The digital age brings incredible tools for accessibility, but few feel as powerful or heart-warming as Be My Eyes. This free mobile app taps into the strength of community, connecting people who are blind or have low vision with sighted volunteers or company representatives through a live video link.
For users of voice-operated devices such as the RealSAM phone, this essential service integrates seamlessly, turning everyday tasks into simple voice commands.
The Magic of the Connection: An Overview
Be My Eyes operates as a global network of kindness and assistance, providing instant, human-powered visual support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Service User’s Request
When a user needs visual assistance – for example, to check a food expiry date, read a complex bank statement, identify an item of clothing’s colour, or find a dropped key – they open the app and initiate a call.
Finding a Volunteer
The system instantly sends the request out to thousands of registered sighted volunteers who speak the user’s language and are awake in a similar time zone. This means volunteers usually connect within seconds.
The Live Video Link
Once a volunteer answers, the service establishes a one-way live video connection. The volunteer sees what the user’s camera points at, while the user hears the volunteer’s spoken guidance.
Volunteers give real-time instructions such as ‘Move the camera slightly to the left,’ or provide information like ‘That milk expires tomorrow.’
Key Benefits of the Service
- Free and Unlimited: The service is entirely free; users receive unlimited access.
- Anonymous: Volunteers only see what the camera shows and hear the user’s voice, helping to maintain privacy.
- Global Support: With millions of volunteers across more than 180 languages, users find assistance worldwide.
- Specialised Help: Alongside volunteers, the Service Directory connects users directly with representatives from major companies (such as Google or Microsoft) for support with specific products.
Using Be My Eyes on a RealSAM Phone
One of the greatest advantages of the RealSAM phone is that its voice assistant pre-integrates Be My Eyes. You do not need to download or install anything, and you don’t need to navigate complex menus.
Here is the complete voice-activated guide for making your first call:
Step 1: Ensure You Have an Internet Connection
Be My Eyes requires an active internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile data).
To check your connection, press the Talk button (the large button on the touchscreen), wait for the tone, and say: ‘Network status’. RealSAM confirms your Wi-Fi or mobile data connection.
Step 2: Start the Service with Your Voice
The RealSAM interface responds naturally to spoken commands.
- Press the Talk button.
- Wait for the tone.
- Say: ‘Be My Eyes’.
Step 3: Complete First-Time Setup (If Needed)
The first time you use the service, RealSAM will guide you through registration with Be My Eyes. This takes about five minutes.
RealSAM will read out the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. When it prompts you, press Talk, wait for the tone, and say ‘I agree’ or ‘Yes’.
Step 4: Connect to a Volunteer
When setup is completed, RealSAM will automatically place the call.
The phone will ring while it searches for a volunteer. Once someone answers, you’re immediately connected.
Step 5: Begin Your Task
With the volunteer connected, simply describe what you need help with:
- ‘Can you tell me which tin is the peas?’
- ‘I’ve dropped my keys; can you guide me?’
- ‘What colour is the shirt I’m holding?’
The volunteer sees whatever the camera points at and guides you through the task.
Step 6: End the Call
When you finish, end the call just as you would normally.
Press the End Call button (this may be the power button or a dedicated end-call button, depending on your RealSAM model).
RealSAM makes accessing this vital support service as simple as possible, ensuring that visual assistance is always immediate and stress-free.
