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Xarra: Text to Speech Reader App - App Store

To start the weekend, we’re celebrating Xarra’s Gaady Award win with three thank-you offers for Premium! GAADY2MONTHS: 2 months free GAADYYEAR50: 50% off the first year GAADYLIFETIME33: 33% off Lifetime apps.apple.com/gb/app/xarra...

apps.apple.com

Download Xarra: Text to Speech Reader by Daniel Devesa Derksen-Staats on the App Store. See screenshots, ratings and reviews, user tips and more games like…

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Reposted by Dani Devesa

Featured in @iosdevweekly.com, issue 770! Thank you Andyy Hope for the kind words on my blog post about making Xarra as accessible as possible. Up to 11! 💪 iosdevweekly.com/issues/770/

Featured in @iosdevweekly.com, issue 770! Thank you Andyy Hope for the kind words on my blog post about making Xarra as accessible as possible. Up to 11! 💪 iosdevweekly.com/issues/770/

Tap these to redeem directly if you have Xarra installed: GAADY2MONTHS apps.apple.com/redeem?ctx=o... GAADYYEAR50 apps.apple.com/redeem?ctx=o... GAADYLIFETIME33 apps.apple.com/redeem?ctx=o... Available through 12 October.

Promotional image celebrating Xarra as a 2026 Gaadys winner. A winner badge appears beside two iPhones showing Xarra’s document library and synchronized reading view, with the spoken word highlighted.

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Xarra: Text to Speech Reader App - App Store

apps.apple.com

Download Xarra: Text to Speech Reader by Daniel Devesa Derksen-Staats on the App Store. See screenshots, ratings and reviews, user tips and more games like…

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I'm going to SF for a week in December! Can't wait, haven't been in aaages! Foodie and coffee snob recommendations welcome, any events or meetups happening? Anyone up for coffee while I'm there?

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If you need on-device speech synthesis to present spoken content, something that could help people use your app without having to enable VoiceOver, here's how:

Reposted by Dani Devesa

"Offer important information through more than one mode when possible: text, audio, haptics… or a combination.". I've always worked with this accessibility principle in mind, it's Xarra's whole purpose and why I started it.

Dani Devesa @dadederk.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Something I’ve wanted to do: I’d like to offer public institutions and nonprofits free lifetime access to Xarra for people in their communities who might benefit from a more flexible way to read. Could this be useful where you work? Get in touch! accessibilityupto11.com/apps/xarra/

Import an article, PDF, DAISY book, document, or your own text, and Xarra turns it into natural-sounding audio with synchronized highlighting. Read along line…

Xarra!

Reposted by Dani Devesa

Xarra 2.0 is ready for iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS 27! Find docs in Spotlight, use 4 new Shortcuts, ask Siri to start listening. Smoother imports, library search, better playback layout. Now in French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese and Japanese too. apps.apple.com/app/id675940...

Reposted by Dani Devesa

If you cover apps, accessibility, or indie development for a publication, blog, newsletter, podcast, or video channel... and think Xarra's story might interest your audience, please reach out. I’d love to chat! Press kit and demo: accessibilityupto11.com/apps/xarra/p... Thanks so much!

Facts, copy, full-resolution screenshots, app icons, and contact details for coverage of Xarra!

Xarra! • Press Kit

Dani Devesa @dadederk.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Appreciate it! Exactly! Accessibility and privacy for the win!

Reposted by Dani Devesa

Gaady Award Winners | GAAD Foundation

How did this happen?! 😱 Xarra is a 2026 Gaady Award winner! I’m genuinely humbled and honoured. Thanks to the GAAD Foundation for championing accessibility, and to everyone who has helped shape Xarra! gaad.foundation/what-we-do/g...

gaad.foundation

The GAAD Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to disrupt the culture of technology and digital product development to include accessibility as a core requirement. Our vision is for ...

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Facts, copy, full-resolution screenshots, app icons, and contact details for coverage of Xarra!

Xarra! • Press Kit

Reposted by Dani Devesa

I keep being asked: what is Xarra? I made a short one-minute video to show what it looks like and how I use it. youtu.be/-fBbvx9dTus #Xarra

YouTube video by iOS Accessibility: Up to 11!

What is Xarra?

Gaady Award Winners | GAAD Foundation

gaad.foundation

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I keep being asked: what is Xarra? I made a short one-minute video to show what it looks like and how I use it. youtu.be/-fBbvx9dTus #Xarra

YouTube video by iOS Accessibility: Up to 11!

What is Xarra?

