SyncroTel Labs

Low-vision reading tool // Android beta

EchoViz

EchoViz is a small Android accessibility app built to make phone reading more practical when eyesight is fading. It was created at home, for family first, and is being shared early so real people can test it.

Screenshots

Early beta views from the current Android build.

EchoViz floating controls menu open over an Android screen
The floating EchoViz bubble opens quick access to text sizing, Reading Mode, MagLens, Web Reader, Read Aloud, Setup Doctor, and Exit.
EchoViz Setup Doctor screen showing accessibility health checks
Setup Doctor checks the permissions EchoViz needs and gives the user a clear repair path when Android blocks a feature.

Why it exists

A practical visibility tool built from a real family need.

EchoViz started from a very personal problem: my wife has Lyme Disease, and her eyesight has been deteriorating to the point where reading on her phone was starting to feel almost not worth the effort.

The idea is simple: give her a floating EchoViz button that can follow her around Android and open quick visibility tools without forcing her through tiny menus. The current build includes system text-size controls, Reading Mode, Web Reader, MagLens, and Read Aloud.

This is an early beta, not a polished Play Store release yet. I am putting it here so a friend can install it, test it, and help me find the rough edges before the app gets packaged properly for wider distribution.

Install and enable

These steps are written for a manually installed Android beta. Google Play will make this simpler later.

  1. Download the EchoViz beta ZIP and unzip it on the Android phone, or unzip it on a computer and send the APK to the phone.
  2. Open the EchoViz APK on the phone. If Android asks whether to allow installs from this app or file manager, tap Settings and turn on Allow from this source.
  3. Finish installing EchoViz, then open it.
  4. If Android says Restricted setting or blocks Accessibility access, open Android Settings, go to Apps, tap EchoViz, tap the three-dot menu in the upper right, and choose Allow restricted settings. Confirm the warning, then go back to EchoViz.
  5. On the EchoViz Setup Doctor screen, tap Open Accessibility Settings.
  6. Tap EchoViz Floating Controls, turn it on, and tap Allow when Android shows the Accessibility warning.
  7. Go back to EchoViz and tap Allow Text Size Control. Turn on Allow modifying system settings for EchoViz.
  8. Set the phone text size to the size you want EchoViz to treat as normal, then tap Use Current as 100%.
  9. Tap Repair EchoViz or open EchoViz from the app icon. The floating bubble should appear on the side of the screen.

Known issues and next evolutions

The app is usable now, but the first beta is meant to expose what needs attention.

Known issues

  • The floating EchoViz button can still be inconsistent about when it appears after closing, reopening, or moving between the home screen and another app. This is the first reliability issue being worked on.
  • Some browsers and websites ignore Android system font scaling, so the + and - buttons may not affect every webpage. Web Reader is the fallback for page-level zoom.
  • Web Reader cannot extract clean article text from every site yet. Some sites block or hide content from Android WebView.
  • Android 13 and newer may require the extra Allow restricted settings step before Accessibility can be enabled for a manually installed APK.
  • This beta APK is not Play Protect reviewed yet because it is not distributed through Google Play.

Next 5 evolutions

  1. Make the floating bubble startup and restore behavior boringly reliable across home screen, Chrome, Settings, and app restarts.
  2. Add a friendlier first-run setup flow with larger buttons, screenshots, and fewer trips into Android Settings.
  3. Improve Web Reader so copied links, shared pages, and article extraction work on more news and blog sites.
  4. Expand Read Aloud with pause, resume, speed controls, and clearer voice status.
  5. Prepare the signed Play Store beta with formal Accessibility disclosures, privacy copy, release notes, and update handling.

Movable floating control bubble with text size controls, Reading Mode, Web Reader, Read Aloud, and MagLens.

Built because my wife has Lyme Disease and her eyesight has been deteriorating, making normal phone reading exhausting.

Designed as a practical visibility layer first, with local-first behavior and Play Store readiness work still underway.