Yes, Your Braille Computer Can Do That Now! October 2026

We've been busy. Really busy.

The October 2026 update for BT Speak and BT Braille is one of our biggest yet, bringing a remarkable collection of new features, improvements, and accessibility enhancements to both devices.

There's far too much to cover in one blog post (unless you've cleared your afternoon), so we're going to spotlight five of the biggest additions. And believe us, there's plenty more where these came from!

Wait… My BT Speak Can Control THAT?!

Ever wished you could control your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Windows computer using the keyboard on your BT Speak or BT Braille? Well, wish granted!

Terminal Mode is now available on BT Speak, and BT Braille gets a redesigned, unified Terminal menu. Connect over Bluetooth and use your Braille keyboard to interact with VoiceOver on Apple devices or JAWS and NVDA on Windows.

Better yet, switching between devices is a breeze. You can be writing a document on your BT Speak, jump over to your iPhone to read a message, and return to your document without losing your place. You can even paste text from your Braille computer into your connected device and optionally hear its audio through your BT Speak or BT Braille.

One keyboard, multiple devices. What's not to love?

Special Delivery: BT Mail Has Arrived!

One of our most requested features has finally arrived: BT Mail, a full-featured email application built for Blazie Mode!

Read, write, reply to, and organize email using the familiar menus and reading commands you already know. Connect multiple email accounts, including Gmail, Outlook, and other supported providers, and bring your incoming messages together in one convenient inbox.

But BT Mail goes well beyond the basics. Search messages, manage attachments, organize conversations, save drafts, and even schedule a short delay before sending in case you suddenly realize you forgot that attachment. Again.

And if your internet connection disappears while you're sending a message? BT Mail can keep it in your Outbox and send it when the connection returns.

All of this, right from Blazie Mode.

Honey, Who Moved My Navigation Keys?!

BT Braille users, it's time to take control of those navigation keys!

You can now customize the functions of all six navigation keys, choosing exactly what each one does. Prefer your Braille panning keys on the left? The right? Both sides? Choose one of several ready-made layouts or create your own.

You can even assign functions to combinations of navigation keys or combine them with keys on the Braille keyboard.

And because Blazie Mode and Desktop Mode can have separate layouts, you can tailor your controls to the way you work in each environment.

Your Braille display, your rules!

Bring Your Own Braille!

BT Speak has always been a powerful little Braille computer. Now it can do something even better: work with compatible external Braille displays!

Connect a supported third-party Braille display using USB or Bluetooth and enjoy Braille output throughout Blazie Mode, Desktop Mode, and even the Linux shell.

Read documents, navigate menus, pan through text, and use cursor routing buttons to jump directly to where you want to edit. Supported display keyboards can also be used to enter text and commands.

Whether you want the flexibility of a portable display or the comfort of a larger Braille reading surface, BT Speak now gives you more ways to work.

The Desktop Has Been Brailled!

Why take the scenic route when you can type directly where you want?

With Direct Braille Input, you can now enter literary Braille, including supported contractions, directly into editable text fields in Desktop applications such as Thunderbird and LibreOffice Writer.

No need to open a separate Braille editor just to compose an email or write a paragraph. Simply press G-Chord to switch into literary Braille input, start typing, and press it again when you want to return to Computer Braille.

You can review and correct your text as you go, making Desktop Mode feel more natural for Braille users than ever before.

Somebody Stop Us!

As if those five features weren't enough, October's update also brings literary Braille editing in ordinary text files, a new Wi-Fi Manager, Clipboard Sharing with phones and computers, customizable Voice and Braille Profiles, and a new offline Dictionary. The Calculator gains percentages and fraction results, while the Linux shell offers improved speech and Braille review. You can now read podcast transcripts, turn downloaded BARD Braille books into narrated audio recordings, and enjoy improvements to BT Towne, Radio Tuner, Media Player, and BT Code. We've also made significant changes throughout the interface, introducing more consistent menus, better editing tools, improved navigation, and many additional refinements and reliability fixes. Don't believe us? Check out the release notes for the details!

Go Forth and Braille!

These updates are about more than adding features. They're about making your BT Speak or BT Braille more versatile, more personal, and more capable of doing the things you want to do, your way.

And while we've only scratched the surface here, the complete October release notes cover everything that's new, including instructions for getting started.

So go explore, try something new, and see just how much more your Braille computer can do now!