Gestures for the BlackBerry Screen Reader
If your BlackBerry device has a trackpad, you can use the BlackBerry Screen Reader gestures on the
trackpad as well as on the touch screen.
Note: When the BlackBerry Screen Reader is turned on, you can use only BlackBerry Screen Reader
gestures on the trackpad.
Gestures for the Quick Tasks mode
In Quick Tasks mode, you can change settings and access BlackBerry Screen Reader features. When
you access Quick Tasks mode, a list of available tasks appears, and you have 3 seconds to complete a
task. If you don't complete a task, the BlackBerry device closes the mode and vibrates briefly to notify
you.
To access Quick Tasks mode, swipe down and to the right with one finger.
Task
Gesture
Change the speech volume
Swipe up with one finger to increase the volume.
Swipe down with one finger to decrease the
volume.
Change the speech speed
Swipe left with one finger to decrease the speech
rate. Swipe right with one finger to increase the
speech rate.
Replay the last item
Note: You can rewind to hear the last 10 items
spoken.
Swipe up with two fingers.
Settings
User Guide
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Task
Gesture
Spell the last item letter by letter
Swipe down with two fingers.
Spell the last item using the phonetic alphabet (for
example, Alpha, Bravo, and so on)
Swipe down and hold with two fingers to spell the
last item phonetically.
Turn on or turn off Dark Screen Mode
Tap once with two fingers.
Gestures for navigating on your device
Gestures that start at the edges of the screen (such as swiping down from the top to access Settings or
swiping up from the bottom to minimize an app) are the same in the BlackBerry Screen Reader as they
are in all other apps. However, when the BlackBerry Screen Reader is turned on, you can use additional
gestures to help you navigate.
Task
Gesture
Set and read the point of regard
A point of regard is a field, button, selection area,
link, application, paragraph, sentence, word, title,
picture, or any other screen element.
Tap the point of regard with one finger.
Access Discovery mode
Discovery mode allows you to find and interact
with points of regard, such as letters, words,
buttons, links, menu items, and pictures. These
points of regard are highlighted.
Tap and hold the point of regard with one finger,
and then move your finger. The point of regard is
set to the object under your finger.
Announce where the point of regard is set on your
screen.
Tap the screen once with two fingers.
You can use this gesture as a "Where am I" locator
if you get lost on the screen. The BlackBerry
Screen Reader reads the description, the location
of the point of regard, and the application name.
Activate a point of regard
When you activate a point of regard, you indicate
that you want to interact with that part of the
display.
Double-tap the point of regard with one finger.
Settings
User Guide
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Task
Gesture
Press and hold
Double-tap and hold.
Move to the next or previous point of regard
Swipe right with one finger to go to the next point
of regard. Swipe left with one finger to go to the
previous point of regard.
Pan or scroll a list
Swipe up with two fingers to scroll toward the top.
Swipe down with two fingers to scroll toward the
bottom. This action sets a new point of regard.
An audio cue indicates that the scrolling action is
complete, and the BlackBerry Screen Reader
updates the point of regard so that you can
continue reading from the new location.
Set the fields on a picker
Note: A picker is an option selection tool that has
more than one option. An example is a date picker
with columns for you to select weekday, date, and
month options.
Double-tap to expand the picker. Flick up or down
to find the correct value in each column of the
picker. Flick right or flick left to select a different
column.
An audio cue indicates that you are at the first or
last column in the picker. The BlackBerry Screen
Reader updates the point of regard and reads the
default selection of each column. For example, in a
date picker, the default is usually the current day.
Go to the top or begining of a page, list, section,
text field or display area
Swipe up and hold with two fingers to go to the
top of a page, list, or section, or the beginning of a
text field.This action sets a new point of regard.
Go to the bottom or end of a page, list, section,
text field, or display area
Swipe down and hold with two fingers to go to the
bottom of a page, list, or section, or the end of a
text field. This action sets a new point of regard.
Enter text navigation mode
Tap to make a text field the point of regard.
Double-tap with two fingers to enter text
navigation mode. The cursor is placed at the
beginning of the text field.
Change a slider value
With the point of regard focused on the slider, flick
up with one finger to increase the slider value.
Settings
User Guide
184
Task
Gesture
Flick down with one finger to decrease the slider
value.
Move to the previous or next section of text or web
content
A section of text can be a character, word, line,
sentence, or paragraph. A section of web content
can be a header or link.
