In 2024, digital inclusivity is more advanced than ever, empowering blind and low-vision users to navigate their daily lives with greater ease and independence. Today, we’re highlighting seven must-have free apps that are making significant strides in accessibility.
These apps offer a range of functionalities, from identifying objects and reading text aloud to providing real-time visual assistance through volunteers. We will delve into how each app works and the unique features they offer, ensuring you can find the tools that best suit your needs.
Whether you're looking for an AI-powered guide to help you understand your meals and their nutritional content, or you need an app that turns your smartphone into a powerful visual interpreter, our list includes top-tier options like to help you out!
1. Portions Master
Portions Master is an indispensable app tailored for blind and visually impaired users, designed to revolutionize mealtime by utilizing cutting-edge AI technology. This app's primary function is to identify the contents of a user's plate, providing not just the names of the dishes but also detailed nutritional information. This feature is invaluable for those looking to manage their dietary habits meticulously, whether for health monitoring or nutritional balance.
Portions Master supports users in maintaining a healthy diet by offering insights into calories, macronutrients, and more, making meal planning both simpler and more effective. The app enhances independence and offers a seamless dining experience without the need for visual confirmation.
- Download on Apple Store: Get Portions Master
- Google Play Store: Get Portions Master Android.
This tool is a game-changer for anyone needing dietary management and meal recognition assistance.
2. Be My Eyes (AI)
Be My Eyes is a groundbreaking app that connects blind and visually impaired users with sighted volunteers and company representatives through live video calls to provide visual assistance for daily tasks. In August of 2023, Be My Eyes launched Be My AI. We can safely say that this has completely changed the world for visually impaired people.
From reading labels to navigating new environments, to describing scenes, there is hardly anything you can’t do. This powerful tool, powered by the GPT-4 model, generates tons of autonomy in your everyday life. Whether you need help checking expiry dates, finding lost items, or exploring new places, the tool is available at the touch of a button to assist via your smartphone’s camera.
Be My Eyes exemplifies how technology can foster inclusivity and community support, making everyday life more accessible for those with visual impairments.
- Download on Apple Store: Get Be My Eyes for iOS
- Download on Google Play: Get Be My Eyes for Android
3. OKO by Ayes
OKO by Ayes is redefining pedestrian navigation with a focus on accessibility for people with disabilities. Unlike typical navigation apps designed for vehicular use, OKO prioritizes the unique needs of pedestrians. It utilizes advanced AI to interpret real-time visual information, integrating seamlessly with GPS to deliver the most accurate navigation experience for those on foot.
This app is particularly adept at identifying pedestrian signals and plans to expand its capabilities to include crosswalks, bus stops, and other crucial navigation points. Users simply need to raise their phone, and OKO's AI-powered system provides visual assistance, making it easier to navigate urban environments safely and effectively.
Currently, OKO by Ayes is available exclusively in the United States, focusing on creating an intuitive and empowering experience for users with visual impairments.
- Website: Learn more at Ayes AI
- Download on Apple Store: Get OKO for iOS
- Download on Google Play: Currently unavailable
OKO by Ayes is not just an app but a companion that offers independence and confidence to those who navigate the world differently.
4. Seeing AI
Seeing AI is a revolutionary app developed by Microsoft, designed to assist blind and low-vision users by providing spoken feedback to describe nearby people, text, and objects. This app utilizes cutting-edge AI technology to capture images through the camera and audibly describe what it sees, helping users understand their surroundings, read printed text in real-time, and identify products via their barcode.
With features that include reading and scanning documents, recognizing faces and their expressions, and describing physical surroundings, Seeing AI enhances daily life for those with visual impairments, making tasks that many take for granted more accessible.
- Download on Apple Store: Get Seeing AI for iOS
- Download on Google Play: Get Seeing AI for Android
Currently, Seeing AI is available for iOS and Android devices, offering a powerful tool to navigate the visual world with greater ease and independence, proving to be an essential technology in the toolkit of visually impaired users.
5. EasyReader
EasyReader is a tailored reading app designed specifically to enhance the reading experience for people with visual impairments and dyslexia. This app provides access to a vast library of accessible books, newspapers, and magazines from around the world. With adjustable settings for text size, background color, and audio feedback, EasyReader allows users to customize their reading experience to suit their individual needs.
Users can download and enjoy content from various accessible book libraries, ensuring that reading is not only possible but also enjoyable and fully accessible. Whether you prefer to read in large print, listen to audiobooks, or follow along with highlighted text, EasyReader meets diverse reading preferences and needs.
- Download on Apple Store: Get EasyReader for iOS
- Download on Google Play: Get EasyReader for Android
EasyReader is committed to making reading accessible for everyone, bridging the gap between traditional print materials and digital accessibility with intuitive design and comprehensive support.
6. Envision AI App
Envision AI is a comprehensive app designed to empower blind and visually impaired users by interpreting the visual world around them through artificial intelligence. The app uses the smartphone's camera to read and speak out texts, recognize faces, detect colors, and describe scenes, effectively conveying visual information through audio. This enables users to read any printed or handwritten text instantly, identify their surroundings, and even recognize their friends and loved ones.
Currently, Envision is adding many features to the app, including your own AI assistant that you can customize. Envision AI also supports multiple languages, making it versatile and accessible for a global audience. The app's intuitive design ensures ease of use, allowing users to gain more independence in their daily lives.
- Download on Apple Store: Get Envision AI for iOS
- Download on Google Play: Get Envision AI for Android
Envision AI stands out by providing practical, real-world applications for AI technology, enhancing everyday experiences for individuals with visual impairments.
7. Lookout by Google
Lookout by Google is a dynamic app designed to assist blind and low-vision users by using the phone's camera to identify information about their surroundings. This app leverages Google's latest advancements in AI to help users read text in documents and labels, identify currency, and explore new spaces with an audible cue. With modes specifically designed for quick reads, food labels, and scene previews, Lookout makes daily tasks more manageable and independent.
The app supports multiple languages and is designed to work efficiently even in low-light conditions, ensuring accessibility is maximized in various environments.
- Download on Google Play: Get Lookout by Google
Lookout by Google is focused on enhancing the physical and social independence of its users, making it an essential tool for those looking to navigate the world with greater confidence and ease.
Struggling to Use an App
As we wrap up our exploration of these seven essential apps for the blind and visually impaired, it's clear how much easier they can make daily life, from navigating new environments to accessing written content and managing daily tasks independently. However, using new apps can sometimes be challenging, especially when trying to navigate complex interfaces.
For those who might struggle with using these apps or wish to enhance their efficiency, Hable One could be the perfect solution. Hable One is a remote controller for smartphones designed specifically to aid visually impaired users. It simplifies interaction with a mobile device, allowing for easy control and navigation through tactile buttons.
To know more of how Hable One can improve your smartphone experience, making these apps even more accessible and easier to use, click here: Learn more about Hable One.
With the right tools, there’s no limit to what can be achieved. These apps are just the beginning of what's possible when technology meets accessibility.
Now write in the comments what are your favorite apps and which ones you recommend! I wait you in the comments!
1 comment
Fernando Cruz
My favorite apps are seeing AI, be my eyes and also envision AI.
Those ar good apps to use on daily tasks or whenever you need help from those apps, also they can help you when you don’t have someone around you.