Lookout - Assisted vision

Google LLC

About this app

Lookout uses computer vision and generative AI to assist people with low vision or blindness get things done faster and more easily. Using your phone's camera, Lookout makes it easier to get more information about the world around you and do daily tasks more efficiently like reading text & documents, sorting mail, putting away groceries, and more.
Built in collaboration with the blind and low-vision community, Lookout supports Google's mission to make the world's information universally accessible to everyone.
Lookout offers seven modes:
• Text: Scan text and hear it read aloud while doing things like sorting mail and reading signs, using Text mode.
• Documents: Capture a whole page of text or handwriting using Documents mode. Available in over 30 languages.
• Explore: Identify objects, people, and text in surroundings using Explore mode.
• Currency: Identify banknotes quickly and reliably using Currency mode, with support for US Dollars, Euros, and Indian Rupees.
• Food labels: Identify packaged foods by their label or barcodes using Food labels mode. Available in over 20 countries.
• Find: Scan surroundings to find objects like doors, bathrooms, cups, vehicles, and more using Find mode. Find mode can also tell you the direction and distance to the object, depending on device capabilities.
• Images: Capture, describe, and ask questions about an image using Images mode. Image descriptions in English only. Image Question & Answer in US, UK, and Canada only.
Lookout is available in more than 30 languages, and runs on devices with Android 6 and above. Devices with 2GB or more RAM are recommended.
Learn more about Lookout in the Help Center:
https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/9031274

Ratings and reviews

I usually find these kind of apps not very practical. But Google Lookout is really something else. I especially love how it guides you to take an image of a document. Doesn't matter how good of an OCR an app is, if a blind person isn't able to take a good image of the text, the app is useless. But Google Lookout has solved this problem beautifully. I hope you'll add more languages to the app and provide the feature to share the image we take in the Read Document section with other apps. Thank you very much for all your efforts.

I have just recently installed this app on my Samsung Galaxy s9. however, so far, this app is extremely good, and very accurate! I would say about 90 to 95percent accurate identifying room objects around. however, it is important to remember that environmental lighting in the room or environment where you are is important for this app. if the camera cannot pick it up well, or does not have good lighting, accuracy will decrease.

Recent update is HORRIBLE. The old version was really helpful with some fixable flaws. The new version is HORRIBLE and a huge downgrade. No consideration has been provided in making it easy for blind person to navigate the app. The old version had an easy to use and intuitive (and a "talking") interface. This has all been thrown away. What a disappointment! (Note to designers: Blindfold yourself and try to use the app. If this isn't easy to do-then you have failed!) Any way to rollback?

What's new

• Capture photos in Images mode for AI-powered descriptions, available globally in English. Try Image Question & Answer, available in US, UK & Canada.
• Find nearby objects like doors, bathrooms, and cups using Find mode.
• Get improved text accuracy in Text, Documents, and Images mode.