Updated iPad AAC App Wheel available now!

Posted by Ceanna MacGregor on the 10th September, 2026

Category AAC Communication Support Needs

Our App wheel ‘iPad Apps for Complex Communication Support Needs: Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)’ has been refreshed and is now ready to download.

This 'wheel' of apps provides a categorised guide to iPad apps for individuals with complex communication support needs, who use or may benefit from Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). 

You will see many familiar apps, and various new additions. There are three main broad categories: Full Communication Systems, Simple Communication and Communication Skills. These are then broken down into subcategories. Although grouped by main category, some apps have features that could apply to multiple categories.
 

A yellow star beside the app logo indicates that it is a free app, that a free version is available or that the app provider offers a free trial. There are also icons to note whether an app has been designed to support the following alternative access methods: switch scanning, head tracking and eye tracking. Some alternative access methods may also work effectively in other apps through iPad accessibility settings.

When it comes to supporting communication, there is not one best app. Feature matching is essential when considering AAC apps to add to someone’s total communication system. To determine the best fit for an individual, it is recommended that an AAC assessment and evaluation is arranged. 

Full Communication Systems

This section includes robust text-based and symbol-based communication systems.

Simple Communication systems 

This section includes apps where you can create visual scene displays, apps that allow you to add your own images or audio, and apps where you can create talking picture and photo albums.

Communication Skills

This section includes apps that cover a range of purposes. 

Voices
Scottish voices are available to download to iPads for free through CereProc’s CerePlay Scottish Education app. The CerePlay app included in the wheel is the CerePlay Scottish Education version. You can find out more about the new additions to our Scottish Voice website in our recent blog:

Scottish voices now FREE to download for iPads, Chromebooks and Android devices!.

If you would like other accents or languages, you can purchase these from the CerePlay app:

CerePlay App.

If someone has created a personal voice with Acapela My Own Voice, SpeakUnique or The Voice Keeper, they can used the relevant app linked in the poster to download their personal voice to use on their iPad and with compatible iOS apps.

Language and Support 
There are apps to create visual schedules and apps to build language and literacy skills.

AssistiveWare’s Learning Service has recently been updated and is now a bundle of three apps, Micalo Estello and Pictello Story Creator. You can find information on each of the apps on their website:

AssistiveWare Learning Service.

There are also apps to support learning, teaching and evaluating AAC.

Download the poster

View and download the iPad Apps for Complex Communication Support Needs Poster.

iPad Apps for Complex Communication Support Needs.

The poster is interactive; clicking on any icon in the PDF poster will take you directly to the app download link in the Apple App Store.

An accessible breakdown of the PDF poster is available further down on the download page.

We are aware of a glitch with the Apple App Store where the link will sometimes show a message to say it can’t be found, despite being the correct link to the app. We have found that refreshing the page can help or searching the desired app name within the app store. We hope this is a temporary issue.

Are you using any apps you feel should be represented in this App Wheel? If so, please get in touch to allow us to review them:

Email: ceanna.macgregor@ed.ac.uk