There are many iPhone apps for the blind and visually impaired available in the app store that can assist you while you are at home, school, work or on the go.
This article explains some of the most useful mobile apps which play a role in the visually impaired community. It’s rare to find someone that isn’t glued to their smartphone these days. But, with that dependence on technology, many have found independence for themselves.
Need to know how far you’ve walked in a day? There’s an app for that. Need to know how many calories you’ve eaten? There’s an app for that. Need to know where you’re spending your money? Yep, you’ve guessed it- there’s an app for that too. But what if you need exact directions because you can’t visually see the landmarks or map of the city you’re visiting? Or you can’t tell if you’re holding a can of beets or cranberry sauce until you open it? Well, for those with blindness, thankfully there’s an app for that too.
GeeksModo’s assistive Technology advisor has compiled a list of free/paid accessible essential iOS applications for your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch that can assist you to improve your independence.
What is an iOS app?
An iOS app is an application designed to fulfill a particular purpose on iPhone, iPad or iPod touch that can be downloaded for free or paid from the app store.
There are various categories of accessible apps for iPhone; to list a few, there are productivity, utility, game, navigation, radio and news apps.
Best iPhone apps for the blind
The following are recommended accessible Apps for the blind to choose from that are not installed from the factory which may be useful. No one needs all of them. Note: always read the description in the app store for more information and to decide if an app is likely to be useful to you and to check the price.
Reading and Writing
Reading
BARD Mobile, free:
This app lets you search for and read Braille and audio books and magazines from the National Library Service. You can search the BARD website and save books to your wish list. By going to your Wish List, they can be downloaded to your device. Up to five devices can be used with one user account.
Please note, you’ll need a braille display to read braille material.
Voice Dream Reader, $14.99:
With advanced text-to-speech and a highly configurable screen layout, Voice Dream Reader can be tailored to suit every reading style from completely auditory to completely visual, plus synchronized combination of both.
Voice Dream Reader supports reading PDF and Word documents, DRM-free EPUB and DAISY eBooks, Web pages and more.
The app is directly integrated with Bookshare, Dropbox, G-Drive, Evernote, Pocket, Instapaper, and Gutenberg.
I highly recommend this app for reading Bookshare books. You can select your default voice, you get one Acapella voice free with the app. You also have access to all the languages of the built-in Apple voiceover voices. You can purchase other voices from Acapella, Neo Speech and Ivona.
Voice Dream Scanner by Voice Dream LLC., $5.99
Voice Dream Scanner lets you scan printed paper documents. It has the ability to detect when all edges of the document being scanned are visible, and it uses a tone which varies in volume to indicate when the phone is pointing at the text and is properly in focus. You can set up the app to automatically capture a picture when your phone is in the appropriate position, around 12 inches above the text. The scanning is all done on your device so none of your scans are uploaded on to the internet. As such, your documents are kept private, and the process of scanning the document and doing the OCR is all generally completed in less than 3 seconds.
However, this stand-alone app only scans paper documents and photos stored on your device. If you want to import PDF files you’ll be required to install the Voice Dream Reader app.
You can save documents as PDF or text, though the PDF is great because it retains the formatting, graphics, and is completely accessible with VoiceOver.
If you enable Edge Detection and auto Capture, and hold the iPhone steady, it will capture the image automatically. I have tested it free-hand and with the Fopydo scanning Stand. It is incredible. It blows KNFB Reader completely out of the water.
You can use a batch mode and process all the pages when you are finished, or save the first page and then continue adding pages to that scan.
The Scanner app uses the Voice Dream voices that you already have, or you can use any of the iOS voices. This is a fantastic app for reading almost any kind of audio or text file, and I highly recommend this app.
Audible, free
The app requires an Audible account, however, any books you purchase from audible can be down loaded directly to your iPhone. The app has great features including Chapter navigation, bookmarking, slleep mode, variable narration speed etc. You can also Switch between reading and listening with Whispersync for Voice (compatible Kindle app or device required)
Apple Books, Free
This app from Apple let’s you read most audio, ePub and PDF documents/books. It offers you access to free as well as books for purchase through the book store. These are books in text format that can be read either on the screen or by using VoiceOver. All the books provided through the book store are accessible with VoiceOver.
Learning Ally app (formerly, RFB&D Audio App), Free
This is the app from Learning Ally (previously known as Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic.) It allows you to listen to their books on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. It is fully accessible with VoiceOver.
The app includes bookmarking, page and chapter navigation and the ability to change the playback rate. Learning Ally has created a new Download Manager that makes it pretty easy to download their books for DAISY players or the Apple devices. Please note: you need a Learning Ally membership account to use the app.
Kindle, Free
Amazon has a fully accessible version of their Kindle app for the Apple devices. These are eBooks that you read on the screen or with VoiceOver.
Nook, Free
The Nook app is completely accessible with VoiceOver. There is even an accessibility tutorial when you launch the app for the first time. You get access to the Nook eBooks from Barnes and Noble either visually on the screen, or using VoiceOver.
OverDrive Media Console, Free
You can read eBooks and listen to audiobooks from your library using OverDrive Media Console on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Over 22,000 libraries around the world offer titles via OverDrive, so grab the app and add your library today.
Please note, you’ll need a valid account with a participating library, school, or other institution to use the app.
Read2Go, $19.99
This is an official Bookshare app that allows you to search their library, download books directly from Bookshare on Your iOS device, and read them with Acapella Ryan or Heather, or with the built-in VoiceOver voices.
I highly recommend this app to braille display users. The app works better with a braille display than Voice Dream Reader, though Voice Dream Reader has gotten much better with a braille display.
Dolphin EasyReader, Free
EasyReader is a FREE accessible reading app for readers with dyslexia, low vision or blindness. The app allows you to browse & download from the World’s largest collection of talking book and newspaper libraries. You can also copy text from anywhere on your phone & hear EasyReader read it back to you. Experience perfectly synchronized text & audio. Or for text only titles, EasyReader can add a human sounding voice of your choice. Boost comfort or contrast – choose colours, text size and highlights to suit your visual needs.
BARD Mobile
The BARD Mobile app provides access to braille and talking books directly from the NLS Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD).
BARD has a huge catalogue of almost 50,000 books, magazines, and music scores in audio and braille formats, with new selections added on a regular basis.
Writing
VoiceDream Writer, $9.99
Voice Dream Writer helps everyone write better: Text-to-speech proofreading reduces mistakes, phonetic and meaning search help you use the right words, and an active outline helps you still organized and improves the structure of your writing.
Writer automatically creates an outline of headings, paragraphs and sentences. The Outline helps you structure your document better by giving you an always-on overview. You can also quickly navigate to a section in a long document without endless scrolling. You can also drag and drop elements in the Outline to organize your writing. No more selecting, cutting and pasting large blocks of text. If you also have Voice Dream Reader, any extra voices you purchased with Reader are available in Writer.