Dani Devesa @dadederk.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Reposted by Dani Devesa

New blog post! This time about "Little stories on my journey to making Xarra as accessible as possible (Part 1)." Why part 1? Because I hope to make a little series of it. What do you think?! accessibilityupto11.com/post/2026-09... #Xarra #Accessibility

Little stories on my journey to making Xarra as accessible as possible (Part 1)

In general, blog posts tend to be about teaching a specific topic, technology, or API… But I love it when devs talk about how they’ve built something or share…

Dani Devesa @dadederk.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Little stories on my journey to making Xarra as accessible as possible (Part 1)

In general, blog posts tend to be about teaching a specific topic, technology, or API… But I love it when devs talk about how they’ve built something or share…

Dani Devesa @dadederk.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Reposted by Dani Devesa

Yesterday was Hard Fork's last episode, one of my most-listened podcasts lately with the AI frenzy. Thinking of getting one of their caps, but they only ship to the US. Anyone heading from the US to the UK soon who could bring me one? Repay in coffee ☕️ store.nytimes.com/products/har...

store.nytimes.com

Hard Fork Baseball Cap

Each week on the Hard Fork podcast, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the rapidly changing world of tech. Show your support for the show and NYT Audio with this iconic...

Reposted by Dani Devesa

If you were on the fence about buying the new iPhone Duo... what about playing RetroRapid! in arcade mode?! 🤯 🕹️ #RetroRapid #iOSDev #iPhoneDuo

A folding phone shown open at roughly a right angle, styled like a handheld game console. The top half displays RetroRapid! in arcade mode: a car dodging four lanes of oncoming traffic, with three lives shown as small car icons in the top right. The bottom half of the folded device serves as a controller, with a red button on each side for steering left and right.

Reposted by Dani Devesa

Join the Xarra: Read, Listen, Focus beta

Fancy a sneak peek at Xarra 2.0? I’d really love to know what you think, especially about iCloud sync, the Mac app, iPad window resizing, and Spotlight/Siri/Shortcuts. Or any of the new localizations! Thanks! 🙏 testflight.apple.com/join/ysbKq74Z #TestFlight #Accessibility

testflight.apple.com

Available on iOS

Reposted by Dani Devesa

I missed the iOS 27 release train by a little, but Xarra 2.0 is nearly here! It’s ready for iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS 27, with library search, Spotlight, Siri and Shortcuts, redesigned playback controls and a lot of work under the hood. I’d love your thoughts.

Two iPhones showing Xarra 2.0: library search on the left with the app in dark mode, and a document open with playback controls on the right, over blue, coral and navy waves.

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Join the Xarra: Read, Listen, Focus beta

testflight.apple.com

Available on iOS

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Reposted by Dani Devesa

The joy of developing apps with native out-of-the-box components is that your app becomes quite adaptive with little effort. If Apple says your app needs to be resizable, you say fine with me. If Apple says #iPhoneDuo, you say bring it on! #Xarra

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Reposted by Dani Devesa

Told you so! I've always seen #Xarra as an app to help you with your reading. You can read, listen, or both, and highlight what's being spoken if it helps you focus. Feels right at home on the #iPhoneDuo, at any pose or orientation, whatever makes reading most comfortable.

Shaun Bent @shaunbent.co.uk · 22/09/2026

Reposted by Dani Devesa

I'm joining @bencallahan.com again on The Question this week. Share your thoughts and come join the discussion. Should be fun. 🤩 🔗 bit.ly/answerTheQuestion

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If you were on the fence about buying the new iPhone Duo... what about playing RetroRapid! in arcade mode?! 🤯 🕹️ #RetroRapid #iOSDev #iPhoneDuo

Dani Devesa @dadederk.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

store.nytimes.com

Hard Fork Baseball Cap

RetroRapid on the iPhone Duo? Soon! Might be tricky to open and close while playing without crashing, though 😁

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Some of you wanted a peek behind the scenes for my talk "Accessibility, Live on Stage." Nothing too complicated, as you can see... 😁 Thanks to @felibe444.bsky.social for the pic! Ran out of phones for taking it. 🤣

An annotated photo of a speaker's side table setup on a stage, labelled with arrows. A laptop showing an "Accessibility, Live on Stage" title slide is captioned "Laptop: Slides, QuickTime, Xcode, overhead video + demo audio." Labels point to a speaking mic on a stand, an articulated arm, an iPhone mounted as an overhead camera, a second iPhone labelled "Demo iPhone" with a run and voiceover cable coiled beneath it, and a presenter iPad propped on a yellow chair labelled "notes, live-test guide."

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Reposted by Dani Devesa

Dani Devesa @dadederk.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Had a blast speaking at @iosdevuk.bsky.social today! Gave a talk called "Accessibility, Live on Stage!" where I tried to squeeze as many accessibility improvements as possible into a vibe-coded app. Great conference, hope to be back soon! #Accessibility #a11y #iOSDev #iOSDevUK

Dani standing on stage with a mic at iOSDevUK, gesturing while speaking. Behind him a large screen shows his intro slide: "Hi, I'm Dani (@dadederk)," with a hand-drawn Yoto player displaying a pixel-art self-portrait, an arrow labelled "Work at Yoto!", notes on previous roles at Spotify, Skyscanner and the BBC, plus a "briefly contracted for a fruit company" joke, his site accessibilityupto11.com, and the hashtag #365DaysToAccessibility.

