Yes, BT Speak can do that now! November 2025 Edition

The November release has arrived, and this one is special. It includes big new ideas, new learning adventures, smoother media, and a brand-new way to create on BT Speak. Whether you're 8 or 80, this update brings something that will surprise you, delight you, and maybe even inspire your next big project.

Let’s dive in.

BT Code: Teaching Python, Inspiring Creativity, and Occasionally Arguing With a Pirate over Syntax

This is the moment many of you have been waiting for. BT Code isn’t just another app. It’s a full learning and creation environment designed specifically for blind coders. It blends interactive lessons, accessible UI creation tools, music and game projects, and a built-in AI coach named Cody who knows your code, your lesson, and your goals.

Think of it as learning Python with a friendly mentor sitting next to you… who also happens to know how to program on BT Speak and can explain your error messages like a human.

Here’s what makes BT Code a game-changer: Learn Mode: Interactive Python Lessons

Thirteen beginner-friendly lessons walk you through real projects, from simple games to musical patterns, while teaching the building blocks of programming step by step. And yes... more lessons are coming.

Build Mode: A truly Braille-first IDE

Once you’re ready to start coding on your own, Build Mode gives you a dedicated development space. The code editor uses a customized version of the BT Speak Editor. You can work with multiple files and craft whatever inspires you. It's the first step toward a full IDE built for blind creators. Dream big, and let BT Speak bring your ideas to life.

Meet Cody: Your AI Coach (With Personality)

Cody’s job is simple: keep you moving forward when your code won’t. Whether you’re learning the basics or crafting your own masterpiece in Build Mode, he’s there to explain, encourage, nudge, clarify, and offer options when you need them most.Cody can:

• Review and grade your code

• Give hints when you’re stuck

• Explain Python errors in plain English

• Answer your questions conversationally

• Switch to “Pirate Mode,” which absolutely no one asked for and yet everyone loves. You read that right, you can even change Cody’s persona to Kind, Grouchy, Goofy, and more.

  
  

Want encouragement? Cody’s got you.

Want tough love? Done.

Want to be told to fix your loop structure by someone who sounds like they just sailed in from the Caribbean?Say no more.

Learning to code has never been this supportive or this fun.

Built for Real Coding

It behaves like the BT Speak Editor, but stripped down so you can focus on coding. Press Control+S (dots 7-8 with S) when you’re ready to run your program. Press Z-Chord if things go horribly wrong and you wish to pretend that code never happened.

AI Included, Internet Required

BT Code’s AI features use an online model, so you’ll need a connection to use Cody. The rest of BT Code can be used offline anytime you feel like inventing the next big thing.

Whether you're brand new to programming or already dreaming up your own games, BT Code gives you the tools and the confidence to create.

Windows File Sharing: Tidied Up, Locked Down, and Ready To Impress

Connecting to your BT Speak from Windows just got a nice cleanup.

Guest Access Done Right

Guest users can now read and write only in the Public directory, and anything placed there is automatically owned by the pi user. Translation: no more mysterious files you can’t delete.

pi User Access Expanded

Connect as the pi user, and you now have write access to your home directory.(Your logs folder remains read-only for safety.)

Improved Security & Compatibility

Access rules have been updated to better align with modern Windows systems, and the BT Speak now installs the WSDD service so Windows machines can find it more easily on your network.

Simple, predictable, and secure. Just the way sharing should be.

YouTube Stream: Media Controls, Front and Center

This one’s for everyone who loves streaming videos.

Starting any YouTube video now drops you straight into the Media Controls Menu after the Now Playing message appears. It’s the same fully featured set of controls you already use in the Podcasts app. Want to skip ahead 10 seconds? Check how much time has elapsed? Raise the volume? Easy. And best of all, no more Z-Chord gymnastics just to reach the playback options.Also, a new logout option has been added to the YouTube Stream main menu. Switching accounts or removing access is now just a single command away.

Say Hello (And Bonjour, Hola, Ciao) to Localized Help

If you’re running BT Speak in a language other than English, the help system is now smarter about showing localized content when available. This includes the welcome screen! The BT Speak experience now feels more like home.

A Round of Bugs-Be-Gone for a Happier BT Speak

This release comes with some important quality-of-life improvements:

Voice Notes Restored

A podcast-related glitch briefly disrupted recording and playback. It’s all fixed now, and you can record again without a hitch.

Battery Drain Eliminated

A sneaky bug caused unnecessary battery drain when using the WH-Chord in the Editor and sometimes triggered choppy text to speech. Both issues are resolved.

Improved ORCA Behavior in Desktop Mode

For QWERTY keyboard users, Caps Lock + H now correctly triggers Orca’s key describer instead of BT Speak’s own help. H-Chord still works exactly as it always has.

Little things add up, and together they make BT Speak smoother and more predictable.

Final Thought: From Students to Creators, This Is Your Moment

BT Code is the star of this release, but the whole update is designed to lift your experience from friendlier help, to better sharing, to more intuitive media controls.

With this update, BT Speak grows from a powerful daily tool into a place where anyone can learn to build, create, design, and code.

So go ahead.

Listen to your favorite YouTube music video. Open BT Code. Ask Cody a question. Build something small or even something spectacular.

Because yes, BT Speak can do that now.