Meteor Notes, $2.99
Text writing app with the ability to create folders, sync with DropBox and is completely VoiceOver friendly. Uses .txt files. There is a lite version that is free so you can try before buying.
NoteMaster, $3.99
This is a plain text editor that syncs with DropBox or Google Docs. It has the usual options of e-mailing documents, printing to an air-print printer, etc. There is a free lite version you can try out that limits the number of documents you can have.
Pages, Free
Pages is the Apple word processor for iOS devices. The app allows you to create, edit, and view documents. Pages works with iCloud, so your documents are automatically synced across all your devices. This app works much better with a Bluetooth keyboard or wireless braille display.
Notes, included on your iDevice, free
The notes app allows you to turn a list into an interactive checklist with a single tap. The app gives you the ability to easily add a photo, map, or URL to a note. You can even draw a sketch with your finger on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. And thanks to iCloud, everything in your Notes are automatically synced across all your apple devices. As such, you can create a note on your Mac and check it on your iPhone when you’re on the go. To use the new Notes. You can also sync notes from Microsoft Outlook and access them on your iOS Device.
Microsoft Word
You can view and do basic editing of Word documents on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch with a free Microsoft account. To use the full features of Word and other Microsoft Office products you will require an Office 365 subscription. But, the basic Word app and Microsoft accounts are free.
Camera Related
Note: Unless otherwise specified, these apps are best when used on the iPhone 4S (and higher,) iPad 3rd gen and higher and the iPod Touch 5th Generation.
and higher.
OCR, Optical Character Recognition
Voice Dream Scanner by Voice Dream LLC., $5.99
winston Chen, who developed Voice Dream Reader and Writer, has created an OCR Scanner that is better than any other OCR app out there.
The app allows you to save documents as PDF or text, though the PDF is fantastic because it retains the formatting, graphics, and is fully accessible with VoiceOver.
If you enable Edge Detection and auto Capture, and hold the iPhone steady, it will take the picture automatically. I have tested it free-hand and with the Fopydo scanning Stand. It is great. It beats KNFB Reader hands down.
The app allows you to use a batch mode and process all the pages when you are done, or save the first page and then continue adding pages to that scan.
Voice Dream Scanner app uses the Voice Dream voices that you already have, or you can use any of the iOS voices.
Seeing AI: Talking Camera for the Blind, Free, developed by Microsoft
Seeing AI has a lot of functionality which is available in other apps though often at a cost. The app is free and it works beautifully on the iPhone SE or the iPhone 6 or later.
Seeing AI has numerous functions, but in my opinion this app is particularly useful for recognising short pieces of text, scanning bar codes and recognizing faces.
When you launch the app there is a listing of channels which give access to the different parts of the app. The Short Text channel is the default when you first open the app and it reads text live as the camera sees it. This can be useful for reading labels, but I personally find it especially useful for reading laptop screens when there is no speech, for instance, during parts of a windows update process.
The Long Document channel is used when reading a document such as a letter or a book. An internet connection is required for this channel to function. You need to capture a picture of a document for this and some guidance is given to help the user find the correct distance away from the text to achieve the best results.
The Product channel allows you to recognise bar codes and have them read out to you. This is a great way of identifying products providing they are in the bar codes database. This works beautifully and it is arguably the best app for finding and reading bar codes on the market.
The Person channel allows you to recognise faces. For me this is more fun than anything but it does work quite reliably. You can scan your environment for faces and give faces names so they can be recognised in the future.
There is also a Scenery channel. This channel is designed to tell you what is around you.
Prizmo Go – Instant Text Capture, By Creaceed SPRL, Free with In App purchases
Prizmo Go allows you to Use your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to quickly grab print text and convert it to digital text. The digital text can then be read aloud by the app’s built-in text to speech software or VoiceOver. The developers of Prizmo Go have thoughtfully included accessibility features for both low vision and blind users. Prizmo Go includes automatic angle correction and feedback enabling users to easily capture the text.
You just need to aim at text. Shoot. It’s yours! Prizmo Go allows you to access printed text easily, so you don’t have to retype it. Before shooting, Prizmo Go shows lines of text directly in the camera preview to let you know what it sees, in a way similar to augmented reality but for text. After shooting, you get direct access to textual contents. It’s that simple.
Prizmo Go can read the text aloud, and it also offers a number of interactions with text contents. Or you can simply copy/paste the text to other apps or to your Mac.
Lastly, thanks to its support for VoiceOver, the app is very well suited to blind and visually impaired users.
Prizmo, $9.99
Prizmo app offers two modes, Quick Capture that is designed to quickly read a page that you do not intend to save. (make sure in the options, Detect Page is turned on for Quick Capture. Especially when using with a scanning stand.) The app also allows you to create New Document, where you can scan a couple of pages and then storfe them in one document. Prizmo does a commendable job of retaining basic formatting of documents.
TextGrabber, $4.99
TextGrabber + Translator allows you to easily and quickly scans, translates and save your chosen text from virtually any printed material. Generally, TextGrabber provides fairly quick and accurate results.
Boop Light Detector by ariel anders, free
Boop is an an app to detect levels of light and interpret this information with sound. It allows its blind and visually impaired users to detect whether lights are on or off. It covers a broad range of light levels which spans from sensing daylight through open windows to checking whether the indicator light is on for a wifi router.
How to use
– Open app and accept permissions to use camera (first time only) – Point phone towards a light source – Listen and feel as your phone changes tone and frequency of vibration while getting closer to the light – Only the light level at the center of the camera (directly perpendicular to the phone face) is measured. Pointing the phone directly at the light source will get the highest reading.
Volume control
– Volume control buttons on side of phone control Boop’s playback volume – Mute will completely turn off sound – Toggle vibrate on or off manually with the switch at the bottom of the app.
Voice over features
– 2 finger scrub to turn vibrate on or off – 2 finger double tap to close app – Tap center of app to read light level
Light Detector, $0.99
Light Detector transforms any natural or artificial light source it encounters into sound. Light Detector is easy to use! Just run the application and point your iPhone camera in any direction. You will hear a higher or lower sound depending on the intensity of the light. Tap on the screen to hear (if VoiceOver is enabled) the current luminosity value (from 0 to 100%). The result can be provided with a short delay (within three seconds). If you tap and hold, LightDetector stops playing. Useful to check lighting before attempting to perform OCR (Optical Character Recognition.)
Object Identification
Examine Clothes Color, free, by Masao MIYAKE, Doctor of Engineering
This app does a commendable job identifying the colors of clothing and does not need internet connection. It is not as good with patterns as TapTapSee, but is much faster. Launch the app, double tap on the Examine button at the bottom of the screen, double tap on the Take Picture button and then double tap on the Use picture button. The built-in voice will speak each section. it will call seams, or wrinkles, stripes.
