From day one of building Eter, we knew that as a radio streaming app, it had to be intuitive and accessible—not just for the average user, but especially for those who are blind or visually impaired.
Apple’s developer frameworks, both UIKit and SwiftUI, offer powerful tools to help make apps accessible—most notably through the built-in VoiceOver screen reader. In fact, many SwiftUI components support VoiceOver right out of the box. But creating a truly accessible experience goes beyond ticking technical checkboxes. For sighted developers, it’s a real challenge to fully understand how someone who navigates the world through touch and sound interacts with an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac.
Eter quickly gained recognition within the blind community after launch. And while we were honored by the positive reception, we also took to heart the candid feedback about where our VoiceOver implementation fell short.
It Takes an International Village
One of the first in-depth—and deeply appreciated—reviews came from the Polish accessibility blog Moja Szuflada (My Drawer):
https://mojaszuflada.pl/eter-radio-czyli-radio-na-nadgarstku/
Much of Eter’s progress in accessibility is thanks to the support and dedication of the blind and low-vision community—especially Dennis Long, who consistently offered clear, constructive insights into what wasn’t working and how it could be improved. His feedback helped shape Eter into the accessible experience it is today.
As Seen on AppleVis
Recently, Eter was also featured on AppleVis, the go-to platform for blind and visually impaired Apple users:
https://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/music/eter-streaming-internet-radio
This journey has deeply expanded our understanding of how crucial accessibility is—not as a feature, but as a core responsibility. We now approach every part of our app with one guiding principle: it must be usable by everyone.
And we’re just getting started. We’re constantly evolving Eter to ensure that every new feature not only enhances the listening experience but also works seamlessly with VoiceOver and other accessibility tools built into iOS and macOS.
Excited about Eter and want to chat? Have a feature request? Come on over to our Discourse forum! Do you think you might have found a bug that needs squishing? Email us at support@apparentsoft.com
Ready to explore the world of Internet Radio? Available on all Apple devices including CarPlay, immerse yourself in seamless radio streaming with Eter. For more information and to discover all that Eter has to offer, visit our website.
Eter: Streaming Internet Radio
