Install the extension

This page walks you through installing the Wholisphere browser extension — the individual assistive product — opening the popup for the first time, and running one capability end-to-end so you know what success looks like.

This page is about the extension

The extension needs no Wholisphere account and no sign-up: it talks to the backend keyed by an anonymous install ID generated on first run. The Wholisphere platform (hosted scans, monitoring, VPATs, the dashboard) is a separate, invite-only product with its own onboarding — see Getting started.

Before you begin

You need:

• Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge version 119 or newer (Manifest V3 support). Firefox port is in development.
• An internet connection for cloud-AI capabilities (image description, summarize, translate, etc.). Local capabilities (high contrast, larger text, keyboard helper, screen-reader navigation) work offline.
• A microphone if you intend to use voice commands or live captions. Otherwise, no microphone is required.

Install (current prototype, dev mode)

The extension is not yet on the Chrome Web Store. To install:

1. Get the build from the project maintainer (a .zip file or a folder named chrome-mv3/).
2. Unzip it if needed. You should have a folder containing manifest.json.
3. In Chrome, open chrome://extensions/.
4. Turn on Developer mode (toggle at the top right).
5. Click Load unpacked.
6. Select the chrome-mv3/ folder.

Wholisphere is now installed. You’ll see a Wholisphere icon in the extensions menu (puzzle-piece) of your browser.

Developers can also build from source — see Browser extension → Local dev.

Pin the icon

Click the puzzle-piece icon at the top right of Chrome, find Wholisphere, and click the pin. The icon now sits in your toolbar where you can reach it on any page.

If you forget to pin and want the icon back, the puzzle-piece menu still gets you there — pinning just saves a click.

First run

1. Open any web page (try a Wikipedia article — content-rich pages give the best first impression).
2. Click the Wholisphere icon. The popup opens.
3. The popup is organized into sections by what each tool helps with: Vision, Hearing, Cognitive, Motor, and a couple of safety filters (motion, flashing).
4. Hover or focus any capability tile. The tooltip explains what it does in plain language.

Run your first capability — “Read this page”

Pick Read this page under Cognitive. Click it.

What happens:

1. Wholisphere collects the page’s main content (article body, skipping ads and navigation chrome).
2. It asks the cloud AI to outline the content into 3–5 sections.
3. Each section is read aloud, in order, with the current paragraph highlighted on the page so you can follow visually if you want.
4. Click the capability tile again to stop early.

If you’d rather read a specific paragraph, see Read aloud — it speaks the selection or focused element only.

Try the screen reader

If you want the full assistive-technology experience, the screen reader is what to try next. It is stateful — turning it on once stays on across pages and tabs until you turn it off.

1. In the popup, click Screen reader (it’s at the top of Vision, with a toggle).
2. Wholisphere announces “Screen reader on” and the page-shape scan runs in the background to map landmarks, headings, and focusable elements.
3. Press Tab or ↓ to step through the page in reading order. Wholisphere speaks each element.
4. Press Enter to activate (click) the focused element.
5. Press \ (backslash) to toggle Browse mode and Focus mode — see Modes.
6. Press H to jump to the next heading, K for the next link, B for the next button. Many more — see Keyboard reference.
7. Click the popup’s Screen reader tile again to turn it off.

What “on” and “off” means

• Toggle capabilities (screen reader, focus mode, captions, high contrast, etc.) stay on across pages and tabs once enabled.
• One-shot capabilities (describe image, summarize this page, translate selection, define word) run once when you click and produce a single result.
• All toggles persist across browser restarts. Wholisphere remembers what was on for you.

What the icon badge means

A small dot or count on the Wholisphere icon means something is running. Open the popup to see what; click any active capability to turn it off.

Updating

Because the extension is dev-mode, updates require:

1. Replace the chrome-mv3/ folder with the new build.
2. Open chrome://extensions/.
3. Click the reload button (circular arrow) on the Wholisphere tile.
4. Hard-refresh any open tabs (Cmd+Shift+R / Ctrl+Shift+R) so the new content script loads.

Once Wholisphere ships to the Chrome Web Store, updates are automatic.

What’s next

• Modes — the Browse vs Focus distinction.
• Screen reader — full keyboard navigation.
• Privacy — what’s sent to the cloud, what stays local.