Nsila support

Get in touch

Email info@rufixduke.ng for help, bug reports or feedback. I read every message and usually reply within a few days.

It helps to include:

• Your phone model and its Android or iOS version.
• The app version, shown at the bottom of the About screen.
• What you were doing and what happened instead.

Deaf NSL users are especially welcome to say where a letter, word or tip in the app is wrong.

Letters aren’t being recognised

Small changes to how you hold your hand make a big difference:

• Face the light. Light in front of you works; light behind you does not.
• Use a plain background. A wall is better than a busy room.
• Hold your hand at chest height, palm forward, with the whole hand inside the frame.
• Hold each letter still for a moment before moving to the next.
• Check that the hand you sign with is set correctly in Settings.

Letters that are often confused

The app is honest about its limits. In testing on people it had never seen, it read 84.9% of letters correctly. R, U and K are confused with each other most often, as are the fist letters A, S, T, N and M. Letters that involve movement, J and Z, are the hardest. The practice tips in the app explain how to tell the difficult ones apart.

Word signs

In My words you can record a word sign five times and the app learns it for you. Step back so your shoulders are in view, sign at your natural speed, and lower your hands when you finish.

Words you record are tuned to your own signing. Community words, which work for everyone, appear once Deaf NSL signers have checked them and enough people have recorded them.

Common questions

Does it work without internet?

Yes. Recognition runs on your phone. A connection is only used to refresh the community word list.

Is Nsila a sign language translator?

No. It reads fingerspelled letters and individual word signs. It does not understand grammar, facial expression or continuous signing, and it does not replace interpreters or learning NSL from Deaf people.

The app isn’t speaking words aloud

Check that speech is on in Settings and that your media volume is up. Nsila uses the text-to-speech voice installed on your phone, so if none is installed or enabled, set one up in your phone’s settings.

The camera screen is black

The app needs camera permission. Open your phone’s settings, find Nsila, and allow the camera. Then close and reopen the app.

Which phones are supported?

Android 7.0 or later, and iPhone with iOS 17 or later.

Does it cost anything?

No. Nsila is free and non-commercial, with no ads and no in-app purchases.

Your data

Everything the app saves stays on your phone unless you share it yourself. You can delete words in My words, delete contribution recordings or withdraw consent on the Contribute screen, or remove everything by uninstalling the app.

To have a contribution you already shared removed, email info@rufixduke.ng with the contribution ID shown in My words. The full details are in the privacy policy.