TapTapSee – Blind & Visually Impaired Camera, free
TapTapSee is designed to help the blind and visually impaired identify objects they encounter in their daily lives. Simply double tap the screen to take a photo of anything and hear the app speak the identification back to you. (Note: Spoken identification requires VoiceOver to be turned on) Also has the ability to identify US paper currency and colors.
Digit-Eyes, $9.99
Bar code and QR Code Reader app. Also, you can use labels to record audio labels for things. The labels are available from their site.Digit-eyes is continually adding more bar codes from all over the world. With each update, it seems to get faster at identifying bar codes.
Color Inspector By Aaron L’Heureux, Free or can pay what you will to remove ads.
Description
Color Inspector is designed to help colorblind and other vision impaired people differentiate and identify challenging colors by evaluating live video to describe the color in view. With options like zoom, varying sample sizes, and torch settings*, it’s easy to make sure you’ve got the right name for the right color.
Color Inspector features full VoiceOver support for its live color processing. Please note that metallic and other shiny surfaces can easily take on the colors of the objects reflected in them and of the light around them. If you find colors that you believe were misidentified, please feel free to submit them as described in the app.
CamFind, free
CamFind is the very first mobile application that can photograph, identify, and provide information on virtually any object you desire to learn about. Just capture a picture of anything around you and receive relevant information about that object – including where you can buy it and web search results.
Be My Eyes Helping blind see, Free
Be the eyes for a visually impaired person in need of help remotely through a live video connection if you are sighted or be assisted by the network of sighted users if you are blind.
Recently, the creators of Be My Eyes have begun a section to request help from a specific company. Microsoft Accessibility is the first to join with Be my Eyes to provide help if your computer stops speaking and you need expert help figuring out what is going on. Blind users can request help from a sighted person and the sighted users will then be called for help. As soon as the first sighted user accepts the request for help a live audio-video connection will be set up between the two and the sighted user can tell the blind person what she sees when the blind user points his phone at something using the rear-facing camera.
As a sighted user you don’t need to worry about missing a call and ‘leave a blind person hanging’ – you are a part of the bigger Be My Eyes helper-network and we will find the next available sighted person in the network. The challenges that the blind person needs help with can be anything from knowing the expiry date on the milk to getting help crossing the street.
Please note: blind users should be patient when requesting help because the app relies on real people to help you. – Live audio-video connection between blind and sighted users
BeSpecular – Help The Blind By BeSpecular LTD, free
BeSpecular is the best way to do a good deed so that even when you have a busy schedule, you can help someone who is blind. As a blind or visually impaired person, you can ask text/voice questions and get quick responses that are friendly and helpful.
If you are blind or visually impaired and need that extra little bit of help:
- you can Ask a question and get a response shortly
- Use the app in various situations, for example, getting more detailed descriptions of items you would like to purchase online
- Read the ad insert you found in the mail
- Understand what is happening on your computer when your Screen Reader is not working
- Re-live memories with beautiful descriptions of your photographs and much more
Aira, free with paid options
Aira is a free service that puts you in touch with real people instantly to simplify daily life. Enhanced efficiency Private and Secure Protecting your privacy and ensuring you feel secure using Aira are our top priorities. Anyone you connect with will have passed robust background checks, signed strict privacy clauses, and undergone weeks of rigorous training.
Getting started is easy
- Download the free app
- Create a free account. All you need is your mobile number to get started. No credit cards, no commitments, no problems.
- Get in touch with a real person and get stuff done. A live, trained agent is just one tap away, ready to answer your call.
Money Identification
Cash Reader: Bill Identifier
Cash Reader is a money identifier app that helps the visually impaired, including those who are totally blind, to identify the value of money. The app recognizes the value of a note and reads it out to the user or vibrating the value if the phone is on silent mode.
Since Cash Reader supports the identification of over 90 currencies, it would seem updates would be vital. Due to the fact that so many types of money are recognized, it’s not practical to list them all. You can find a complete list in the app, or by visiting the App page in the iOS App Store.
Upon first launch, you will be taken to a Getting Started area that allows you to set up the app as you wish. This includes granting access to the camera and selecting what currency you would like to recognize. You can also set up shortcuts using the Getting Started section so that you can tell Siri from anywhere to use the app to recognize the currency of your choice. It is even possible to set up multiple shortcuts. If you have the need to recognize multiple types of cash, you can set up a shortcut for more than one type of currency. After either creating a shortcut or simply pressing the Continue button, you must agree to the terms and you can then start recognizing money.
When you next launch the app, you will read what currency is presently being identified. If you swipe right, you will find a Settings button that will give you many options that may be worth exploring. Most of these options aren’t part of the setup process, but one exception is the type of currency being recognized. If you want, for example, the app to recognize all the currencies it can, you must download another file from their server. The app will tell you that it is trying to recognize 1 of over 568 banknotes, so it’s important to be sure to get more of the bill in the camera’s focus.
The next setting allows you to decide whether you wish to also have haptic feedback from the app communicate the denomination of the banknote. Next to this setting, you will find the option to learn what each series of vibrations means when a bill is recognized. The next heading allows you to record a Siri shortcut for the recognition of each form of currency.
Below that are several low vision settings to adjust contrast. The next heading allows the user to automatically enable the flashlight when your device determines it’s in a dark environment. Following these settings, the user can configure the option to disable the beeps that will let you know the app is actively scanning. A muted phone, in this case, means a muted app. Next you have the option to speak either the denomination of the bill or both denomination and type of currency. You can also choose between the front and back facing cameras. Silent mode will simply send a vibration and not speak the denomination of currency. You can also set this to respect your mute switch. There are also options to send a link to a friend to download the app, the ability to view their various social media accounts, the option to add a button to the main screen that will allow you to your friend a picture of what you want to identify if something goes wrong, and the ability to re-run the tutorial, which is the first setup screen I discussed.
This app performed very well. It doesn’t matter which way you use it, even if you show just a small portion of the note to the camera, it will work. When a single type of currency is selected, recognition takes less than two seconds for each bill.
Cash Reader is available as a 14-day trial upon subscription, and then costs $0.99 a month, $5.99 annually, or $17.99 for a lifetime subscription.
Magnification
Magnifier, built-in since iOS 10
In the iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad settings, head over to General/Accessibility, Magnifier, and toggling it to on. Then, the triple tap of the home button will activate the Magnifier.
Supervision+Magnifier, Free
From the app store description:
SuperVision+ is the only magnifying glass app on the market that offers a supreme live image stabilization capability. Highly magnified images are usually shaking. It is a problem especially for old people. No more image shaking with SuperVision+ magnifier (magnifying glass). Highlighted in Technology News for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired published by the American Foundation for the Blind. From reading small print at near distance to seeing signs at far distance, SuperVision+ magnifier (magnifying glass) is your go-to app for seeing better and clearer. Place your phone camera close to small objects, the app can also be used as a microscope. You can see something small that even normally sighted people can’t see.
