Microsoft’s Seeing AI will now be available to Android smartphone users

Microsoft developed SeeingAI back in 2017 with an aim to help the visually impaired have a better sense of their surroundings. However, the app that was only restricted to iPhone users has now been made available on the Google Play store for Android smartphone users as well. That said, if you’re wondering how it works or are new to the announcement, we’re here to simplify it for you. Here’s all you need to know about it:

Microsoft Seeing AI: How does the app work?

Seeing AI helps users identify surroundings, read text out loud, and describe facial expressions, currency or brightness. The app, which uses advanced computer vision and machine learning, was brought forth to help the visually impaired navigate better through their day-to-day lives.

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The user interface is simple to use and only requires users to point their camera to the object. The app describes what it sees to the user by scanning the object thoroughly. It processes any information it finds, including text, barcode and details on the packaging that could especially prove helpful for those who are purchasing medication. Additionally, it can describe scenes, such as a man walking his dog, to the user, and can also summarise an article for them. Seeing AI is built to carry out tasks without internet connectivity.

What's new with Microsoft Seeing AI?

Microsoft introduced the app for Android, considering that there are three billion users around the world. It also used feedback from existing users to build and develop features for Seeing AI. According to Microsoft, Seeing AI now also provides an image description when tapped on the more info icon. Users can move their fingers across the screen to learn more about the other objects and their locations. Apart from this, they can now import new pictures on the app.

The app was reintroduced to Android users on International Day of Disabilities (December 3) and is now available to users in a whopping 18 different languages. These include Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian Bokmal, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish. However, Microsoft plans to take this up a notch by expanding it to 36 languages in the coming year.