Relay UK

Also called Text relay, Next Generation Text, NGT, 18001, Typetalk

A free service that turns a phone call into text, so a person who cannot hear or cannot speak can call anyone, including 999.

What it is

Relay UK is the UK's text relay service, run by BT and available on every phone network under an Ofcom requirement. A relay assistant sits in the call: what the other person says is typed to you as text, and what you type is read aloud to them, or you can speak for yourself and read their replies. It replaced the old Typetalk and Next Generation Text services and is free to use beyond the cost of an ordinary call.

It works through an app on a smartphone, tablet or computer, or through a textphone, and it can be used to call 999.

Who it can help

Deaf and hard of hearing people, people who are non-speaking or whose speech is hard to understand on the phone, people with aphasia who can type better than they can talk, and people who stammer and find the phone a wall. Also anyone who needs to call one of those people.

It is not for BSL users who prefer to sign; that is video relay. It is slower than a spoken call, because everything is typed, so a person using it needs the other side to be patient. And it does not replace a written channel: a service that offers email or web chat has given you a better option for anything not urgent.

How it works

You download the Relay UK app, register your number, and make calls from it. To reach you, a hearing person dials 18001 in front of your number and the relay assistant joins. You can choose type-and-read, in which you type everything, or speak-and-read, in which you talk and read the other person's replies as text. The assistant types verbatim and does not join in.

For 999, dial 18000 from the app or a textphone. The call goes to the relay assistant and then to the emergency operator, with the assistant relaying both ways. It is one of three emergency routes, see contacting 999, and it works without prior registration, unlike emergencySMS.

Getting started

Install the app on your phone this week and make a test call to someone you know, so the first time is not the important time. Learn the 18001 prefix and give it to the people who need to reach you. Tell your GP surgery and bank that you use Relay UK and ask them to put it on your record.

If you use a talking board rather than typing, Relay UK's type-and-read mode is a way of using the board's words on a phone call: build the sentence, then type or paste it. It is slow, but it works, and it is yours.

Where to get help

Relay UK has the app, the guides and the 18001 and 18000 instructions. RNID explains the options for Deaf and hard of hearing people. STAMMA has advice for people who stammer about the phone. See also using the phone.