by Joe Lonergan

This week we are going to cover the apps that I cannot do without on my iPhone. I will talk about these as a VoiceOver user with little or no vision and the use of said apps with the support of Siri.

This doesn’t mean the apps I spend the most time using online such as Facebook or X (formally known as Twitter), or any other social media app that we might mindlessly scroll during our spare time. I am referring to those apps that I use to make life easier and that helps me to be more independent as a blind person. It is a question we are often asked – what are the best apps to download on my phone? The answer can be very subjective and in fact, it is not a one-size-fits-all kind of answer, so I will give my view from a VoiceOver user perspective, and we will cover low vision the next time around.

So here we go the number one app on my iPhone is:

1) Seeing AI

I put Seeing AI in number 1 because of its versatility and usefulness. By its name, you can guess it sees things with the iPhone camera and uses AI to tell you what it is. Seeing AI has cleverly separated everything into channels such as short text, document, product, currency, scene, person, world, colour, and light.

To be honest I don’t use all these channels but the ones I do use I use them a lot. For example, I use the document channel for anything from reading my post to reading a bag of frozen chips out of my freezer, I do not find the short text channel much use. I use currency to check how much is in my wallet before I go out, and with the new AI features, I will be using the scene channel a lot more going forward.

You can listen to a demo of the new AI features in our latest talking technology podcast. The document channel has also got new AI improvements such as the ability to ask follow-up questions and add multiple pages.

I can use the product channel to recognise products with a barcode on them. I can grab products from my pantry quickly and point the camera at the package and once it recognises the barcode it tells me the name of the product instantly.

I have set up Siri Shortcuts in this app also so I can access channels quickly by saying commands like:

• Siri, recognise currency
• Siri, recognise document
• Siri, recognise scene
• Siri, recognise product

2) Be My Eyes

My second favourite app is Be My Eyes.

The great thing about this app is you can actually call a volunteer for help and have a video call with a human for those difficult tasks like checking dates on food products or finding something on the ground. Be My Eyes has also recently started rolling out a new feature called Be My AI where you take a picture and it provides you with a detailed description of what’s in that picture. It is a real game-changer and we have written extensively about this feature already.

Another great feature of this app is an area called specialized help, which gives you a direct hotline to Google, Microsoft, Sky Ireland, and more, I do not use this feature enough.

I have gone into settings and set up Siri Shortcuts in Be My Eyes to do the following:

• Siri, call a volunteer
• Siri, call Microsoft

3. Soundscape Community

Now I will mention my favourite mobility apps.

When I am out and about, and I want to know my surroundings I open up the Soundscape app and put in my AirPods Pro.

As I pass points of interest, the ones on my left are announced in my left ear and the ones on my right are announced in my right ear, giving me that 3D sound experience. It is also great for announcing intersections. I can set markers to my favourite places like a bench, or I can put a marker on an upcoming obstacle like steps or overhanging branches. It also has an option to put a beacon on locations, but I prefer to use step-by-step navigation from Apple Maps for this instead.

Again, you can go into Settings and set up some Siri Shortcuts. My favourite shortcut is Siri save marker, which allows me to save a marker quickly. Others include:

• Siri what’s around me?
• Siri what’s ahead of me?

4. Apple Maps

I also like to use Apple Maps because I can request directions with Siri. I can put my home address and my work address into my contact card. Then I can give requests like:

• Siri, take me home, and then step-by-step directions will be announced to my home, handy if I am in a taxi.
• Siri, give me walking directions to Green Street, then step-by-step walking instructions startup.

I find the voice prompts very good and not too distracting.

I can ask Siri where am I? VoiceOver will announce my location and it will appear on the screen. I will get options to share my location if I wish.

5. WhatsApp

I couldn’t write this without mentioning a messaging app that I use a lot, I could have mentioned a couple of apps here, but I chose WhatsApp because of its versatility and many uses in everyday life.

WhatsApp is great for connecting with groups, family, or common interest groups, or even if it’s to get updates from your local sports or GAA club about upcoming training sessions, etc.

It’s good for sending short videos, photos, links, PDF files, and voice notes.  Also, you can make video calls and audio calls all over the WhatsApp network.

I receive a lot of photos in WhatsApp and with the arrival of AI in other apps I can find out what’s in the photos by tapping share and then navigating down to recognise with Seeing AI or Describe with Be My Eyes and get a detailed description so I can get involved in conversations and stay in the loop.

WhatsApp also works with Siri, which means I can say things like:

• Siri, make a WhatsApp call to Tommy
• Siri, send a WhatsApp message to Tommy
• Siri, read my new WhatsApp messages

So that’s the top five apps I cannot do without on my iPhone. Honourable mentions have to be given to FaceTime, MS Teams, and the Podcasts app.

We would love to hear what apps you rely on, and if you want any more information on how to use these apps on your smartphone contact [email protected].