Accessible MP3 players and portable media players (PMPs)

When people refer to an MP3 player, they are generally talking about a player that stores and plays audio files such as music, audio books or audio-only podcasts. Generally MP3 players such as the iPod Shuffle or the Creative Zen Stone are fairly small, do not have a screen and can play back several audio file types.

A portable media player (PMP) such as the iPod nano or iPod classic is similar to an MP3 player but with more features. A PMP not only stores and plays audio files but also other forms of digital media such as videos and photos. It will sometimes have other capabilities such as the ability to play games, listen to the radio or record audio notes via an inbuilt voice recorder. PMPs are larger than MP3 players and have a screen. 

Often, smartphones such as the iPhone or Google Android have many of the features of a PMP. Visit our accessible smartphones section to find about the accessibility of different smartphones.

Guide to accessible MP3 players and PMPs

There are many choices when it comes to mainstream MP3 players and PMPs, although very few are accessible. This guide will help you choose from a number of accessible MP3 players or accessible PMPs that have access features straight out of the box.

Summary of accessible MP3 players and PMPs

There is also a software application called Rockbox that can be installed on some of the older MP3 players and PMPs, including the earlier versions of the iPod range that do not have inbuilt accessibility features.