Seeing AI's new update offers ‘more detailed' image descriptions

Microsoft’s Seeing AI app for the blind and the visually-impaired folks is getting a useful new feature.  An update to the iOS version of the app allows users to “explore photos by touch,” according to Microsoft. 

Seeing AI app, which was first announced in 2017, essentially uses AI to describe what’s in a photo for the blind and low vision users. And now, with the new update, image descriptions got a lot more detailed. Users can touch on a photo with their fingers to hear a description of a particular object within an image.

The app offered a similar feature called the ‘live camera view’ that provided users with descriptions of the objects physically present in front of them instead of just in an image. However, using the new feature, users can explore photos stored on the phone, photos on social media, and more.

Previous major updates to the software added features like color-recognition, identification of bank notes in four currencies, a light detector, and handwriting recognition. In addition to these, the app offers native iPad support for an even better Seeing AI experience with the larger display.

Finally, the app will also offer improvements to channels feature, allowing users to “customize the order in which channels are shown, enabling easier access to favorite features,” Microsoft wrote. “We’ve also made it easier to access the face recognition function while on the Person channel, by relocating the feature directly on the main screen.”