We've just launched three new apps on the Apple Store to support individuals with visual disabilities:
'QR Voice' for reading QR codes aloud.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/qr-voice/id6475089346
'OCR Voice' for converting and reading any text document using text-to-speech.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ocr-voice/id6475119287
'Color Voice' to assist individuals with visual challenges in effortlessly recognizing colors through the device's camera.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/color-voice/id6475631589
With a simple tap on the screen, these intuitive apps detects QR codes, text and colors in real-time, providing an inclusive and accessible experience.
By E7 Company, 25 January, 2024
Forum
iOS and iPadOS
Comments
Sorry, but...
Sorry, but we have tons of other alternatives that fulfill the same functions, for free. You should at least add something like offline accurate OCR for imported text files and even PDF's as well as written text so that we might consider purchasing your paid apps. You might also want to merge all three apps into one single app.
One more thing: This is yet another instance of a dev posting his/her own stuff on here.
The topic of self promotion
I agree that such things should have their own section, this is a forum for Sharing an advocacy not promotion and advertisement.
It was not me who set the rules, nor is it me breaking them.
I'm just saying this would be a violation of the rules as they are, and that the admins/moderators are often either negligent or unwilling to take action in such cases, several of which I've witnessed first-hand.
Rules
Thanks for posting about these apps, even though, as others said, their functionality is already available in other apps.
As for the developers posting on the forum, I'd like to point out that as per https://applevis.com/help/i-have-developed-app-accessible-how-do-i-get-it-added-app-directory
Applevis actually encourages developers to post about their apps in the forum.
ON another page they also ask commenters to stay on the topic. And as the original post was about apps rather than rules, I guess I just broke this rule. sorry. :-(
Thanks for your feedback
Thank you for all the comments.
The idea of also promoting the apps is to receive feedback and improve them in future versions.
I have indeed thought about creating free versions of the apps, but perhaps I should add advertising or in-app purchases to monetize them, and I believe that could be more off-putting when using them, as the goal is to keep it as simple as possible.
Regarding the suggestion of reading text offline, such as PDF documents, I think it's a great option to consider. And the idea of combining all the apps into one, I think that's a fantastic idea, and I will try to create a new app with all the features combined.
Again, thank you for all the feedback received.
The Guidelines
Are you talking about the below quote?
"1. If you are a developer, please DO NOT submit your own app to our App Directory. Please ask one of your blind or low vision beta testers to do this, as they will be able to offer accurate information on the app’s accessibility that is based upon real-world experience. If you have no beta tester able to do this and believe that your app will be of genuine interest and value to blind and low vision users, then please consider posting information about the app to this site’s discussion forum. Note that app entries submitted by the developer will be removed."
So does that mean the OP is one promoting an app on the discussion forum? Even if so, I don't see any major difference between posting here or in the app directory. Either way, I think developers shouldn't post about their own apps themselves in any case. If they can somehow have someone else post an entry for their apps in the app directory, so is that the case for the discussion forum. I also welcome and appreciate developers' interest and attention and thank all the developers who devote their time to examining our feedback. I've met several developers who actually do take our feedback seriously and do their best to improve their apps indeed, but this is a suggestion and an attempt to draw attention to the fact that developers posting about their own apps might do it in a way that makes the post somehow biased, deceptive or otherwise inaccurate, which does not necessarily have to be deliberate.
Redirecting Focus Back to the Apps
Please can we redirect our focus back to the three apps introduced in this thread. The developer took the initiative to share them with our community, and is open getting constructive feedback. Rather than debating longstanding and well-established guidelines which encourage developers to introduce apps of potential interest by posting to the site's forum, perhaps we could provide our thoughts on the apps' features, utility, and potential improvements.
I did.
It was already me who gave the most feedback and suggestions, which was welcomed by the developer in appreciation. Why do admins or those at high positions or those with more authority anywhere tend to lecture others? It appears that whoever uses the AppleVis account is also in need of some constructive criticism. Neither this very website nor its rules are eternal. They are more than open to questioning and change or amendment.
Apologies to the dev and a question.
