two separate devices and carry them all the time. I rather just one device that does everything I needed than having to carry second equipment called TTY around... too inconvenient and bulky to carry around.
 
diehardbiker
You did not read the OP post closely enough!! The concern is contacting places other than 911. I have added bold to the quote of the OP where calling their doctor's office is given as an example.

You didn't look closely how today technology work, they are way, way advanced than TTY. Once you understand how network works, you will realize it is next to impossible to get TTY working with today technology. Hence why Verizon technically gave up with TTY part and wanted to scrap TTY badly.

I have NOT seen TTY for years, and I do not see reason why I need TTY.

Guess what? I love Samsung Galaxy! Yes, I got Sprint APP on it and it worked like charm, no need separate TTY machine at all.
 
You didn't look closely how today technology work, they are way, way advanced than TTY. Once you understand how network works, you will realize it is next to impossible to get TTY working with today technology. Hence why Verizon technically gave up with TTY part and wanted to scrap TTY badly.

I have NOT seen TTY for years, and I do not see reason why I need TTY.

I use a TTY every time I am on a call from my landline at home! It is a combination of a regular phone and TTY chained together. Calls go through the Illinois Relay Service with VCO. I much prefer to use my voice than a keyboard when on a phone call.

The Sprint app uses VOIP which may or may not work where the OP is. It needs a very fast and stable connection! with the stability the most questionable part.

Because of what service was available in my area I carried two cell phones for quite a number of years. I used one to talk into and the browser in the other one like the browser on a computer is used with Hamilton CapTel for PC/Mac.

Simultaneous voice and data only became available in this area relatively recently. When AT&T finally got us 3G service I went to one of their MVNOs from a Verizon MVNO and currently have the Hamilton CapTel app. I am looking forward to when InnoCaption comes back though as they were even better before their suspension. Both of those require you to be willing to talk and we don't know if the OP can or is willing to if s/he can.

You didn't mention it but another factor is that some of us (Including me) do not sign. (You do need someone to sign with to remember it)
 
The Sprint app uses VOIP which may or may not work where the OP is. It needs a very fast and stable connection! with the stability the most questionable part.

That's the problem! You nailed it, I was trying to be realistic of what technology CAN do and can NOT do, there's limitation within every technologies that got NOTHING to do with what kind of Deafness one gets

The problem is TTY is damn too slow for today's Technology, today's technology don't have the patience of slow poke technology and they will cut it off at their will. it is the way it is and thats the problem where it can't be resolved. Solution? MOVE ON and try find better answer that fits suit today's technology. That's the dose of reality for you.

Don't take this personal, nothing personal here.
 
That's the problem! You nailed it, I was trying to be realistic of what technology CAN do and can NOT do, there's limitation within every technologies that got NOTHING to do with what kind of Deafness one gets

The problem is TTY is damn too slow for today's Technology, today's technology don't have the patience of slow poke technology and they will cut it off at their will. it is the way it is and thats the problem where it can't be resolved. Solution? MOVE ON and try find better answer that fits suit today's technology. That's the dose of reality for you.

Don't take this personal, nothing personal here.

I find TTY with VCO on my state relay service plenty fast. What in the world are some wanting to do that a TTY is too slow for?
 
I find TTY with VCO on my state relay service plenty fast. What in the world are some wanting to do that a TTY is too slow for?


Do you have any clue to how fast TTY goes in speed? Hint: Its much slower than 1KBPS.

I'm speaking of transmitting signals though the network.
 
do you have any clue to how fast TTY goes in speed? Hint: Its much slower than 1KBPS.

But . . .what would be the advantage of additional speed? Humans only type and/or talk so fast. So even if the device would be capable of more speed what would that speed be used for?
 
But . . .what would be the advantage of additional speed? Humans only type and/or talk so fast. So even if the device would be capable of more speed what would that speed be used for?

There is no buts, it is the way it is with today technology, they don't have patience for slow poke signals. Its like having a super highway built for just one car going though rather than having too many cars going at same time causing traffic jam.

I know that TTY speed is 50 baud (Not too be exact), and VoIP requires minimum of 90 KBPS*, notice how major gap when it comes to speed. Now, with this huge lag gap in speed, its going to cause time outs which would effectively interrupts the connection.

* KBPS stands for Kilo as a thousand Baud Per Second.
 
On a side note... just about all smart phones should have a mic port. They're very tiny though. On my galaxy s5 it's on the bottom next to the charging port and the size of a pin hole (or smaller).
 
On a side note... just about all smart phones should have a mic port. They're very tiny though. On my galaxy s5 it's on the bottom next to the charging port and the size of a pin hole (or smaller).

It depends on what you mean by the mic port. The cord from a TTY connects to the earphone port on a cell phone. Once connected you have to go into settings and select TTY mode.

I do have one of the small TTYs that I keep in the car incase I need to make a call when I am out of range of where my CapTel app will work.
 
Looks like Sprint relay would be my best option since my phone is through Sprint. The relay can use existing wifi, not just 3G or 4G so if I am near public wifi that is stable, that works for me. It's rare I end up in place that has no network at all, in which I'd need to find someone with land line if I needed help.
 
It depends on what you mean by the mic port. The cord from a TTY connects to the earphone port on a cell phone. Once connected you have to go into settings and select TTY mode.

I do have one of the small TTYs that I keep in the car incase I need to make a call when I am out of range of where my CapTel app will work.


It depends on what I mean by a mic port? I know what a mic port is and I know it isn't the same as an earphone/headphone port or jack. I have both of them on my phone. I am only going by what the OP mentioned- that he was looking for the MIC port. And yes I know that a compatible TTY would plug into the HEADPHONE jack.

My ONLY observation was to explain where the mic port would be- that is all.. not where or how the tty plugs in.


GalaxyPrime.JPG
 
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