RightHear - Blind Assistant

Description of App

RightHear is a virtual accessibility assistant that helps users to easily orient themselves in new or casual environments. Our vision is to make blind, visually impaired and other people with orientation disabilities feel much more independent by assisting them going anywhere, anytime.

Below are explanations of the app main modes and features:

Outdoor Mode:
• Current Location - Get your outdoor physical location.
• Around Me - Get outdoor nearby points of interest by turning your phone in different directions (data source is Open Street Map).
• Nearby - Lists of RighHear enabled locations and other points of interest around you.
• Record - Create your personal point of interest wherever you like and navigate there or get notify once you walk by it.
• Lens - Use object recognition tools to help you with your daily needs.
• Direction - Know the direction you are walking towards.
• Navigation - A unique RightHear navigation experience with special sound effects to keep you on track.

Indoor Mode (supported in RightHear enabled locations only):
• Current Location - Get your indoor physical location.
• Around Me - Get indoor nearby points of interest by turning your phone in different directions.
• Nearby - Lists of RighHear spots inside of the building you are at.
• Call - Get local representative assistance by phone.
• Link - A web page with additional info.
• Lens - Use object recognition tools to help you with your daily needs.
• Direction - Know the direction you are walking towards.

Demo Mode:
Simulate a RightHear location and its internal spots.

Public Transportation:
Receive a nearby list of stations, lines, and expected departures.

App Tutorials:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDOhATe8ahU&list=PLlV2Gm9qm1UiQ607bqxXuBDa-Bq9bmvOR&ab_channel=Right-Hear

Version

4.0.7

Free or Paid

Free

Apple Watch Support

Not Known

Device(s) App Was Tested On

iPhone

iOS Version

16.5

Accessibility Comments

RightHear works well for me, and I'm not a tech whiz by any means. It's VoiceOver friendly and gives clear, real-time directions that help me navigate. I also appreciate the simple layout of the app, which makes it easy to use. It's thoughtful, user-friendly, and a great tool for those of us who are blind or visually impaired.

VoiceOver Performance

VoiceOver reads all page elements.

Button Labeling

Most buttons are clearly labeled.

Usability

The app is fully accessible with VoiceOver and is easy to navigate and use.

Other Comments

RightHear is like a trusty sidekick for folks like us who can't see. It speaks up about where we are and where we're going, making it a whole lot easier to move around.

I still remember my visit to the Azrieli Mall in Tel Aviv, Israel. With RightHear, it felt like the mall had come alive for me. I could "hear" the map of the place - all those different stores, the food court, even the restrooms. It made navigating through that bustling, multi-storied mall such a breeze.

This wonderful app isn't just handy in big buildings, it's got your back outdoors too. It translates all that visual stuff into audio, so you have a better understanding of your surroundings.

The only downside I've noticed is that there aren't many RightHear-enabled locations with beacons in my area. It's my hope, though, that more locations will be added soon, making the app even more useful for me and others in my community.

Here's why RightHear stands out:

It's like a speaking map, guiding you whether you're indoors or outdoors.
It paints an audio picture of your surroundings.
The interface is super easy to use, designed specifically for folks who are blind or visually impaired.
For me, RightHear has made a world of difference. I think a lot of us would find it extremely useful, especially if more locations in our areas become RightHear-enabled.

App Store Link

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/righthear/id1061791840

Developer's Website

https://right-hear.com/

Recommendations

1 people have recommended this app

Most recently recommended by Daniel J. Miror 1 year 6 months ago

Options

Comments

Making our own routs

I live in the country and one of the houses that I go to sometimes it’s not very far from our own house and we don’t even have to go onto the road. Is there a way to possibly make a route of our own so that way we can follow that route independently later? What I mean is, someone cited, could walk you on that route And walk you back then later when you want to go there by yourself, you could go there without any assistance.

You can use the recordings feature for that

It won’t record the whole route, but the RightHear app do let you leave “bread crumbs” along the way. In other words you can leave landmarks which you record for yourself, like: “this is where I need to turn right”.

Supported locations

What does it take for a location to be a RightHear enabled location? I've been waiting for universal indoor navigation for years. I'd love to have an app that can guide me through an airport so I don't require wheelchair assistance, or around a complicated hotel or conference center so I don't need to hire a sighted guide. But every time an app like this comes out, it seems to require some significant mapping or data entry work, and as a result, the vast majority of indoor complexes are unsupported. Please tell me this app is different.

Wasn't this app called…

Wasn't this app called something else at one time?

It takes an hour, a minimal budget and mostly awareness

Paul, I spoke with the RightHear's developers recently, and one of the main advantages they mentioned, again and again, is the simplicity of turning a space into a RightHear-enabled one (they even encouraged me to put this statement to a test by recommending a location in my area to have it). My understanding from them is that it takes about an hour for a space the size of McDonald's to be accessible and a very minimal fee on the facility side (free to us of course).
The main challenge they are facing is awareness of the problem and their solution and they hope that users will help them with it.
Troy, they never had a different name, it is the same one for over 5 years now.