Editor's Review
Be My Eyes rests on a simple exchange. A blind or low-vision user needs something looked at - the expiry date on a carton, which of two identical bottles is the shampoo, whether the oven dial is on the right setting - and taps for help. The call goes out to a pool of sighted volunteers, and the first one available answers, sees the phone's camera feed and describes what is there. The whole exchange usually takes under a minute, and no one is expected to be trained or to commit to a shift.
Alongside the human calls, the app now offers an AI assistant that describes a photograph you take and answers follow-up questions about it. That covers the many cases where a user wants an answer immediately, at three in the morning, or about something they would rather not show a stranger. It is faster than waiting for a call to connect, though it can be confidently wrong in the way image models are, so anything consequential is better put to a person.
A third strand, Specialised Help, routes calls to the support teams of participating companies, so a query about a product goes to someone who actually knows it.
The service is free to both sides and carries no advertising. Call quality depends entirely on the network at both ends, and volunteers vary in how clearly they describe things - the usual outcome of an open volunteer pool. Neither undercuts what is one of the most genuinely useful accessibility apps on Android.
Features
Live video calls connecting a user to the first available sighted volunteer
AI assistant that describes a photograph and answers questions about it
Specialised Help routing calls to participating companies' support teams
Volunteer sign-up with calls matched by language and time zone
Screen reader support throughout the interface
Pros
Free for users and for volunteers, with no advertising
Calls connect quickly because the volunteer pool is very large
AI descriptions cover the moments when a call is not wanted or not practical
Volunteering costs nothing but a few minutes and requires no training
Interface is built for screen reader use rather than retrofitted for it
Cons
Video calls need a decent connection at both ends to be usable
Volunteer descriptions vary in accuracy and detail from call to call
Questions people ask
Does Be My Eyes cost anything?
No. The app is free for blind and low-vision users and for volunteers, and it does not carry advertising. Its funding comes from partner companies that use the Specialised Help channel.
Who answers the calls?
Ordinary sighted volunteers who have installed the app. Calls are matched by language, and a request goes out to several volunteers at once so the first person free picks it up.
Can I sign up just to help?
Yes. Choose the volunteer role at sign-up, set your languages, and calls will come through as notifications. There is no minimum commitment and missing a call simply passes it to someone else.
