The network of sighted volunteers are available 24 hours a day to get you the information you're looking for or assist you in solving a task. The volunteers come from all over the world and speak more than 185 languages, so you can always get assistance in a language you speak fast and efficiently.
Things to Remember:
- Available 24/7 - There are over 3.5 million volunteers globally. They are friendly and generous, and have signed up because they want to be available to lend you their sight – so you should never worry about disturbing anyone. We send your call request to multiple volunteers at a time to ensure that you get in touch with someone as quickly and efficiently as possible. If a volunteer is busy when they receive a call, the Be My Eyes app will find the next available volunteer and connect you to them right away.
- Anonymous - Be My Eyes is completely anonymous for both you and the volunteer. No information is passed in to the other party, so you can use Be My Eyes safely, knowing that the volunteer will only get the information you choose to share with them.
- Free - Visual assistance shouldn't cost a thing, and downloading and using Be My Eyes is completely free. On top of that, there are no ads, so you don't need to worry about them affecting your experience.
- Unlimited - There is no limit to how often you can request assistance.
- More than 185 languages - The Be My Eyes volunteers speak more than 185 languages. So, no matter what language you speak, you can always get connected to a volunteer speaking the same language.
Making a call step-by-step
Initiate a call
Pres the button 'Call a Volunteer' or select a company or organisation in the Service Directory to make a call. You can also initiate a call using Siri or Google Assistant.
Ringing
After initiating a call, you'll hear a melodious ringing, meaning we are connecting you to an available volunteer or company representative. This might take 15-30 seconds.
Connected
You will not be connected to a volunteer or company representative that can help answer your question or solve the problem. When you're done, press the 'End Call' button to hang up.
Call rating
After ending your call, you will be prompted to rate your call. If you didn't experience any problems om your call, please select 'Good'. If you had any form of problem, whether it be technical or personal, you can report it by pressing 'Problems'.
If you experience any abusive behaviour, it's important that you report it after the call, so we can make sure that Be My Eyes is a safe community. We handle all abuse reports with close attention. Users who break our Terms of Use will be blocked from the Be My Eyes Community. Check out Reporting Another User for more information.
Who Are the Sighted Volunteers?
We are often asked who the volunteers in the Be My Eyes community are, and why so many people have signed up to help. To give you an idea, we want to introduce you to a few of them. With some luck, one of these people might even be at the other end of your next Be My Eyes call.
Meet Shawn
Shawn is a Professor at a university in Seattle, and started volunteering with Be My Eyes years ago. He feels especially connected to Be My Eyes because of a family member.
“I wish I would get more calls, because I really love helping people out this way. I had an aunt who lost her vision due to macular degeneration as a result of diabetes. She was always game to try new assistive technologies. She passed away before I discovered Be My Eyes, but she loved her iPhone and would have loved the app. Every time I help somebody I think of how happy she would have been to have a tool like this. I’ve helped people sort greetings cards, clothes and read the label on a bottle of wine. And every time it made my day.”
Say hello to Danielle
Danielle finally got her first call, and she decided to share the feeling of her maiden call with the Be My Eyes Team. She had a powerful reaction:
“I didn’t expect to cry for my first phone call helping someone who truly needed it. She was so sweet and had shown just how truly amazing this app is. Getting to help someone step by step making sure they got what they needed done was an honor. I’m so glad there are thousands of volunteers. But when you finally get that first phone call you can realize just how much of a blessing this app can be.”
Be My Eyes volunteers are located all over the world and they speak more than 185 different languages. They are mothers, grandfathers, lawyers, dancers, firemen, young, old - all different, but they have one thing in common: they signed up to lend you their sight, whenever you need it.
Tips for a Successful Call
The volunteers are happy to assist you with anything you need. You can also help out the volunteer by making sure the call runs as smoothly as possible. Here are a few tips for a successful call:
- Greet the volunteer (only state your name if you wish).
- Relax and speak clearly in case the call quality is poor.
- Give the volunteer some context for the task so that they are better equipped to help.
- Try your best to point your camera at the subject of your call, but ask the volunteer to confirm whether or not they can see it clearly, and move the camera as necessary.
- Follow the directions given by the volunteer, so they are clearly able to see what you need them to.
- Please thank the volunteer for taking time out of their day to connect with you.
You don’t have to worry about disturbing anyone when you decide to make a call with Be My Eyes. They have signed up because they genuinely want to help, and they'll only answer your call if they're available. In many cases, your call will make a volunteer’s day. Remember that there is no limit to how often you can request assistance.
What can I ask for help with?
The volunteers can help you out with pretty much anything you need sighted assistance with - nothing is too big or too small. If you need some inspiration of how to use Be My Eyes, check out our 100 ways of using Be My Eyes. Please be aware that there are certain ways that you can't use Be My Eyes according to our Terms of Use. You can get more information about how you can and cannot use Be My Eyes in our Community Guidelines.