Visor-Low Vision, $0.99
Turn your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch into a hand held low vision aid. Enlarge difficult to read text by 4 magnification levels and display it in 3 different viewing modes. Optionally, turn on the LED flash of your device to help you see clearer in low-light conditions.
Features:
- 2x, 3x, 5x and 8x magnification
- 3 viewing modes:
- standard full color or black on white with enhanced contrast
- White on black with enhanced contrast
- ability to enable the LED flash on iPhone & iPod touch
- 3 large, different colored buttons helps you to get quick access to all functions for easy handling
- Tap and hold on the camera image to switch to autofocus, tap again to switch back to manual focus
Magnifying Glass with Light, Free
Turns any Apple iDevice with a camera into a hand-held magnifier. Not as good as a stand-alone magnifier, but useful for some.
Seeing Assistant Magnifier, $0.99
Seeing Assistant Magnifier allows you to use the phone as a magnifying glass. This allows people with sight problems to easily read small text or watch small items. Seeing Assistant Magnifier, beside magnifying image, also allows image adjustments such as contrast, brightness, and color of displayed image (Black and white and Invert). Application can use back and front camera.
GPS
Turn-By-Turn Navigation
Generally requires an iPhone or iPad with cellular data and GPS receiver
Google maps, Free
The Google Maps app for iPhone and iPad makes navigating your world faster and easier. Find the best spots in town and the information you need to get there. Comprehensive, accurate maps in 220 countries and territories. Voice-guided GPS navigation for driving, biking, and walking.
GoodMaps Explore, by APH, Free
(I received this information very recently. GoodMaps is proud to announce the release of GoodMaps Explore, an accessible wayfinding app designed primarily for people who are blind or visually impaired, which sets a new standard for indoor navigation across the globe. GoodMaps Explore uses audio instructions to communicate routing and critical spatial information as users move through a space, whether indoors or outdoors, drawing upon GoodMaps’ state-of-the-art digital maps. In doing so, GoodMaps has solved four problems that have frustrated the field for several decades by:
- delivering superior positioning accuracy with minimal infrastructure
- dramatically speeding the process to digitally map a building, which provides the foundation for the app
- creating a way for building owners to securely control their mapping data
- providing the public with a complete package of maps with an app to actually use them.
Mapquest4Mobile, Free
Turn-by-turn GPS app, only good on the iPhone or iPad with a data plan. The maps are stored on their servers, so you have to have a constant internet connection; therefore, it will not work on the iPod Touch even with a GPS receiver. Mapquest gives both a text list of directions that you can read with Voice Over but also provides its own voice to announce upcoming turns.
MoovIt: Train and bus times, free
From the description on the App Store, read all the details by following the app store link below.
Description: Live Directions. Get step-by-step bus directions and other transit directions with live guidance from A-to-B: Know how long you need to walk to your station, view the arrival time of your line, receive get-off alerts at your destination, and more. Users reports. Moovit’s users report issues found with stations, line service, and schedules so that we can inform all nearby riders about what’s going on in their area.
Favorite lines, stations, and places. Get easy access to lines, stations, and places you ride and visit all the time. Plus, get real-time updates if/when there are changes to your favorite lines in case your bus time or train time is impacted!
Bike routes. Get bike routes in addition to the bus, subway, train, or metro trip plans. If you ride bikes (yours or shared) we can plan a route that includes the train or bus. Moovit will help you plan a trip that meets your transit-needs. Bike docking stations are updated in real-time. Bike trip plans are only available in supported metro areas.
Maps view. Interested in seeing the whole picture? View all stations, routes, and lines on the subway or bus map. Additionally, maps are available in PDF for when you’re offline, or underground on the subway.
PDXBus, Free
This is a great app for those who are wanting real-time information about the bus, street car, or Max stops on the Tri-Met system IN Portland, Oregon. It is fully accessible with Voice Over. You can set favorite stops so you can quickly check when the next two scheduled arrivals are due. You can also just search for near-by stops. Or, if you have the stop ID you can enter it. You can also use Trip Planner within the app.
Transit Bus and Subway Times by Transit App, Inc., Free
Description:
Transit is your real-time urban travel companion. Navigate your city’s public transit system with accurate real-time predictions, simple trip planning, step-by-step navigation, service disruption notifications, and departure and stop reminders… all presented in a clear, bold interface. Public transport not cooperating? Easily request an Uber, reserve a car2go, or grab the closest bike share.
10 GREAT THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH TRANSIT:
- See real-time arrivals for nearby buses and trains instantly upon launch.
- Compare options with powerful A to B trip plans using real-time data.
- Launch GO for step-by-step navigation when you’re on an unfamiliar route or want to nap/read/space out.
- Watch your transit vehicle approaching on a map in real-time
- Locate bike share stations, see the number of bikes available, pay for passes, and unlock bikes (in select cities).
- View availability and book cars with car2go and other local car-share services. Cities covered are listed in the app description.
- View transit schedules and route itineraries-even when you’re offline!
- Receive departure alarms and stop notifications as well as prompts to pick up the pace in GO.
- Get push notifications if service disruptions will affect your commute.
- Check ETA (and surge) for nearby Ubers, and book in two taps.
Maps, by Apple, built-in
Maps gives you turn-by-turn spoken directions, interactive 3D views, and the stunning Flyover feature. All in a beautiful vector-based interface that scales and zooms with ease. And now Maps even gives you guidance to take public transportation and helps you explore your surroundings, so you always know what is around you.
Transit
Bringing you public transit information for subways, buses, trains, and ferries with lines and stations right on the map, the new Transit feature is customized for each city where it s available so signs on your screen will look the same as the ones on the street, and you will know exactly where the nearest subway station entrance is. When you plan a route, just one tap pulls up schedules and you will get step-by-step directions to keep you on track. You can also ask Siri to guide you.
Nearby Explorer Online, Free, by American Printing House for the Blind
Nearby Explorer Online is a free outdoor and indoor location app designed for use by people who are blind or visually impaired. It supports onboard maps from OpenStreetMap, and can optionally augment these maps with online data from Google Places or Foursquare. Nearby Explorer Online works with any device running iOS version 9 or later, but if the device does not contain its own GPS receiver, like most iPads and iPods, you must use an external GPS receiver outdoors. All iPhones contain GPS receivers.
The app works by letting you select from several different location related options about what to announce as you move. These include typical items like street name, address, and nearby places as well as the distance and direction to them. (All announcements are optional.) All of this information is shown on the Home screen and is available at any time, but typical use is to adjust the level of announcements, then lock the screen and put the device away. This keeps both hands free and lets your preferred voice speak the characteristics of the environment as you move. You may also use the devices position and orientation to obtain additional targeted details such as pointing the end of the device to scan for points of interest or tilting it vertically to function as a compass. You may even mark a point, then use the position of the device to get haptic feedback about that point’s location. You may also create favorites, name them, and share them on OpenStreetMap so others can benefit from the places you mark and identify.
