by American Printing House for the Blind
Nearby Explorer is developed and maintained by the American Printing House for the Blind (APH), the world's largest nonprofit organisation dedicated to people who are visually impaired, operating since 1858. APH distributes the app free of charge as part of its mission to provide accessible tools to the blind and low-vision community. Both a full offline version and a free online-only version (Nearby Explorer Online) are available for iOS and Android.
The app announces the user's current street address and nearest intersection as they move, and provides turn-by-turn guidance in pedestrian and vehicle modes after the user enters a destination or selects a nearby point of interest. Unlike mainstream GPS apps, Nearby Explorer presents all information as spoken text and screen-reader-navigable lists rather than a visual map, so users with no functional vision can operate it entirely by touch and audio. Users can customise which categories of environmental information are announced — street names, cross-streets, nearby businesses, transit stops — and save favourite locations.
Nearby Explorer is built specifically for people who are blind or have low vision and rely on screen readers for smartphone access. It is widely used by orientation and mobility instructors, their students, and independent travellers who need a navigation app that requires no visual interaction.
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