With over 2.7 billion smartphone users across the world, it’s no surprise that the mobile app industry is thriving. In fact, 90% of all mobile timeis spent on apps.
Apple knew in 2010 when they trademarked 'There's An App For That' that there would in fact be an app for virtually everything. This has been an incredible gift to the visually impaired, with more and more apps coming out each year that are specifically designed to help them live their lives more comfortably.
From navigation to reading assistance, we've compiled a list of the top apps for the vision impaired in 2020!
AccessNote
AccessNote is the official iOS notetaker from the American Foundation for the Blind.
This app is the first notetaker for the iOS platform designed particularly for VoiceOver users looking for a highly efficient, feature-rich note taking experience. In addition to being a low cost alternative to traditional note takers, AccessNote will allow users to combine efficient note taking with the countless other features and functions of the iOS devices. This will allow blind and visually impaired people in classroom or business settings to use the same popular iOS devices that their sighted peers are using.
Aipoly Vision
Aipoly Vision is an object and color recognizer that helps the blind, visually impaired, and color blind understand their surroundings! Simply point your phone at the object of interest and press any of the recognition buttons at the bottom of the screen to turn on the artificial intelligence, which will speak out loud what it sees. Aipoly vision is available in multiple languages for Android and iOs.
Audible
Audible gives the blind and visually impaired the ability to enjoy books by providing them with a wide selection of audible books, including recent popular titles, classics, and academic text.
Be My Eyes
Be My Eyes is an incredibly innovative app that connects blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers and company representatives for visual assistance through a live video call. The app is available in over 150 countries, in over 180 languages with over 3 million volunteers eager to support the visually impaired.
BlindSquare
BlindSquare is the world’s most widely used accessible GPS-app developed for the blind, deafblind and partially sighted. Paired with third-party navigation apps, BlindSquare’s self-voicing app delivers detailed points of interest and intersections for safe, reliable travel both outside and inside. Open the doors to enhanced independence with BlindSquare today, availbe for iOs.
Color ID
Color ID is an AI app for the visually impaired that uses the camera on your iPhone or computer to speak the names of colors around you in real-time. If you are colorblind or have an eye problem that makes it difficult or impossible for you to see, you could use this app to help you pick out your outfits, design your home or simply determine if a fruit is ripe enough to eat.
Facing Emotions
The Facing Emotions app translates the 7 key emotions detected on the human face (anger, fear, disgust, happiness, sadness, surprise, contempt) into 7 unique sounds - making it possible for the blind and visually impaired to have a richer experience and understanding when communicating with others. The process of recognising emotions is carried out on the basis of algorithms learned by AI.
LookTel Money Reader
LookTel is developing a suite of revolutionary assistive smartphone applications that bring the most powerful recognition technology of today to the aid of persons with low vision or blindness. They currently have two popular apps available: LookTel Money Reader and LookTel Recognizer.
LookTel Money Reader instantly recognizes currency and speaks the denomination, enabling people experiencing visual impairments or blindness to quickly and easily identify and count bills. A user simply points the camera on their iOS device at a bill and the app will tell you the denomination in real-time.
LookTel Recognizer
LookTel Recognizer allows users with visual impairments or blindness to instantly recognize everyday objects such as packaged goods in the pantry, identity cards, soda cans at the grocery store, or CDs in a music collection. Once a library has been built, users can simply point the iPhone's camera at an object and the phone will recognize and describe the item instantly.
Smart Braille
Smart Braille, simply put, is braille for your phone! It allows visually impaired users to write text in braille and translate text into braille. This popular app is currently available for Android users.
Tap Tap See
TapTapSee is a mobile camera app designed specifically for blind and visually impaired users, powered by the CloudSight Image Recognition API. TapTapSee utilizes your device’s camera and VoiceOver functions to take a picture or video of anything and identify it out loud for you. This award-winning app is available through the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.
If you know of any amazing vision impairment apps not included on this list, let us know so we can get them added!
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