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Accessibility

Last updated August 21, 2026

BeFree is built for people who think out loud — including people who use assistive technology to do it. This page describes how BeFree supports accessibility today, what we're working on, and how to reach us if something doesn't work.

Our commitment

We target WCAG 2.1 Level AA as a baseline. We don't always hit it on the first build of a feature, but every release tightens the gap, and we treat accessibility regressions as bugs — not nice-to-haves.

What's built in

Voice-first capture

• BeFree's primary input is your voice. You can capture an entire brain dump without typing, tapping a small target, or remembering a tap-and-hold gesture.
• The mic button is a single, large, persistent target on every primary screen.
• Speech-to-text is handled by Apple's speech recognition — on your device or on Apple's servers, depending on your device and language. BeFree never receives or stores your audio; only the resulting text reaches BeFree.
• Capture also works hands-free through Siri — say "Hey Siri, talk to BeFree", and Siri asks what's on your mind and files your answer without opening the app. BeFree can also help you set up a shorter trained phrase in its Hands-free screen.

Screen reader support (VoiceOver)

• Every interactive element has a labelled role and accessible name.
• Card and sheet titles are announced as headings.
• Capture status (listening, thinking, saved) is shown as visible text on labelled controls throughout. Spoken VoiceOver announcements for those transitions are a known gap and are in progress — see below.

Dynamic Type

• BeFree scales with your system Text Size setting, up to a per-element ceiling that keeps controls operable and labels legible. Body and reading text scales furthest; compact labels and buttons scale less so they don't collide or clip.
• Layouts are checked at the largest size each element scales to, so labels don't clip and rows don't overlap.

Reduce Motion

• BeFree respects the system Reduce Motion preference. The mascot's idle animation, page transitions, and entrance fades are toned down or removed when Reduce Motion is on.
• The brain-dump "thinking" indicator does not flash; it fades.

Color and Contrast

• Light and dark modes are first-class. Both meet 4.5:1 contrast for body text and 3:1 for large text against their respective backgrounds.
• We don't use color alone to convey meaning — every status uses an icon plus a label.

Reduced Cognitive Load

• One mic. One sheet. No badge counts on the app icon, no engagement loops, and nothing that punishes a gap. The app is designed to let you walk away. (Insights on the web app does show a streak figure, if you go looking — nothing surfaces it at you.)
• Confirmations name where the AI put your item ("Milk's on Groceries.") so you don't have to hunt for it after a dump.

Lock-screen and widget capture

• Capture from the lock screen via the BeFree mic tile — one tap opens BeFree already listening (Face ID unlocks it on the way), instead of unlocking, finding the app, and hitting a small target. For genuinely no-unlock capture, use "Hey Siri, talk to BeFree".
• Widget tap-to-mark-done on iOS 17+ lets you complete a task without opening the app.

What we use

• Apple Speech framework for speech recognition (on-device or on Apple's servers, per your device's configuration — BeFree never receives the audio).
• iOS native components wherever possible so VoiceOver, Switch Control, Voice Control, and Full Keyboard Access work the way you expect.
• System Text Size and Reduce Motion are read directly from iOS settings — no separate in-app toggle to forget.

Known gaps

We're honest about what isn't done:

• Spoken status announcements — capture state changes are visible on screen but are not yet announced to VoiceOver. This is the gap we consider most worth closing.
• iPad layout is not optimised for iPad; the iPhone layout runs on it.
• Voice Control on iOS works for basic commands ("tap mic", "tap submit") but isn't fully tuned — some custom gestures don't have a verbal name yet.
• Older devices (iPhone 8, SE 1st gen) may experience reduced animation framerates. Reduce Motion is the recommended workaround.
• We don't yet ship a high-contrast theme beyond what dark mode provides.

The other places BeFree runs

This statement was written for the iPhone app, which is still where the most accessibility work has gone. In brief, for the rest:

• Mac — full keyboard operation, the system Reduce Motion and appearance settings are honoured, and every capture path has a keyboard equivalent (⌘⇧Space anywhere).
• Web (app.heybefree.app) — keyboard-navigable with visible focus rings and a ⌘K command bar; screen-reader support has had less testing than iOS and we want to hear about problems.
• Android — in pre-release testing; TalkBack support is untested and we would welcome testers who rely on it.
• This website honours Reduce Motion: with it on, the mascot's breathing and every transition stop.

These are tracked. If you depend on one of them, email us — we will prioritise what real users need.

Reporting an accessibility issue

If you find something that doesn't work for you, email support@heybefree.app with:

• The device and iOS version you're using.
• The assistive technology in use (VoiceOver, Switch Control, etc.).
• A short description of what you tried to do and what happened instead.

We aim to respond within 3 business days and prioritise accessibility fixes ahead of feature work.

Designing with us

If you're an accessibility researcher, neurodivergent advocate, or assistive-technology user who'd like to test pre-release builds, email support@heybefree.app with the subject "Accessibility tester" and we will get you a TestFlight invite.