The WayAround mobile app for Android is now available for free on Google Play. Since WayAround launched an iOS app in January 2018, we have heard from the many Android users who wanted access to WayAround. Less than a year after our initial launch, we’re thrilled that Android users with vision loss can now join the hundreds of iOS users who rely on WayAround to know more and do more.

Read the full press release below, or download the free app on Google Play. (You can get the iOS app here.)

Groundbreaking New Mobile App for People with Vision Loss Now Available on Android

PLANO, Texas,Sept. 5, 2018/PRNewswire/ — WayAround®, the smart assistant for people with vision loss that gives on-demand details about everyday things, today launched a mobile app for Android. The WayAround system uses smart tags plus a mobile app for iOS or Android to provide custom audio information about items around the home, office, and other common locations.

“More and more people who are blind use Android devices, as accessibility features improve on that platform,” said Darwin Belt, co-founder and manager of WayAround. “WayAround is built on the principles of inclusive design, so the app works intuitively for anyone with any degree of vision loss, now on their preferred mobile platform.”

Since its iOS launch in January 2018, WayAround has received numerous requests for an Android app from the growing number of Android users with vision loss.

WayAround launched a beta program for its Android app at the national conferences for the American Council of the Blind and the National Federation of the Blind, earlier this year. After a brief testing period, WayAround for Android is now available for free on Google Play.

“Offering an accessible mobile app for Android users within months of our initial launch was very important to us,” said Armand Fisher, co-founder. “WayAround offers life-changing information for those of us with vision loss, and our team of developers have worked diligently to make the app available to Android users as soon as possible.”

The streamlined app interface is optimized to work with many features in the Android Accessibility Suite, including the TalkBack screen reader and Select to Speak. The free app works together with small, inexpensive smart tags that can be placed directly onto everyday items. Users add a description of any item as well as other details like laundering instructions, allergens, best-before dates, and more.

Near Field Communication (NFC), the technology that powers WayAround, has been a longstanding feature of many Android devices. WayAround extends basic NFC functionality of reading and writing NFC tags by offering account-driven, cloud-based back-up and privacy measures. NFC tags are tactile, and reading them does not require a camera, making the technology ideal for those with blindness or vision impairment.

About WayAround

WayAround is a smart assistant that lets people with blindness and vision loss know more and do more. Using a mobile app and smart audio labels, WayAround provides customized information about the world around you. Created by two architects with vision loss, the simple tag-and-scan system promotes life-changing independence in everyday situations. Learn more at www.wayaround.com.