App: PBPhonics 1 to 3
Developer: Cowirrie
Genres: Education

PBPhonics is for adults and young adults studying basic English literacy, including those learning English as a second language.  It offers students the opportunity to:

1. Hear the phonemes that make up a word
2. Hear those phonemes run together to make the word
3. Hear the whole word
4. Record themselves speaking the word and compare their recording with PBPhonics
5. Take tests matching word sounds to their written form

Instruction is provided through animated gestures, with no dependence on written or spoken instructions.  The vocabulary and test complexity start simply and automatically adapt as the student passes tests and gains confidence.  Teachers may also choose appropriate levels and review student progress on the ⓘ screen.

PBPhonics 1 to 3 contains 18 phonemes in 3 sets (S,A,T,I,P,N; CK,E,H,R,M,D; and G,O,U,L,F,B). These are used to build 278 words.  Some words have pictures and others have spoken sentences to provide context.  The words and phonemes have an Australian accent, and have been recorded with multiple voices for variety.  Teachers may replace word and phoneme sounds with their own recordings.

When students have mastered all 18 phonemes, they may move to PBPhonics 1 to 7.  This more than doubles the material, for a total of 42 phonemes and 619 words.  PBPhonics 1 to 7 is a separate app; PBPhonics 1 to 3 does not ask for any In-App Purchases.

Release notes:
- iPhones were playing sounds as though the iPhone were being used as a phone and held up to the user's ear. Fixed so sounds play at normal speaker volume on iPhones.
- Sounds will play through external speakers, if connected.
- Improved compatibility with more recent iOS versions.