A transit feature is included which provides detailed mass transit schedules for over 100 metropolitan areas in the U. S. and Canada. The app treats transit stops just like favorites and points of interest by announcing their name and relative position as you move, but in addition, transit stops add next vehicle stop time, direction of travel, and route name to the announcements. You can use the transit schedules to look up times or even follow a route. You may virtually move to any area and explore, search, or use the transit maps for that area.
- Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
Nearby Explorer, $79.99
Nearby Explorer is a full featured GPS app designed for use by people who are blind or visually impaired. Instead of just providing directions, the app describes the environment in ways comparable to reading signage or observing road characteristics. It uses onboard maps, so internet connection is not required, but if you have one, Nearby Explorer supplements the on board map data with crowd collected locations from Foursquare or Google Places. It includes complete maps for the United States and Canada which contain tons of points of interest. The onboard maps are pretty huge, so be sure the phone you plan to use has enough available space before purchasing.
Nearby Explorer works with any device running iOS version 9 or higher, but if the device does not contain its own GPS receiver, like most iPads and iPods, you must use an external GPS receiver. All iPhones contain GPS receivers. Nearby Explorer works by letting you select from several different location related options about what to announce as you move. These include both typical items like street name and address and specialized options like approaching streets, intersection configurations, and nearby places and the distance and direction to them. (All announcements are optional.) All of this information is shown on the home screen and is available at any time, but typical use is to adjust the level of announcements, then lock the screen and put the device away. This keeps both hands free and let’s your preferred voice speak the characteristics of the environment as you move.
Seeing Eye GPS, and Seeing Eye GPS XT by Aira Tech Corp
The Seeing Eye, the pioneer in guide dogs, and Sendero Group, the pioneers of accessible GPS, have teamed up to create The Seeing Eye GPS . Almost 20 years of user feedback and feature requests are behind the design of all Sendero GPS products. The accessible features in The Seeing Eye GPS are only the beginning of what is yet to come as users help in evolving this first fully accessible GPS product for the iPhone. The Seeing Eye GPS is a fully accessible turn-by-turn GPS iPhone app with all the normal navigation features plus features unique to blind users. Unique to The Seeing Eye GPS Instead of multiple layers of menus, the three important navigation elements are on the lower portion of every screen: Route, POIs and Location. At intersections, the cross street and its orientation are announced Intersections are described (e.g. four-way) with the clock face orientation of the streets.
There are two choices for POI data (Google Places and Foursquare). Directions are configured appropriately for Pedestrian and Vehicle routes, including heads-up announcements for approaching turns, turn now, continue straight and upcoming turns. If one wanders off the route, it’s automatically recalculated and updated turn information is announced.
Point your phone in a particular direction to hear what is nearby with the LookAround Wand. Nearby Points of interest and intersections are automatically announced.
Orientation
Lazarillo – Accessible GPS for blind and low vision, Free by Rene Espinoza
Lazarillo is very similar to BlindSquare, only it is completely free. You can track a destination, launch Google Maps or Apple Maps to get turn-by-turn directions, etc. It does not have all the extra features, but if you want a simple app to assist you with orientation and directions, this will do the trick. The author is also very responsive to feedback.
BlindSquare, $39.99
When BlindSquare has determined your location using your device’s GPS capabilities, it will look up information about your surroundings on FourSquare and Open Street Map. Employing unique algorithms, it will then ascertain the information most useful to you and speak it to you. Use this app to find a nearby cafi, post office, store. Shake your device to hear your current address, as well as information about the location of the nearest street intersection and nearby venues. Also interacts with several GPS apps for turn-by-turn instructions. Google Maps is recommended.
Loadstone GPS by Shawn Kirkpatrick, $7.99
- Note: Turn-by-Turn directions are now included.
Description from the App Store:
- Loadstone GPS enables blind pedestrians to “go blindly where everyone sighted has gone before.” It is designed by the blind, for the blind with an emphasis on being powerful but still easy to use. Features * designed specifically with accessibility, especially for voiceover users, in mind.
- no data plan required to use major functions.
- access to a world-wide database of points from OpenStreetMap, public mapping sources, transit systems, and points shared by other Loadstone users.
- available in multiple languages.
- create, store, and share your own navigation waypoints with others.
- see points in your neighbourhood or search for points.
- check points you’re interested in and hear them announced as you approach or arrive.
- highly customizable and configurable.
- able to import text databases and checkpoints from previous Loadstone versions.
- display astronomic information, sunrise and set, moonrise and set, etc.
Ariadne GPS, $5.99
This innovative accessible location app lets the user explore a map with their finger using VoiceOver. You can know your position at any time and monitor it while walking, you can decide to be informed about what changes along the way, street numbers, street names, etc. There is also the option to save your favorite points and to be alerted, when you approach one of them, for example when you are on a train, bus, etc.
Where To GPS, free, ad free version is available with an in-app purchase
Where To will show you businesses nearby in a wide variety of categories, much like Around Me. They added VoiceOver support so it now will tell you roughly how far away the business is from your location and in which direction.
Around Me, Free
This app will tell you about various businesses that are around you. It is broken up into categories. Examples are: banks, food, parking, gas, theaters, pubs, restaurants, etc.
Taxi Related
Lyft
Need a lift? Try Lyft for a friendly, affordable ride whenever you need one. Request a ride with the tap of a button, and get picked up by a nearby community driver who ll take you to your destination within minutes. Yep, it’s that easy. Split the cost of a ride with friends. It s easy, fast, and secure. All Lyft drivers pass comprehensive background and DMV checks. Drivers are rated by passengers and only the highest-rated drivers are allowed on the road. Lyft provides a first-of-its-kind $1M liability insurance for total peace of mind.
Uber
Get a reliable ride in minutes with the Uber app no reservations or waiting in taxi lines. From low-cost to premium, every ride option feels like an upgrade to the everyday. Create your account using a credit card or PayPal, and your fare will be charged automatically at the end of your ride. You can also pay with cash in select cities. After your trip, we’ll email you a receipt.
Curb, formerly Taxi Magic, Free
With Curb, the world’s number 1 taxi app, your ride is our command. Book a ride to your location in three taps of your iPhone. Use the app to track a nearby taxi as it arrives. Register a credit card and pay for the ride straight from your phone – we’ll email a receipt once the ride is over.
Personal Organization and Banking
Banking
Bank of America Mobile Banking, free
The Bank of America app allows you to manage your accounts, pay bills, check balances, deposit checks using the camera and more.
U.S. Bank App, free
The US Bank app allows you to pay bills, check balances, deposit checks using the camera, check credit card balances, etc.
Wells Fargo Mobile Banking, free
The Wells Fargo bank app allows you to check account activity, transfer money, deposit checks using the camera, pay bils, etc.
