Jacob's Colours

Picture buttons that speak

A simple, accessible communication app for iPad. Tap the big, bright picture buttons to hear words and phrases spoken aloud, open folders for more, and play social stories read aloud one step at a time. Free, and it works entirely offline.

Free · iPad · Education

The talk board — colourful picture buttons like Yes, No, Help, Feelings and People

A social story playing — a big picture with a sentence read aloud, and a Next button

Carer settings — personalisation, voice and speaking speed

Why I built it

I built Jacob's Colours for my son, Jacob. Jacob lives with cerebral palsy, and speaking doesn't come easily for him — but like all of us, he has plenty he wants to say.

I wanted him to have a way to be heard that was made for him: big, clear buttons that are easy to see and easy to reach, and a voice that speaks the moment he taps. What began as an app for one young man became something I hope can help other families, carers and classrooms too. It's free, and it always works — no internet, no accounts, no ads.

How it works

Tap to talk. Every button is a picture and a word. Tap it and the iPad says it out loud — the button glows and grows so it's clear what was chosen.
Folders for more words. Buttons like Feelings, People, Places and Things to do open to a screen of related words, with big Back and Home buttons to find your way.
Social stories. Open Stories for step-by-step stories that are read aloud one page at a time — swipe or tap Next to move through them at your own pace.
Shake to go home. A gentle shake jumps straight back to the main board — handy when the Back and Home buttons are hard to reach. (It can be turned off.)

Made for every user

Three button sizes — from a few very large buttons per page to a fuller board.
High-contrast, colourful tiles and large, well-spaced touch targets, designed for low vision and less precise touch.
Your own photos. Add a picture from the photo library or camera to any button — for example, a photo of Mum or a friend.
Personal Voice. On iPadOS 17 and later, the app can speak using a Personal Voice, so it can sound familiar.
Personalisation. Enter the person's name and the app can address them by name in stories and prompts.

Carers are in control

Everything is editable in Settings. Add, edit and remove buttons and folders, write your own social stories, choose the speaking voice and speed, and pick the button size. There's a built-in tutorial — including a tip on using iPad's Guided Access to keep the app in focus during use.

Private and offline

Jacob's Colours works entirely on your device. It has no accounts, no ads and no tracking, and it never sends your buttons, photos, stories or settings anywhere. Read the full Privacy Policy.

Questions?

We're happy to help with any question, bug or idea.

Email support

or write to support@monkeycode.au