Be My Eyes

What Is It, In Plain Words?

Be My Eyes connects blind and low-vision people with sighted helpers through the phone's camera. You can ask an AI to describe what the camera sees, or call a real volunteer.

Millions of volunteers have signed up, and the app is free.

What You Can Use It For

• Reading labels. "Is this tin tomatoes or beans?"
• Post. Have a letter read out to you.
• Settings and screens. A volunteer helps you read the oven dial or a TV menu.

Getting Started Step By Step

On A Phone Or Tablet

1. Open the App Store (iPhone and iPad) or Google Play (Android).
2. Search for Be My Eyes and check it's made by Be My Eyes. Copycat apps exist.
3. Tap Get or Install, then open it.
4. Choose I need visual assistance when you sign up.

Getting Help

1. To use AI, tap Be My AI, take a photo, and listen to the description. You can ask follow-up questions.
2. To call a person, tap Call a volunteer. The first available volunteer answers by video.
3. Point your camera at what you need help with.

Things To Try Typing

Examples of what to ask.

What It Costs

It's free. There's no paid version to buy.

If anyone asks you to pay to use it, or to "unlock" it, that's a scam.

Privacy And Safety

• Volunteers can see what your camera sees. Point it away from bank cards, letters with account numbers and anything private.
• For medicines, double-check with a pharmacist if you're unsure.
• Never type passwords, PINs, bank or card numbers, your National Insurance number (UK) or Social Security number (USA).

Good Points And Watch-Outs

Good Points

• Real people when you need them.
• Works with VoiceOver and TalkBack.
• Free.

Watch-Outs

• Volunteers are kind strangers. Don't share personal details.
• AI descriptions can be wrong.
• Needs a good internet connection for video calls.

Similar Tools

• Seeing AI: reads text and describes scenes aloud.
• Lookout: Google's Android app that reads text aloud.
• Google Lens: point your camera at anything to identify it.

Common Questions

Is Be My Eyes free?

Yes, it's free for blind and low-vision users.

Who are the volunteers?

Sighted people who sign up to help. They answer by video call.

Can AI describe things instead of a person?

Yes. Use Be My AI to get a description of a photo.