Organization
GoodBudget, free with in app purchases
Goodbudget is based on the envelope budgeting method. But with no physical envelopes … only virtual envelopes! Use envelope budgeting to plan your spending, not just track it! Share a budget and sync across multiple phones (and the web!) Goodbudget helps you make sense of your budgeting and spending with in-app reports. See Income vs spending reports to check what you have spent versus what is left. Ad-free, Free Forever version includes 10 regular envelopes & 10 annual envelopes.
Subscribers get more features including, unlimited annual envelopes, the ability to sync up to five devices and friendly customer support.
Calculator HD Pro Free by Cider Software LLC
The app developer was made aware of some changes that would make this app work better with VoiceOver and in three weeks he had made the changes so it now is fully accessible with VoiceOver. You can pay $2.99 to remove the ads which gives a little more display area. Here is some information from the app store description:
- Dual-line display lets you keep track of the Input and Result at the same time.
- Backspace to delete one number at a time, Clear to delete entire input.
- 3 layouts in portrait mode: Basic, Scientific, or History Tape.
- 3 layouts in landscape mode: Basic, Scientific or History Tape.
- Memory content is displayed next to the Input to make it easy to keep track.
- Automatically expanding multi-line Input for really long equations.
- Automatic scientific formatting of extremely large or small numbers.
- Automatic addition of thousands separators in Input.
- Automatic formatting of the decimal point as a comma for international users.
- Accurate and powerful calculator engine.
- 3D Touch enabled to launch in a specific layout.
- VoiceOver Accessibility with support for Touch Typing.
ABC Contacts Free – Contact Manager, Edit Groups, Send Group Emails & Text Messages, Free, with inapp purchases
ABC Contacts is a great app for creating groups for sending text messages or Emails to up to 100 people at once.
Cooking
Paprika Recipe Manager 3, by Hindsight Labs LLC, $4.99
Organize your recipes. Create grocery lists. Plan your meals. Download recipes from your favorite websites. Seamlessly sync to all your devices.
Features:
- Recipes – Download recipes from your favorite websites, or add your own.
- Meal Planner – Plan your meals using our daily, weekly, or monthly calendars.
- Menus – Save your favorite meal plans as reusable menus.
- Grocery Lists – Create smart grocery lists that automatically combine ingredients and sort them by aisle.
- Sync – Keep your recipes, grocery lists, and meal plans synced between all your devices.
- Adjust – Scale ingredients to your desired serving size, and convert between measurements.
- Search – Organize your recipes into categories and subcategories. Search by name, ingredient, and more.
- Pantry – Use the pantry to keep track of which ingredients you have and when they expire.
- Offline Access – All of your data is stored locally. No internet connection is required to view your recipes.
- Import – Import from existing apps such as MacGourmet, YummySoup!, MasterCook & Living Cookbook.
- Timers – Cook times are automatically detected in your directions. Simply tap on one to start a timer.
- Cook – Keep the screen on while cooking, cross off ingredients, and highlight your current step.
- Export – Export your meal plans to Calendar and your grocery lists to Reminders.
- Share – Share recipes via AirDrop or email.
- Bookmarklet – Download recipes from any browser straight into your Paprika Cloud Sync account.
- Print – Print recipes, grocery lists, menus, and meal plans. Recipes support multiple print formats including index cards.
- Extensions – Save recipes directly in Safari and view today’s scheduled meals.
The app is fully accessible with VoiceOver. See the app description in the app store for additional details.
Big Oven
this used to be a completely free app, and the basic app is still free, but to enjoy everything this app has to offer, you have to subscribe for either $1.99 per month or $19.99 per year.
You can try the app out by visiting the app store page:
MEDICAL
Pill Reminder, by Sergio Licea
Description
. VoiceOver accessibility support
. Dark Mode (Available in iOS 13 and higher)
. Notifications are local. No internet connection required
. App doesn’t need to be open to receive notifications
. Universal App, full native support for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch
. In the free version, you can add unlimited medications but only 2 reminders
. Full version with unlimited reminders is available as an In-App Purchase, $1.99
Pill Reminder is an easy-to-use and reliable app that helps you remember to take your medications at the right time. It allows you to create any type of recurring reminders (every X hours, specific times, daily, weekly, monthly, every X days, etc). It tracks the remaining quantity of each medication and shows a refill alert when running low.
The app has everything you need:
. Reschedule Medications
. Refill Reminders
. PRN (as needed) Medications
. Calendar
. Reminders for Medical Appointments
. Email Reports to your Doctor
. Multiple User Support
By remembering to take all of your medications at the right time, you are taking control of your own health.
RECURRING REMINDERS
. Repeat every X hours (e.g. From 8 AM to 8 PM, every 4 hours)
. Repeat at specific times (e.g. 9:15 AM, 1:30 PM, 8:50 PM)
. Repeat every half hour (e.g. From 10 AM to 2 PM, every 30 minutes)
. Repeat on selected days of the week (e.g. Every week only on Mondays and Fridays)
. Repeat every X days, weeks or months (e.g. Every 3 days, Every 2 weeks)
. Repeat daily for 21 days and then take 7 days off (Birth Control)
MAIN FEATURES
. User friendly interface
. If you took your medication early or late, you can reschedule the next doses in that day
. Get alerts to refill your prescriptions before they run out
. Can be used with any medication, supplement, vitamin, or birth control that follows a regular schedule
. Swipe from right to left to mark a medication as “Taken” directly from the lock screen or notification banner
. Ability to add PRN (as needed) medications
. Keep track of the medications you have to take throughout the day
. Pre-Alarms: Be notified prior to the actual time
. Auto-Snooze: Automatically repeat the alarm up to 5 times at regular intervals (e.g. 1 min, 10 mins, 30 mins) until you take action
. Add notes, time and dose taken for reference
. Mark medications as Taken or Not Taken
. Get alerts when medications are about to expire
. Email your medication list or administration history to your doctor
. Add reminders for medical appointments
. Add photos to each medication for easy identification
. Multiple user support. Add medications for yourself, family members, or others you care for
. Ability to search the FDA Drug Database for your medications (Available in the US only)
. Has a calendar to view all reminders by month
. Backup and restore all data on the same device or multiple devices
. 32 built-in alarm sounds
My Medical, $3.99:
Keep track of medical information including doctors’ contacts and insurance info. You can have different sets of info for each family member. Tie appointments to any calendar, not just the one in the app. Keep track of test results and xrays. Password protect your details. Generate a report from your medical record and email it.
Simply, Pill Alert, $1.99
From the app description: Pill Alert will show you whether you missed taking a dosage, and also show you how late you were taking it. Just say: Daily pills, and select Once a day, and tell the app that you have taken them. Make your schedule as complicated as you wish. Alerts you when your pills are due. You don’t need to have the app running.