Apologies the usual squabbling was how your work was welcomed. For what it’s worth, I would like devs with new apps to promote them here. If not here then where else and how would the target audience find new apps that might be great and improve lives. My question is how well does the colour identifier work? They usually don’t work well at all but I’d definitely buy yours if you’ve managed to find some secret sauce that makes a functional app. As for ad supported, I definitely think a simpler interface is better. On the subject of colour identification. Has any app ever used the LED to provide a known colour source and the LIDAR to provide a known distance in order to help improve results? Perhaps this one does or could. A colour identifier that actually works is most definitely something people would be interested in after all the failed attempts.
If a developer has already been informed about AppleVis...
it should not be that difficult to contact the admins or anyone to post their apps on their behalf. Also, it's true that the purposes that these apps surve are already fulfilled by free alternatives, and that these apps need a USP to stand out, meaning they should be improved further and have unique features that no other app has. I already offered some suggestions in addition to expressing my opinion on the apps as they are, and I never ever underestimated or ignored the developer's effort. Those who get mad at sincere criticism aimed at improving stuff, are definitely far from being the first to have the right to lecture others on giving so-called constructive feedback, and in fact, it's probably them who need it more than the devs do.
Sorry developer but not good...
I purchased the color identifier app just a few minutes ago...
First, taking my criticism of this app as it currently is, has room for improvement because I have several different apps that do this however I just got an iPhone 15 Pro last week and your app is the first new color identification app I got since my brand new iPhone so here I go...
Most people prefer to know solid colors like black, red, yellow etc. you get the point but, this app gives me weird references to colors most people have no clue of. I was like, is this a joke?!
I was fully sighted until I was 34 years, I'm 45 now, so I know colors very well so what I am saying if I haven't got a clue of those color references, blind/visually impaired people are not going to understand them...
Also, touching the screen with a double tap with VoiceOver on to get those weird color references is just weird cause other apps just automatically continues scanning once that feature is active... It drains the battery faster and heats up our devices but it's not like we use it a long time. Maybe start by changing it to identify solid colors/varients of colors first then implement other features.
All in all, congrats to you for making useful apps that helps our community. I hope my review was helpful for the community and the development team... good luck! 😁
Thank you again
Again, thank you very much for all the feedback received. It helps me a lot because currently, I don't have any beta testers to have more references, and all your help is invaluable for improving the apps.
I believe that both the OCR Voice and the QR Voice apps are quite stable. The QR is detected automatically, and the OCR is activated by tapping the screen. If text detection were active all the time, it might require constant camera scanning, potentially causing battery consumption. Both apps read in the voice language of the device, supporting various languages.
The Color Voice app might need more improvements. The app currently captures the central point of the image, extracts its hexadecimal color values, and selects the nearest color name from a table. I understand that aiming for a very big color list might include many unfamiliar colors. It might be more practical to have a shorter list with solid colors and their variations. Perhaps I can add a selector to choose between the complete color list or a condensed version.
In addition, currently, the colors are only in English. I am translating them into various languages, and soon I will release a new version with these colors available in more languages, allowing users to hear color names based on their device language. If you have any preferences, please let me know.
I am considering very much the idea of combining everything into a single app, but it might take some time to integrate everything, along with a simple and user-friendly interface to switch between reading QR codes, text, and colors.
Thanks again for all this feedback, it is genuinely important, and I appreciate it very much.
Yes, this is just what I was going to suggest.
If you do happen to merge all the apps into one single app, you can add switches to toggle all the various features or options like how colors are to be reported, or buttons to start/resume or pause/stop the current operation. This might even make it possible to pause scanning long documents. You might also add various options like background scan and the option to resume from where the user is left off, including the possibility to recover/resume a scan in the middle of which the app is closed by the user or the device shuts down or whatever reason. Things like crashes and calls should not cause the current scan to be aborted. These may be more good features to make your app(s) stand out. And I am suggesting once again that you gather all those features in one single app that may also have a cash recognizer. It should have all the currencies used in the world, which can also make the app more preferable to certain others. These should all be on-device processes where everything can be performed without an Internet connection, which should make the app a priority for those not willing to send their data to Microsoft or other companies that store and process it as per their privacy policies. Challenging as it may be, you might even consider adding an image description feature.