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Reposted by Dani Devesa

You know you've made it when you get your talk sketchnoted by @felibe444.bsky.social! 😊 Thank you, I love it! Follow her and check out her work: fbernutz.github.io/sketchnotes/

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Reposted by Dani Devesa

Dani Devesa @dadederk.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

The recording for my talk "Accessibility, Live on Stage" at #iOSKonf is out! A great conference. Thanks for having me! Audio's a little rough unfortunately, best enjoyed with my thick Spanish accent 😁 Captions and accessibility to the rescue. Loved the community in Macedonia! youtu.be/iAQmypj_svk

Accessibility, Live on Stage | iOSKonf26 | Dani Devesa Derksen-Staats

YouTube video by iOSKonf

Dani Devesa @dadederk.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

You know you've made it when you get your talk sketchnoted by @felibe444.bsky.social! 😊 Thank you, I love it! Follow her and check out her work: fbernutz.github.io/sketchnotes/

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Dani Devesa @dadederk.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Accessibility, Live on Stage | iOSKonf26 | Dani Devesa Derksen-Staats

YouTube video by iOSKonf

Fixing Your Screenshots Live to Turn Views Into Installs

Also learned some of my keywords are too generic to ever rank. Thanks Ariel, time to put your tips to work! Full clip: www.youtube.com/live/HFAuZ2Q...

youtube.com

YouTube video by Ariel from Appfigures

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Xarra got randomly picked on @arielmichaeli.bsky.social's (@appfigures.com) live screenshot teardown stream today. Reality check: my screenshots explain features like chapters and pace, but not why people actually need them.

Screenshot of Ariel from AppFigures' livestream "Fixing Your Screenshots Live to Turn Views Into Installs," showing a grid of app icons with the Xarra icon highlighted as the randomly selected app, next to Ariel on camera.

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New batch of stickers! And it's happening... a new Accessibility Rocks design! Ready for @iosdevuk.bsky.social!

Photo of three sticker designs in clear bags on a wooden desk. On the left, a stack of white "Accessibility" stickers with a hand-drawn dial running from 0 to 11. In the top bag, a circular sticker referencing Star Wars, reading "I find your lack of accessibility disturbing" around the accessibility stick figure dressed as Darth Vader. In the bottom bag, a new circular design of the same stick figure playing an electric guitar, with "ACCESSIBILITY" in jagged rock-lettering and "ROCKS!" in cursive script underneath.

ARCtic Conference - The World's Northernmost Apple Developers' Conference (iOS, visionOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS etc.)

The thought came from Michael’s February @arcticconference.bsky.social 2026 talk, "Making Things People Remember", at a truly awesome conference. ARCtic returns to Oulu, 2–4 Feb 2027. Happy Bird tickets are €449 through 31 Oct! arcticonference.com

arcticonference.com

The World's Northernmost iOS, macOS, visionOS, watchOS, iPadOS and tvOS Developers' Conference

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RetroRapid! App - App Store

So I came up with some fun ideas for alternative RetroRapid! icons. They adapt to light and dark mode, with a couple of Easter eggs and surprises. 😉 Coming in an update soon, to an App Store close to you! apps.apple.com/app/id675864... #iOSDev

apps.apple.com

Download RetroRapid! by Daniel Devesa Derksen-Staats on the App Store. See screenshots, ratings and reviews, user tips, and more apps like RetroRapid!.

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To paraphrase @flarup.bsky.social: "I want you to do at least one thing that doesn't have any functional purpose whatsoever. Just because it feels good." And Fridays are perfect for that.

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Senior iOS Engineer - Yoto

Yoto is hiring iOS (and Android) engineers! Mid-level and senior roles open. I've been having a blast here: super talented team and great mission (screen-free audio for kids). It's a product I genuinely love using myself. Any questions? DM me! careers.yotoplay.com/jobs/8325082...

careers.yotoplay.com

Senior iOS Engineer We're looking for a Senior iOS Engineer to join our Technology team to own and evolve the Yoto app experience that millions of families use to connect with their players, di...

Xarra's yearly sub is now about $8.10 instead of $11.60 in Spain/Italy, and $3.60 instead of $9.60 in the Philippines. RetroRapid in Thailand went from about $3 to $1.50. Existing subscribers got the new price automatically. accessibilityupto11.com/apps/ Hope this helps! #Xarra #RetroRapid