Hello everyone,
Today, I'm excited to share details about the latest update for the Be My Eyes application. Although I am not an employee of Be My Eyes, I am thrilled to pass on useful resources to our community. The Winter ‘25 release promises major performance enhancements and flexible new data management options for its users.
Overview
Be My Eyes, the company that removes barriers to accessibility for people who are blind or have sight loss, announced a significant update to its award-winning app today. This release, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the app's original launch, focuses on improved usability, performance, and new data control features. Notably, it formalizes a data retention policy concerning AI training data that was promised in July 2024.
Main Areas of Enhancement
User Experience and Performance
- Higher Resolution Video: Call-a-Volunteer video calls now default to full 1080p HD resolution, offering clearer images and finer details when zooming in. This upgrade benefits both volunteers and service agents when providing descriptions or answers.
- Auto Read Aloud: Be My AI, the app’s AI-powered visual interpretation agent, now features automatic text-to-speech functionality. At the request of many users with low vision, descriptive texts can now be read aloud even if a screen reader is not active on the device. This provides a hands-free way to access descriptions without additional software or settings.
- Image Saving and Sharing: Images taken with the app, along with AI-generated descriptive text, can now be permanently saved directly to your smartphone’s camera roll or shared with friends and family. Saved photos are excluded from a new 30-day auto-deletion data protection policy. Previously saved photos can also be unsaved and archived according to the 30-day limit. Shared photos remain saved indefinitely until you choose to unshare and remove them.
- Custom iOS Shortcuts: For Apple iOS users, the update introduces new shortcuts that allow quick access to Be My Eyes functionality. Users can use built-in phrases or create their own in the iOS Shortcuts app. For example, saying "Hey Siri, Read with Be My Eyes" will read text aloud from a document, while "Describe quickly with Be My Eyes" provides a brief description of an image.
User Data Management
- Since launching its groundbreaking Be My AI service—which interprets images taken by the user and provides detailed descriptions using advanced artificial intelligence—Be My Eyes has been storing images and their AI descriptions under strict data policy terms primarily for testing and product improvement. With Be My AI now officially out of beta, the update implements a formal data retention policy: all images and their AI descriptions will be stored for only 30 days before deletion unless the user opts to save specific images.
- Users now have more seamless control over their data through new settings options in an updated, simplified Settings Menu. For instance, users can easily opt out of the Be My Eyes AI training initiative, whereby video data (with personal information removed) is shared with AI vendors to train more inclusive and accessible models, with a simple switch in the app.
Final Thoughts
This Winter ‘25 update marks a significant milestone for the Be My Eyes app, offering enhanced performance and increased flexibility in data management. With improvements such as higher video resolution, automatic read aloud, and better data controls, this update promises a more refined and accessible experience for all users.
I hope you find this update as exciting and useful as I do. Stay tuned for more updates and feel free to share your feedback!
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