Dbak91Home / James Sounds
James Sounds
A free picture soundboard for non-verbal autistic people. Tap a big picture and the tablet says the word. Tap it again and again: repetition is welcome here.
Installed from the APK on GitHub, not the Google Play Store.
The soundboard.
Expand to video
Made for James.
Shared for everyone.
James is my younger brother. He has Down syndrome and is non-verbal autistic. This free, open source, offline app gives him a voice: tap a big picture and the tablet says the word.
- No reading needed. Big pictures on strong colours, with drink, food, toilet, yes, no and more on page one.
- Sound spam welcome. Each tap restarts the sound cleanly, so repetition never stacks into noise.
- Easy to personalise. Record familiar voices and add pages; changes go live only when confirmed.
New tablets.
Old tablets too.
- Full edition for modern 64-bit Android tablets, with offline voices.
- Lite edition for older 32-bit tablets such as the 2012 Nexus 7 (Android 5.0).
Common questions.
Is James Sounds free?
Yes. It is free and open source, released as Custom Soundboard under the GNU General Public License v3.0.
What is sound spam?
Pressing the same button over and over to hear a sound again and again. James Sounds expects it: each tap stops the previous sound and starts it fresh, so it never builds up into overlapping noise.
Does it need the internet?
No. The voices and sounds run on the tablet, so it works offline.
Can I use my own voice or photos?
Yes. In edit mode you can record your own voice, pick an audio file, choose a picture and change tiles. Changes go live only when you confirm them.
Is it on the Google Play Store?
Not yet. It is installed from the APK on GitHub. Want to see it first? Try the board in your browser, including edit mode.
James Sounds is a simple communication aid made by a family member. It is not a medical device and does not replace advice from a speech and language therapist.