- Shows you how late are you taking your pills if you have missed an alert
- There are no complicated settings or unnecessary features.
Diabetes App Lite, free:
Here are key features from the app description:
- Put together your daily carb intake, glucose, water consumption, weight directly on the calendar.
- Log and monitor your glucose levels.
- Log your insulin injections.
- Log your medications.
- Use passcode to protect your data.
- Built-in offline powerful food database that you can add food consumed for direct carb calculation.
- Manage your activities and exercises.
- Manage glasses of water you consumed for the day.
- Track your weight and BMI changes.
- Budget your daily carb allowance.
- Backup and restore over WiFi
NEWS RELATED
NFBNewsline, Free
NFB-NEWSLINER is an information source designed to keep persons who are unable to read conventional newsprint who want to be informed about current events locally, nationally, and around the world.
It features the text of over three hundred newspapers, forty magazines, plus personalized television listings.
The app for NFBNewsline subscribers, works on all Apple iDevices. This app makes it very easy to access any of the newspapers or magazines offered by NFBNewsline. You must reside in a State that participates in the NFB newsline program.
Access World, Free
This is the official app of the American Foundation for the Blind’s online publication dedicated to technology and people with vision loss.
General News Apps, Free
Search in the App Store for your favorite newspaper, TV news channel, etc. You may find that they have an app.
Audio Related
Radio and Podcasts
Sero, Free
Radio stations, podcasts and reading services of special interest to blind and visually impaired persons; as well as their friends, family, caregivers and those wanting to know what life is like without eyesight.
TuneIn Radio, Free or TuneIn Radio Pro, $4.99
Allows streaming of radio stations from all over the world. Also allows recording.
ooTunes Radio – Recording and Alarm Clock: $4.99
Great for radio streaming for any stream from anywhere; audio recording and also alarm clock.
MLB at Bat, $19.99
Provides radio feeds for all the Major League Baseball teams from Spring Training through the World Series.
iTunesU, Free
Access to thousands of free podcasts, both audio and video, from Universities, Library of Congress, etc.
Recording
Dolby On: Record Audio & Video (iOS/iPadOS, Free)
This is an extremely easy to use app with great sound and fully accessible with VoiceOver. I encourage everyone to go to the app store and read the full description, but two recent fixes of note related to VoiceOver users:
- Fixed issue where trimming would go out of range while using VoiceOver.
- Improved VoiceOver support on Track Details and Sound Tools screens.
Just Press Record by Open Planet Software, $4.99
Description from the App Store:
Just Press Record is the ultimate mobile audio recorder bringing one tap recording, transcription and iCloud syncing to all your devices. Life is full of moments we would rather not forget – like your child’s first words, an important meeting or spontaneous idea. Capture these moments effortlessly on iPhone, iPad or for ultimate convenience, Apple Watch. RECORD
- One tap to start, stop, pause and resume recording.
- Unlimited recording time.
- Record discretely in the background.
- Choose to record from the built-in mic, AirPods or external microphones.
- Start and stop recording from the Lock screen widget, with a 3D Touch Quick Action or via the URL scheme.
- Record independently on Apple Watch and sync later. PLAY
- Seek backwards and forwards during playback.
- Adjustable playback speed.
- Turn speech into searchable text.
- Support for over 30 languages, independent of your device’s language setting.
- Format as you record with punctuation command recognition.
- Share audio and text to other apps on your iOS device.
- Share to iTunes on Mac or PC via the Lightning Port.
- View recent recordings or browse your library by date and time.
- Search by filename or transcription content.
- Dedicated tab for quick access to recordings made on Apple Watch.
- Peek and Pop the contents of folders in the Browse tab.
- Rename recordings.
- Slide Over and Split View support on iPad.
- Choose to store recordings either in iCloud Drive or locally on-device.
- Recordings stored in iCloud Drive automatically sync across all your devices.
- Transcriptions are stored within the audio file.
- PRO-AUDIO
- Support for high quality external microphones connected via the Lightning Port.
- Customizable Audio Settings to enhance your recording experience.
- File types include WAV, AIF or standard iTunes M4A (ACC).
- High quality audio up to 96kHz / 24-bit. ACCESSIBILITY
- Fully accessible with VoiceOver.
- Magic Tap gesture to start / stop a recording.
APPLE WATCH Just Press Record includes an Apple Watch app that gives you the freedom to record anywhere, even when your iPhone is not around.
iRecorder Pro Audio Recorder by SIMPLETOUCH, Llc. Free with In-App purchase of $4.99
Description from the App Store:
iRecorder Pro is a quick and easy to use audio recorder for iPhone and iPad, with Wi-Fi transfer to any computer. Customers LOVE iRecorder, you will TOO! SIMPLY THE BEST: iRecorder is designed to be quick and easy use, and simple to understand. Great for on-the-go capture of your thoughts, ideas, notes-to-self, lectures, concerts, music, you name it! Record for hours, or just seconds. * HIGH-QUALITY RECORDINGS * FAST LOAD TIME * EASY TO USE * EVERYTHING ONE TAP AWAY * USERS LOVE THIS APP, YOU WILL TOO! MORE GREAT FEATURES: * Wi-Fi Sync to transfer recordings to any computer on the same Wi-Fi network * iTunes file sharing * Share recordings using iOS share extensions * SmartSplit to easily send large recordings in multiple parts * Record in the background * Adjust playback speed * pause and resume during recording * no limit to recording length * rename and re-arrange recordings quickly * rotates upside down for easy microphone use * Use microphones, headsets etc. * VoiceOver optimized, VoiceOver on during recording SIMPLE BY DESIGN: When it comes to mobile applications, sometimes less is more. We kept iRecorder simple and un-cumbersome, leaving a great user experience. PRO QUALITY: Our recording quality is second to none.
We deliver pro-quality recordings, and a high-quality? user interface you would expect on iPhone. GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE: Our customers praise us for great customer service. We take it to heart. If you have an issue we are here to help you. ACCESSIBILITY PROMISE: We are dedicated to making the best & most accessible recording app for iOS. iRecorder is optimized for VoiceOver users! iRecorder is a trademark of SimpleTouch software, all rights reserved.
- The in-app purchase gives you an unlimited number of recordings you can store on your device. Without upgrading, you can only store 3 recordings at a time. If you off load/delete recordings, you can use it without purchasing the upgrade.
Audio Memos Pro $9.99
Audio Memos is a professionally made audio recorder. It has an amazingly intuitive interface, which is easy to use and full of powerful features. Use it in interviews, lectures, music session, briefings, … and simplify your recording tasks.
- TOP FEATURES
- Best quality – adjustable to fit your needs.
- Amazingly loud – hear your recordings.
- Position bookmarking – easy navigation.
- Voice activated rec. – stop recording silence.
- Background recording – multitask at will*.
- Audio compression – email hours of recordings.
- Insert audio – insert comments easily.