In text navigation mode, swipe left with one finger
to go to the previous section of text or web
content. Swipe right with one finger to go to the
next section of text or web content.
Set the size of a text chunk
A text chunk can be a character, word, line,
sentence, paragraph, or a header or link on a
webpage. The size of a text chunk is used to
identify how far to skip ahead or go back in a
document, web content, or other text.
Swipe up with one finger while in text navigation
mode to increase the size. Swipe down with one
finger while in the content to decrease the size.
Move left, right, up, or down
Swipe left, right, up, or down with three fingers.
Stop the BlackBerry Screen Reader from reading
Swipe down and to the left with one finger.
When the BlackBerry Screen Reader reads a page
of text, the point of regard remains on the last read
item so that you can resume reading from the
location where you stopped.
Perform the default action of the application
Double-tap with two fingers.
Read the time and date
Note: You can use this gesture on any screen,
even when a status bar is not present.
Quickly swipe down and then up with one finger.
Read the status bar information (including battery
and network connectivity)
Note: You can use this gesture on any screen,
even when a status bar is not present.
Quickly swipe up and then down with one finger.
Settings
User Guide
185
Gestures for the BlackBerry Calendar
Task
Gesture
Move to the next day, week, or month
Swipe right with three fingers.
Move to the previous day, week, or month
Swipe left with three fingers.
Gestures for the home screen
Task
Gesture
Minimize the application and show your minimized
apps
Swipe up from the bottom. This gesture is the
same as the one used in other applications.
Close a minimized app
With the point of regard on the minimized app,
double-tap with two fingers.
Delete an app
Tap and hold with one finger, and then move your
finger to the app. The point of regard is set under
your finger. Then, double-tap with two fingers to
delete the app.
Gestures for text entry and editing
When you select text to cut, copy, or delete, the size of the text block depends on the size of a text
chunk you have set. A text chunk can be a character, word, line, sentence, or paragraph, or a header or
link on a webpage.
Task
Gesture
Switch the BlackBerry Keyboard layout
With the point of regard on the BlackBerry
Keyboard, swipe down with one finger.
Accept word prediction
Swipe up with one finger.
Select text
Double-tap and hold with one finger.
This gesture selects a text chunk and includes the
cursor position.
Settings
User Guide
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Task
Gesture
Clear a text selection
When you have text selected, double-tap and hold
with one finger.
Extend the text selection
When you have text selected, swipe from left to
right to increase the selection by one text chunk.
Decrease the text selection
When you have text selected, swipe from right to
left to decrease the selection by one text chunk.
If the text selection becomes empty when you
swipe to decrease the selection, the selection
extends in the opposite direction. For example, if
you get to the beginning of the selected text, the
new selection is the configured text chunk
extending to the left. If you get to the end of the
selected text, the new selection is beyond the
previous end.
Change the size of a text chunk
Swipe up with one finger while in the content to
increase the size. Swipe down with one finger
while in the content to decrease the size.
Delete a block of text (for languages that read left
to right)
Swipe from right to left with two fingers.
Delete a block of text (for languages that read right
to left)
Swipe from left to right with two fingers.
Cut a block of text
Swipe left, and then right with two fingers.
Copy a block of text
Swipe right, and then left with two fingers.
Paste a block of text
After you copy or cut text, swipe down and then
up with two fingers.
When you successfully paste the text, the
BlackBerry Screen Reader reads the content that
you inserted.
Hide the touch screen keyboard
Note: This gesture is only applicable to all-touch
devices.
When the keyboard is visible, set the point of
regard to the space bar, then double-tap and hold
with one finger.
Settings
User Guide
187
Gestures for the Phone app
Task
Gesture
Answer a call
Double-tap with two fingers on the Incoming Call
screen.
Reject a call
Double-tap and hold with two fingers on the
Incoming Call screen.
End a call
Double-tap and hold with two fingers anywhere on
the screen.
Gestures for the BlackBerry Hub
Task
Gesture
Open a notification or message
Double-tap with one finger.
Open BlackBerry Hub Instant Actions to quickly
triage an incoming notification
Double-tap with two fingers.
Expand an email folder
Triple-tap with one finger. In Discovery mode, tap
and hold with one finger and double-tap with a
second finger.
Collapse an email folder
Triple-tap with one finger. In Discovery mode, tap
and hold with one finger and double-tap with a
second finger.