Platform
Reliable connections
How can interruptions and disconnections be documented, investigated, and reduced? What information helps distinguish a platform issue from other causes?
Focus areas
Reliability matters.
So does accountability.
These are the service-quality questions this advocacy project aims to examine. They are areas for inquiry, not findings against a provider.
One Number: SMS + VRS
Draft proposal for discussion, not an available service or an approved regulatory requirement.
Handoffs
Continuity during interpreter changes
How can calls remain connected during breaks, shift changes, and other handoffs? Technical reliability and interpreter-quality concerns need distinct review paths.
Video mail
Clear, usable video messages
How can video-mail quality be assessed consistently? Reports of blur or pixelation need supporting examples before their technical cause is identified.
Complaints
A clearer route to resolution
How can users see that a report was received, where it was routed, its current status, and what was done? This includes questions about the 9050 support structure.
Provider accountability
Performance that can be evaluated
What evidence should be used to review platform and vendor performance, corrective action, and potential alternatives?
Quality of service
Measurable improvement
What useful measures can show whether service is improving? Proposed metrics must be distinguished from measured results and existing requirements.
Future VRS Platform — What Should Canada Evaluate?
CDTA is comparing established VRS platforms and the features they provide outside Canada.
This section is intended for community education, feature comparison, and voluntary platform preference feedback. It is NOT an official CRTC or CAV procurement vote.
CDTA is not selecting a provider. Which platforms and features should Canada evaluate?
Provider information checked: . Features are provider claims, not independently tested performance. Availability abroad does not establish Canadian availability, ASL/LSQ suitability, number portability or procurement eligibility. Images belong to their providers; no endorsement is implied.
SRV Canada VRS / IVèS
Current Canada VRS technology platform
- Current service — baseline comparison
- Canada VRS: iOS / Android / Windows / Mac
- ASL and LSQ service administered by CAV
- Video relay calling; video mail
- Contacts; call history; incoming-call notifications
- IVèS: platform provider documented in CAV reporting
- Keep and improve current platform
Public app ratings and source dates
Public review summary
Public iOS reviews include appreciation of the app’s accessibility as well as concerns about video freezing, dropped calls, incoming-call notifications, crashes, mobile-data access and application stability. These are voluntary individual experiences, not a representative survey of all Canada VRS users. Apple’s version history separately documents fixes for crashes, call connectivity, incoming calls, video quality and application stability. A documented fix does not establish how many users were affected or whether every issue was resolved.
A neutral baseline, not labelled inferior. Evaluate current and proposed systems using the same evidence, Canadian accessibility needs and measurable standards. CAV’s 2016 report documents the selection of IVèS; reconfirm vendor arrangements before any procurement comparison.
- Official Canada VRS information
- Official Apple App Store listing — iOS reviews and version history
- Official Apple App Store listing — Mac features
- CAV annual reports — provider history
Sources checked:
Sorenson VRS / ntouch
Established international VRS platform
- Mobile: iOS / Android
- Desktop: Mac / Windows
- Primary number across devices (myPhone)
- Answer on any device; transfer an active call between devices
- Text, location and contact sharing
- SignMail / video messaging
- Sorenson VRS for Zoom; Wavello
- 911 support in its advertised service market
Public app ratings and source dates
Features vary by device and service. In-call text sharing does not establish general SMS support. US emergency-service information is not a promise of Canadian 911 availability.
Sources checked:
SignVideo by Sorenson
United Kingdom — established BSL / ISL service
SignVideo was established in the UK before joining Sorenson in 2020 and now operates as SignVideo by Sorenson. CDTA views this as an example of Sorenson’s organization supporting another country, sign-language communities and public-service requirements—not proof of readiness for a Canadian contract or an identical technology stack to ntouch.
