blindGram 15.1 Beta 5: accessible chat folders and media playback
blindGram 15.1 Beta 5 brings accessible folder reordering, refined audio and video position memory, synchronized background messages, and key crash fixes.
Following blindGram 15.1 Beta 4, this fifth beta focuses on making folder management fully accessible, perfecting media playback resume rules, cleaning up screen reader focus, and resolving background synchronization across accounts.
Accessible chat folder reordering
- Chat folders in the main folder list and folder selection popups now announce their numbered position (index).
- Reordering folders is now fully accessible using screen reader custom actions (Move Up / Move Down) or by tapping the reorder handle to open an Up/Down menu.
- Moving a folder speaks the new position and confirms it with optional haptic vibration.
Media playback and seek controls
- Music, voice message, and video position memory now strictly follows your preferences in blindGram settings: when enabled, playback position is preserved across switching tracks, pausing, and closing the player; when disabled, positions reset cleanly.
- Completed media tracks reset back to the beginning instead of resuming near the end, and timestamp links seek directly regardless of resume settings.
- Video seek slider accessibility is decoupled from quality settings: when disabled in blindGram settings, the bottom video seekbar is completely hidden from screen reader touch navigation, preventing accidental time jumps.
- Mini-player rewind and fast-forward buttons are automatically hidden during live stream story playback.
Interface refinements and screen reader parity
- Star (paid) reactions in the reaction picker are explicitly labeled with their name and selected state instead of being announced as generic custom emoji.
- Upload and download percentage announcements for screen readers are restored on focused messages and file items.
- Specific references to TalkBack have been replaced with the generic term "screen reader" across all 12 supported languages in settings and descriptions, reflecting full optimization for Commentary Screen Reader (CSR) and other screen readers.
Background synchronization and crash fixes
- Synchronized push notifications and background message delivery across all active accounts when the app is closed, ensuring new messages are ready immediately upon opening.
- Fixed OutOfMemory errors when loading messages from local storage.
- Fixed crashes on emoji-only messages and an index out of bounds error when typing or selecting emoji suggestions in the message box.
- Resolved Android 8 resume crashes, custom ROM compatibility issues, and incorrect "Selected" announcements on counter badges.
This is a beta. The APK is in the @blindGram_BETA2 channel, and if you would rather wait for the final, blindGram 15.0 is the current stable release.