Sanoo Documentation

A guide to getting started with Sanoo.

Getting Started

Install Sanoo from the Play Store or App Store. On first launch, a short onboarding helps you:

  • Set a PIN — protects edit mode so the board can't be changed accidentally.
  • Check text-to-speech — confirms your device can speak aloud.
  • Choose starter words — pick Essential (~20 words), Standard (~40 words), or Full (~150 words across 8 boards) in your device language (10 languages supported), or start with a blank board.

Using the Board

The main screen shows a grid of color-coded word buttons using the Fitzgerald Key system:

  • Core words — common words like "I", "want", "more"
  • Verbs — actions like "eat", "go", "play"
  • Nouns — things like "ball", "water", "car"
  • Adjectives — descriptors like "big", "hot", "happy"
  • Social — greetings like "hello", "please", "thank you"
  • Questions — words like "what", "where", "who"
Main board with sentence bar and speak button
Main board with larger grid, sentence bar, and suggestions

Building sentences

Tap buttons to add words to the sentence bar at the top. Tap a word in the bar to remove it. Press the speak button to hear the sentence aloud. Words stay in the bar after speaking so you can modify and re-speak.

Navigating boards

Some buttons link to other boards (e.g. tapping "food" opens the Food board). Use the back button to return. The home button goes back to the main board.

Quick phrases

Swipe up on the sentence bar to open quick phrases — pre-saved sentences like "I need help" for one-tap communication.

Word suggestions

The suggestion strip below the sentence bar predicts the next word based on how the board has been used. Suggestions improve over time.

Edit Mode

Enter your PIN to unlock edit mode. The toolbar at the top gives you access to:

  • Add buttons — tap an empty cell to add a new word with label, emoji, photo, or pictogram.
  • Edit buttons — tap an existing button to change its label, speak text, color, image, or linked board.
  • Move buttons — drag buttons to rearrange them on the grid.
  • Delete buttons — remove a button (with single-level undo).
  • Copy & paste — copy a button and paste it on the same or a different board.
  • Manage boards — add, rename, reorder, or delete boards. Change grid dimensions.
Edit mode with button edit dialog
Edit mode — toolbar, grid, and pictogram search

Colors

When editing a button, pick from the 6 Fitzgerald Key colors or tap the rainbow circle to open a visual color picker. Recent custom colors are saved for quick reuse.

Images

Each button can show an image. You can:

  • Take a photo with the camera
  • Choose from your gallery
  • Search ARASAAC's library of 13,000+ free pictograms

Web Editor

Edit boards on a bigger screen at sanoo.ellemsoft.com. No account needed — connection uses a temporary 8-digit code.

Screenshot: Device showing 8-digit code and web editor landing page.
Try the web editor demo →

How to connect

  1. On the device, go to Settings → Web Editor and tap Start session.
  2. The app uploads your boards and shows an 8-digit code.
  3. On your computer, go to sanoo.ellemsoft.com and enter the code.
  4. Edit boards, add buttons, rearrange, search pictograms — all from the browser.
  5. When done, click Send to device. A new code appears.
  6. On the device, enter the web's code to import your changes.
Screenshot: Web editor with board grid, sidebar, and button edit panel

What transfers

  • All boards and buttons (labels, colors, positions, linked boards)
  • Quick phrases
  • Photos and pictograms (transferred as embedded images)

Sessions are single-use and expire after 10 minutes. Your data is never stored permanently on any server.

Settings

  • Appearance — switch between light, dark, or system theme.
  • Languages — add and reorder languages. Each button can speak in a different language; mixed-language sentences are spoken with the correct voice for each word.
  • Speech rate & pitch — adjust how fast and how high the voice sounds.
  • Voice selection — choose a specific voice for each language.
  • Suggestion strip — toggle word predictions on or off.
  • Haptic feedback — toggle vibration on button taps.
  • Switch scanning — enable row-column scanning with slow, medium, or fast speed for external switch users.
  • Modeling mode — mutes text-to-speech so caregivers can demonstrate board use silently.
  • Immersive mode — hides system bars for a fullscreen experience.
  • Import & export — save boards as a JSON file or restore from a backup.
  • Usage statistics — view button press counts, top words, and sentence history.