by David Redmond
You know those moments when you just need to quickly see something? That’s where Aira comes in. Aira is a bit like Be My Eyes, except instead of volunteers you have actual trained staff.
I’ve used Aira on a few occasions, and have always had a good experience, but now, the app I use to access Aira is changing.
On Tuesday evening I received a text message. “NOTICE, Hey there! As we prepare to close down the Aira legacy app later this year, we’re excited to introduce the newer Aira Explorer app! Experience enhanced features like screen sharing, improved support for low vision Explorers, and easy file and photo sharing during your calls.” This was followed by a download link for the new app.
The Aira Explorer app has been around for a while, but this seems to be the first big push to migrate users.
When you download the new app you will be asked to sign in. Enter your email or phone number, then your password. You’ll be sent a 4-digit confirmation code, but after that, you’re done. This is nothing new, but I like the fact that the code is only 4 digits. It just makes things that bit nicer especially if you’re using VoiceOver.
Once you sign into the new app you seem to get signed out of the old one automatically. For that reason, it’s probably not worth keeping both, but you can always wait until it’s discontinued before deleting.
Are there any differences?
Honestly not really. I used the legacy app quite recently to get assistance finding a taxi, and just to test out the new app I got assistance finding a missing door stopper this morning. Both apps work the exact same really, and at least for basic use the changes are purely aesthetic. Sure the feedback form after the call is more detailed and you’ve more controls for adjusting the camera, but for basic use I didn’t find any major differences.
What’s next?
Really there are two takeaways here. If you’re an existing Aira user you’ll want to download the Aira Explorer app and get set up. If you’re a new customer, it’s totally pointless downloading the legacy app as it’s going to be obsolete by the end of the year.
I honestly don’t know why Aira is keeping it on the App Store, as it’s only going to cause confusion for people. Regardless, I’m sure they have their reasons.
Conclusion
Really this is one for any Aira customers out there. If you use Aira, you need the new app. If you need support with this you can as always call the NCBI Labs Helpdesk 1800 911 110. These transitions can often be a bit of a dose, but hopefully it’s for the better in the long run.