Hi, I am a deaf person that wants to disconnect from the world just like many of you. I am not asking for some fancy app that uses videophones. I have been using T-mobile IP Relay for my needs on my smartphone. It is strictly a messaging app that is very similar to say, AOL messenger back in the heyday. I tried downloading it as a third party app. It does not work, it says no network available. I have to have a relay phone app on my phone, I cannot just text anyone. What if my car broke down and I needed to contact AAA? I would have to use a relay phone app to get ahold of them. I love everything about the Kompakt phone, I just need accessibility. it is not just me, I am sure there is many deaf people out there that really need this type of accessibility. Could you design an app similar to IP Relay, or make it where IP Relay works on your phone? Thanks!
@amymtaylor Thank you for sharing this & explaining what relay access means in your everyday life. Choosing a simpler phone should still allow you to communicate independently, including when you need roadside assistance. We totally understand why this is essential for you.
Mudita Kompakt doesn’t include Google Play Services, which can affect compatibility with apps that rely on them. That could be a factor here, but what would need to be investigated before confirming why IP Relay displays “no network available.”
We’d love to hear from community members with experience in accessibility tools or Android development: what would it take to make a reliable text-based relay solution work on Kompakt without Google Play Services? Could this involve compatibility improvements for an existing app, or a dedicated app developed in cooperation with a relay service provider?
I’m not super techy in this domain, so I would need to check with our team as well, but any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
We can’t promise a solution at this stage, but thank you for bringing this accessibility gap to our attention. Your experience deserves a place in the conversation about making simpler phones accessible to more people.
A relay service needs T-Mobile’s operators behind it, so a new one can’t be built from scratch. A Kompakt app that opens T-Mobile’s own service may be possible, though. Two things are worth checking first.
T-Mobile retired the older IP Relay app in May. If the copy you installed came from an older download, that alone could explain “no network available”. The current version needs Android 9 or newer, and the Kompakt runs Android 12.
IP Relay also works in a web browser, at tmobileip.com. The Kompakt has no browser of its own, but one can be installed the same way you installed the app. Could you try signing in there and placing a test call?
If the web version works, I can make a small app around it: its own icon, stays signed in, high contrast for the E Ink screen, and it keeps running so incoming relay calls should ring. Sign-in needs a registered IP Relay account, so I can’t test it myself, and you would be the one to try it.
If T-Mobile’s service doesn’t work out, Rylo (formerly Nagish) is the other FCC-certified IP Relay provider, with its own Android app. For emergencies, text-to-911 works in most of the US without any app.
I hope this is addressed across the dumb phone space because everyone should be considered when making these devices especially individuals with exceptionalites.
So, just to make sure I understand, does each carrier need their own?
No, it depends on the relay provider, not the phone carrier. IP Relay is a free US service paid for by the FCC’s relay fund. T-Mobile is one of the companies certified to run it, and its staff read and type the calls. The service runs over the internet, so it works the same with any carrier’s SIM, or over Wi-Fi with no SIM at all. You don’t need to be a T-Mobile customer to use it.
That means a single app for a provider would cover every Kompakt owner in the US, whatever network they’re on. The only question for the Kompakt is whether the provider’s app, or its web version, runs without Google Play Services.