I understand devs can't look through tonnes of appps but
This stuff already exists, BeMyEyes, Seeing AI, supersense AI, and there's one more I can't think of at the moment.
I won't try these because I already have Seeing AI that can do all this for me.
I'm sorry if we come across as harsh but looking into things before making them would be useful. For example these days you could ask co-pilot if there are any OCR scanning apps for the blind and it will bring up results, you can do the same with bing.
No problem...
Cool, I don't want you to loose hope by telling you to change features or merge apps together. I just want you to do what feels right for you to help others be more independent than they are. However, the competition of what has been out for years is not what should mislead you away because every app is unique and many will prefer 1 over another and we all use different apps in our toolbox... it's always open to anyone to join in!
I hope my insights are helpful & inspiration to keep you going.
A lot of good ideas above...You're welcome!
All the curencies in the world, so what about Golden Drakma?
Hello,
If any of you are PJO--Percy Jackson and the Olympians--fans like me, how about having this app possibly recognize the curency of the golden Drakma? by the way, I don't kno what one of these would've been in U.S cents, so that would've been cool to know. of course, assuming you had one of these reek coins, it--your app for money recognizer--cold tell the image on it and help you better imagine what the god/Goddess would've looked like in Greek times. the other side of the coin would've been the Empire State Building--in modern times/have the same description of how it looks now/said building is where Olympus is supposed to reside these days. My point isn't just about this mythical coin but somehow doing it with regular cents so pennies and nickles, quarters and dimes--help you imagine what the heads and tails mean/are described as, for example It would be kinda cool for the money recognizer to say whether the quarter is a P--Philidelphia-minted or D-Denver-minted coin as in my quarter collector's book
Ashleigh Piccinino
Using haptics to simulate what you hear on your desktop scanner?
Hello,
What about using a haptic feedback system like this? This is in any of the aps currently out there for scanning documents. Of course, you hear your desktop scanner sound as if it's at a lower tone for the motor and then a higher tone some time later as the scan reaches conclusion. what about having that in the form of haptic feedback? the vibration could be soft but continuous for the "slow" motor of the scanner--I'll call the lower tone--and more intense for what I'll call the "fast"--or higher motor sound of the scanner. only after the scan's complete will you hear the shutter sound, like you do in the ever popular OpenBook software for PCs. a second or two after the shutter sound is heard, the document will start reading to you here as well/why can't an already-used version of OpenBook be used for mobile views? This product is by Freedom Scientific--now going as Vispero--but why not collaborate with them here?
Once again, thank you
Hello everyone,
I want to express my sincere gratitude for the valuable feedback you've provided while testing my apps. It's truly appreciated! It's heartening to see that many of you have acknowledged three key strengths in these apps that might set them apart.
Firstly, the lightweight nature of the apps is highlighted, with each of them occupying less than 1 MB of space. This makes them ideal for users with mobile devices that have limited capacity. The simplicity of the interface is another aspect that has been positively noted, ensuring users don't have to navigate through complex menus or screens—it focuses on a single task.
Lastly, the fact that these apps can be used without an internet connection is a key feature. No need for constant connectivity, and no data is stored in the cloud or with third-party companies. This ensures privacy and ease of use even in offline scenarios.
Taking all the valuable feedback into consideration, I am already working on improvements for the upcoming versions. The priorities include enhancing compatibility with VoiceOver, incorporating sounds for better feedback during readings, and refining the color palette to display only the simplest and most user-friendly options.
Your feedback has been instrumental in shaping the future of these apps, and I look forward to implementing these enhancements to make them even more user-friendly and accessible.
Once again, thank you all for your time and input.
Plus, it will be better/cognitive delays or otherwise slow to ac
Hello,
Plus, with one thing to focus on, it's its own "guided access" with that one thing and one thing only to fucos on. it'll help those with cognitive delays I guess and/or those who ar otherwise slow due to disability.
Updated Color Voice to version 1.1
Thank you for the valuable feedback on the apps!
I've just updated Color Voice to version 1.1
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/color-voice/id6475631589
Introducing a color selector for basic or all colors.
Enhanced VoiceOver compatibility now includes a button to read colors, making it more user-friendly.
Your continued input is appreciated to further improve the app based on your suggestions.
Thanks and regards!