- Cloud uploads – access your memos everywhere.
- MORE FEATURES
- Email your recordings.
- USB file transfers.
- Upload to Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, Evernote, FTP or WebDAV.
- Adjustable reading speed.
- Edit your recordings (trim, overwrite, merge).
- Memo alert dates / reminders.
- Search / Sort / Filter your recordings.
- Variable speed scrubbing.
- Add pictures to a memo.
- Transfer recordings to a computer using WiFi.
- Records when your device is in sleep mode.
- Pauses automatically on incoming phone calls.
- Timer activated recording.
- Application lock code.
- * recording will stop if another app uses the audio system.
MTSR, Free, or Pro $1.99
Multi-Track Song Recorder is a premier 4 track recording app. MTSR allows you to record up to 4 tracks with a simple and easy to use interface. Designed with a simple tape recording style and with many features for creative and more advanced music recording.
The app features a Metronome with options for creating Perfect Loops and duplicating your recordings to loop as many times as you d like. Features options for merging all of your tracks in the same recording session to allow for unlimited recording possibilities. You can also export your songs via Dropbox, Email, SMS, and iTunes File Sharing.
Multi Track Song Recorder is the perfect iOS app for musicians looking to write and record simple songs at home or on the move! Now includes Upgrade to Pro option! This In-App Purchase will remove all advertising and unlock the more advanced Metronome for only $1.99! For more information see Multi Track
Features:
- Pause, seek, and scrub through recorded audio easily
- Option of viewing your recordings as Waveforms or with Volume Meters
- Option of merging all recorded tracks
- Includes Metronome that allows you to tap your tempo for finding the perfect BPM to your song. Also includes the perfect looping feature which trims the audio of your recordings so that your track will loop to the beat!
- Independent volume control on each track for simple mixing
- Input gain control for each track
- Input monitoring while headphones are plugged in
- Simple saving and loading of your Songs
- Allows you to import music from your device’s music library as well as from other apps with the Open in… feature
- Dropbox support, you can export your current song or all saved songs directly to your Dropbox account
Ferrite Recording Studio, free with InApp purchases
Ferrite combines the ease-of-use of a voice memo audio recorder, with a versatile multi-track editing studio and powerful additional tools like effects & automation available when you need them. With time-saving features and a UI designed to get out of your way, this is the app you need for podcasting, radio journalism, or other professional voice production like lectures, speeches, and voiceovers.
Streamlined Recording
Open Ferrite and with just one tap you re recording. No fuss, and it won’t break a sweat even with hours-long sessions. Just make sure your device has enough free space!
Recording an interview and you want to highlight a few quotes? Have to take out some inappropriate language? Or just fluffed a sentence and need to fix it? Bookmark moments during your recording and they will be flagged up during edits, so you can jump right to them.
Monitor levels with live recording meters, or listen through headphones. Tag your audio to find it quickly later. And of course you can import audio from your Music Library, iCloud, and other services such as Dropbox.
* Please note: the free version has limited duration for recording & editing projects. Upgrade, and you can edit projects up to 24 hours long! Top In-App Purchases
Rev Voice Recorder: Audio Transcription and Dictation
Organize and edit recordings on your phone.
Share via email, Dropbox, Evernote, and GDrive.
Download with iTunes sync.
Health & Fitness
TravelEar: Listen to the World
Travelear promises to take your ears on an adventure like never before! You can finally go to a variety of destinations and environments with a pair of headphones and the click of a button. With Travelear you can hop across the pond and experience the hustle and bustle of London’s famous Flower Market or even take a trip down to New Orleans jazz-filled streets. If you’re not in the mood for a new city sound then you can always get up close and personal with forest wildlife or simply sit back and relax on your porch as a summer thunderstorm passes by. Let our sounds immerse you into an environmental narrative and make you feel like you are actually there.
Steps: Pedometer & Step Counter for Tracking Steps
Stepz is a convenient step counter app that leverages the clever Apple Motion Coprocessor which collects your motion data automatically in the background while saving battery life. This simple pedometer app has been specifically developed for the iPhone and Apple Watch.
GAMES
Chess-Wise 3, Free or Chess-Wise 3, $2.99
The first chess app on the iDevices that was made accessible with VoiceOver.
Shredder Lite, Free or Shredder Chess, $7.99
Shredder has a little more useful feedback and according to a member of the U.K. Chess Team, has a stronger chess engine than Chess-Wise.
King’s Corner, $0.99 byBitpress, LLC
Addictive card game with some features like Solitaire. It is possible to play against another opponent over the Game Center, or to play against the device. Fully VoiceOver accessible.
Huboodle
With SIX fun games, chat functionality, and 100% voiceover accessibility, Huboodle sets the standard for social gaming. Advance your level by playing any one of the five games and then share (or taunt) your results with friends using the in game chat!
Blindfold Bowling
In Blindfold Bowling, you can play by yourself, against a variety of computer opponents, or side-by-side with another person.
You throw the bowling ball by either flicking with one finger, or aiming with one finger and flicking, or setting the exact angle with your thumb and forefinger, and then flick.
The faster you flick, the faster you throw the ball.
Zany Touch
An Excellent Bop-It Style Game! Test your reflexes against faster and faster challenges. Listen for the instruction and do it as fast as you can – touch, swipe up, swipe down, swipe left, swipe right, shake, pinch, and two finger touch. A pulsing sound track keeps the game moving. How many challenges canyou make it past?
Note: there are many, many accessible games and these are just a few. Some games are designed for the blind or anyone who wants to play using only audio feedback; Papa Sangre and Papa Sangre II are two very popular adventure/puzzle games. Sixth Sense is a Zombee shooting game. Audio Archery, is a simple audio game? There isn’t room to list them all. AppleVis
Bonus
Smart Metronome, by Tomohiro Ihara, free, or $2.99 to remove ads
Smart Metronome turns your iPhone into a simple, stylish and very accurate metronome!
It contains three modes; Normal, Repeat and Program.
- Fully accessible with VoiceOver
- Creates perfect beats by working completely on hardware, without using CPU time
- Sampling rate 44.1kHz sampling rate, resulting in high accuracy (?20?s)
- Easily set the BPM by tapping
- Programmable Tempo and measures
- Loop multiple measures
- Log can be taken
- Tone generator from A=440 to 444
- Save and load tempo program
- Dropbox connection
- Eight background color variations
- Realistic pendulum animation
- Four sounds sets to choose from
iPhone apps for the blind and visually impaired conclusion
As you can see, there are tons of apps specifically designed to help people with visual impairments live independently. In this article, we have discussed the best iPhone apps for the blind and visually impaired and we’d love to hear what apps you have found helpful in your life! Has there been a game-changing app that you’ve come across? How has your life changed because of technology? Do you have iPhone apps for blind users we need to add to the list? Or any that you love? feel free to email us at:
info@geeksmodo.com