AppleVis Podcast
AppleVis Podcast

Deyesfree : An Accessible Dice Roller for iPhone and Apple Watch

August 6, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The developer of DeyesFree, Harrison Tu, opens his demonstration with a confession: the app has been "in the making for about five years" but only came together in the last couple of months. Tu is a native VoiceOver user himself, and he built DeyesFree specifically because he could not find a dice-rolling app that did everything he needed and nothing he did not. Either existing apps were too complicated, or they felt like "working around a sighted interface." For a blind player at a table with sighted peers, that friction matters. "You want to be able to roll quickly, as quickly as they can."

Designed for speed and trust

The core design principle is VoiceOver optimization. Tu wanted the app to feel intuitive from the moment a blind user opens it, not like a sighted interface retrofitted for accessibility. The result is a clean layout with a single screen and clear landmarks: a help button, a history button, settings, and a central "roll to begin" heading. The main action is a custom roll, where the user specifies how many dice and how many sides, plus an optional modifier (a fixed number to add or subtract). The app then reads the result in a human voice — a deliberate choice. Tu explains that GMA Dice, the Windows app that inspired him, used recorded text-to-speech clips. "That was something I always meant to rectify." DeyesFree uses actual human voice recordings for dic

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:04) **Introduction and Developer Background** - Harrison Tu introduces himself as both the developer of Deyesfree and a native VoiceOver user, explaining that the app has been in development for about five years but has recently come into its own.
  • 2 (01:47) **The "Why" Behind the App** - Harrison discusses the motivation for creating Deyesfree, citing frustrations with existing dice rolling apps on iOS.
  • 3 (05:38) **First Launch and Interface Overview** - Harrison demonstrates the initial screen of Deyesfree, highlighting the top controls and the "roll to begin" state.
  • 4 (06:43) **Performing a Custom Roll** - A step-by-step demonstration of how to set up and execute a custom dice roll, using a Monopoly example (2d6).
  • 5 (08:57) **Marking and Re-rolling Dice** - Harrison shows how to hold dice and re-roll only the unmarked ones, a crucial feature for games like Yahtzee.
  • 6 (10:14) **Using and Customizing Presets** - Harrison demonstrates the 12 preset slots for common dice configurations and how to customize them.
  • 7 (11:57) **Additional Top Controls** - A quick tour of the re-roll, custom roll, sort, and read all dice buttons.

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Show Notes

Harrison introduces **Deyesfree **, an accessible dice rolling app built specifically with VoiceOver users in mind. Rather than adapting a traditional visual interface, the app was designed from the ground up to provide a fast, intuitive experience for blind and low vision users while remaining equally enjoyable for anyone looking for a simple digital dice roller. Throughout the introduction, Harrison shares the story behind the app, the inspiration for creating it, and the accessibility decisions that shaped its development.

The demonstration begins with a guided tour of the app's interface before moving into practical examples of rolling dice for games such as Monopoly, Yahtzee, and Dungeons & Dragons. Harrison shows how to create custom dice rolls, save frequently used presets, hold individual dice while re-rolling the rest, review previous rolls using the history feature, sort dice, and customize the app's speech and sound settings. Along the way, he explains how each feature helps make tabletop gaming faster and more enjoyable without requiring users to work around a sighted interface.

As the episode continues, Harrison explores several of the app's advanced capabilities, including Bluetooth keyboard support, configurable voice speed, optional ambient sound effects, multilingual support, and integration with Siri Shortcuts. He also demonstrates the Apple Watch companion, showing how players can quickly roll common dice directly from their wrist or access synchronized presets from the iPhone app. These features work together to create an experience that is both accessible and efficient whether you're playing a casual board game or a lengthy tabletop role-playing campaign.

Whether you're an experienced tabletop gamer, new to role-playing games, or simply interested in thoughtfully designed accessible software, this episode provides an excellent look at how accessibility can enhance—not limit—the user experience. Harrison's walkthrough highlights both the practical features of Deyesfree and the design philosophy behind creating an app that feels truly native for VoiceOver users.

Thinking About Giving It a Try?

If Deyesfree sounds like something you'd enjoy, it's available as a free download from the App Store. The app is developed by Harrison Tu and is designed to make rolling dice quick, intuitive, and fully accessible for VoiceOver users while remaining just as useful for low vision and sighted players. According to the current App Store listing, the app is available at no cost and falls under the Entertainment category. ([App Store][1])

You can learn more or download the app using the following resources: