In development
I'm blind, and walking somewhere new has always meant wrestling with maps that weren't built for me. callmaps is the one I always wanted: it speaks what's around you, calls out intersections, and guides you with a beacon, all through VoiceOver. We're building it now, and I'd love you to try it.
One trip, three apps
If you get around by ear like I do, you know how it goes. Every trip I end up juggling three apps: one that walks me reasonably well, one with the best places and reviews, and one for public transit. Microsoft Soundscape got my surroundings right with spatial audio, but it's gone, and it never did turn-by-turn or transit anyway. callmaps brings walking, surroundings, and transit into one place, built for audio from the start.
What callmaps does
Ambient callouts as you walk
It speaks the places and landmarks around you while you move, so you build a picture of the street without stopping to check a screen.
Intersections, described
It announces each intersection and the streets leading off it, using the field-tested heuristics that Microsoft Soundscape proved.
Clear turn-by-turn cues
Directions use a compass and a clock face, so "your turn is at two o'clock" tells you exactly which way to head.
Explore by turning in place
Rotate on the spot and hear what you're facing, a quick way to get your bearings before you set off.
A beacon that guides you
Set a destination and follow an audio beacon, with a haptic nudge when you line up with it.
Search places and categories
Find nearby places by category with fuzzy search, or search across the map area you've loaded.
Transit stops and live departures
Find stops and stations, the right metro exit, and real-time departures, so walking and public transit fit together.
Works anywhere, richer where enabled
callmaps works globally in a base mode and gets progressively richer region by region as we enable more detail.
How we're building it
Audio first, visual second
I built it to work fully by ear first. Every feature has a complete audio experience before any visual one, and the screen is there for companions and low-vision users, not as the main way in.
Your location stays yours
Where I go is sensitive data, and so is where you go. callmaps is built to keep your location off external services whenever there's a self-hosted alternative.
Open data underneath
callmaps is built on OpenStreetMap and open public transit data.
Be among the first to try callmaps
Leave your email and where you are. I'll let you know when there's something to try near you, and seeing where people sign up from helps us decide which city to work on next.