- BSL service; ISL available through supported services such as Northern Ireland Health and Social Care
- VRS; VRI; BSL-English translation
- iOS / iPadOS / Android / Mac / Windows / web
- SignDirectory; public-sector service integrations
- SignMail; contacts; peer-to-peer calls
- Interpreter ID; call history; minutes counter for subscribers
Public app ratings and source dates
Public review summary
Public app ratings and selected reviews show generally positive feedback, with some mixed reviews. For example, a UK iOS review praises the service and community support while also raising interface concerns; other reviews describe technical problems and directory limitations. App-store ratings reflect voluntary reviewers and are not representative of every SignVideo user. Selected feedback is not a measured call-answering or interpreter-quality result.
SignVideo and Sorenson ntouch remain separate survey options. Availability, language coverage and funding depend on the particular service and country. Neither is ranked as objectively best.
- Official provider page — SignVideo history
- Official product support page — devices and web access
- Official provider page — BSL / ISL public-service access
- Official Google Play listing — features and reviews
- Official Apple App Store listing — UK reviews
Sources checked:
Convo VRS
- Convo Call: Android / iOS / Web (desktop Chrome)
- macOS: browser-based desktop replacement; no current native Convo Call desktop app advertised
- Contacts and account information carried into Convo Call
- Videomail and incoming-call notifications: confirm current Convo Call support
- Deaf Ecosystem Directory: a Convo initiative; confirm availability in the evaluated app and country
- Number porting: confirm current eligibility and process with Convo
- Convo Access and Convo Now: related interpreting services, not interchangeable VRS app features
- Convo for Zoom integration
Public app ratings and source dates
Convo’s current product page says Convo Call replaces Convo VRS / Convo Link. Older app feature lists must not be treated as confirmed for the new app. Availability depends on country, service and device.
- Official Convo product information
- Convo Access, Now and Zoom
- Convo support (earlier Android help now redirects)
- Convo’s Deaf Ecosystem explanation
Sources checked:
Purple VRS / P3
- P3 Mobile: iOS / Android
- P3 for PC / Mac
- Purple ONE number
- PurpleMail video messaging
- One-Line VCO (voice carry over)
- Multiple device options
Public app ratings and source dates
Provider-published features, not a CDTA performance ranking. Confirm device requirements and service eligibility. The Purple site now also directs visitors to ZP Better Together.
- Official Purple product information
- Purple’s P3 Mobile listing
- Purple’s iPhone / iPad listing
- Purple’s P3 Mac listing
Sources checked:
Public App Ratings Comparison
App-store snapshots, not CDTA survey results. “Currently” refers to the date checked, not an automatically refreshed score.
Current Canada VRS / IVèS
Sorenson VRS / ntouch — United States
SignVideo by Sorenson
Convo Call — United States
Purple P3 Mobile — United States
App-store ratings can change over time and may differ by platform, device, country storefront, review count, and review period.
Different review counts, platforms, countries, app-store storefronts, and user populations mean these ratings should not be treated as a controlled head-to-head study. App-store ratings are public feedback indicators only.
Your platform and feature priorities
PREVIEW — NOT SUBMITTING DATA. Both questions are optional. Choices are saved only in this browser tab, separately from your petition answers. A browser may restore this tab later. Clear this draft on a shared device. Nothing here is counted in public results.
Community Preference Results
Last updated: Not available yet
No approved aggregate data source is connected. Counts and percentages are unavailable, not zero.
Platform Preference
Undecided combines “No preference” and “Need more information”. Unanswered questions are excluded, not counted as undecided.
Feature Priorities
Device support counts respondents who selected any of Windows, Mac, iOS or Android, once each. It must be calculated from individual responses on the server, not by adding the four totals. Reliability here means the “Better platform reliability” choice; fewer dropped calls is reported separately below.
A respondent may select multiple features, so feature percentages do not need to total 100%. Each respondent is counted once per selected feature.
Only valid, deduplicated responses with permission for public aggregation will be included. Pending, duplicate, excluded and test records are not counted. No names, contact information or individual responses appear here. Small or sensitive groups must be withheld after privacy review.