Enhance Your Hearing with the Best Free Deaf Apps in 2022

Enhance Your Hearing with the Best Free Deaf Apps in 2022

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. SoundPrint: Find a Quiet Place app
   • How it works
   • Features and benefits
   • Pros and cons
3. Tunity
   • Streaming audio from live television
   • How it works
   • Pros and cons
4. AVA Transcribed Voice to Text app
   • Live transcription of conversations
   • Solo mode and group mode
   • Subscription plans
   • Pros and cons
5. Chatable Hear Better in Noise
   • Enhancing speech understanding in noisy environments
   • Modes and usage
   • Pros and cons
6. RogerVoice
   • Live closed Captions for phone calls
   • Transcription and note-taking features
   • Subscription plans and features
   • Pros and cons
7. Conclusion
8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

SoundPrint: Find a Quiet Place app

In this section, we'll explore the first app on our list, SoundPrint: Find a Quiet Place. This cleverly named app is designed to help identify quiet venues such as restaurants, bars, or coffee shops. It utilizes the GPS on your phone to locate nearby places and categorizes them Based on their noise levels. By using crowdsourced data, SoundPrint offers real-time information on the loudness of various venues, allowing users to find quiet places to have conversations or enjoy a peaceful environment. This app can significantly improve the quality of life for individuals with hearing loss by helping them find environments where they can hear more easily.

How it works: To use SoundPrint, simply open the app and press the search function. It will use your phone's GPS to identify venues in your vicinity. The app ranks these venues into four categories: quiet, moderate, loud, and very loud. Users can contribute to the crowdsource database by clicking on the soundcheck button in a particular venue. This measures the background noise volume, which is then tagged with the location for others to see. The app also provides data on noise levels based on the hour, allowing users to identify peak noise periods. SoundPrint even allows you to search noise levels in specific cities, making it easier to find quiet venues in a particular location.

Features and benefits:

• Locates quiet venues near your location
• Ranks venues based on noise levels
• Provides real-time crowdsourced data
• Helps users find peaceful environments
• Available for free on iOS and Android

Pros:

• Easy to use and navigate
• Offers a wide range of venues to choose from
• Provides valuable information on noise levels
• Helps users plan their activities in quieter settings

Cons:

• Relies on crowdsourced data, which may not always be accurate
• Availability of quiet venues may vary depending on the location

Tunity

In this section, we'll explore Tunity, another app that can greatly assist individuals with hearing loss. Tunity allows users to stream the audio from live television programs directly to their headphones, speakers, or hearing aids. This app is particularly useful in situations where the TV volume is muted or when there is excessive background noise that hinders hearing the sound from the television.

How it works: To utilize Tunity, simply point your smartphone camera at the television screen and scan it with the app. Using machine learning, Tunity quickly identifies the channel you're watching and synchronizes the audio with your chosen audio output device. This app is designed to work when you're out and about, but it can also replace TV streaming equipment at home, provided you're watching live television. It is important to note that Tunity only works with live TV and does not support recorded content.

Pros:

• Streams TV audio directly to headphones, speakers, or hearing aids
• Easy to connect and set up
• Helps individuals with hearing loss enjoy television programming without disturbing others
• Enhances the listening experience in noisy environments

Cons:

• Limited functionality with recorded content
• Requires a strong internet connection
• May experience a short delay in synchronization

Ava Transcribed Voice to Text app

In this section, we'll explore the Ava Transcribed Voice to Text app, which offers live transcription services to individuals with hearing loss. This app provides ongoing closed captions in real-time, helping users understand conversations and fill in any missed keywords within sentences. Ava stands out among other transcription apps due to its accuracy, ability to transcribe group conversations, and features for phone calls and voice messages.

Live transcription of conversations: Ava can be used in two modes. In the "solo mode," the app transcribes the speech of a single speaker when the phone is placed in front of them. This allows the user to follow conversations more easily, even in noisy environments. In the "group mode," multiple users with the Ava app can connect to a session by scanning a QR code or using a link. Each user places their phone in front of them, and the app transcribes their individual voices, color-coding them based on the person speaking.

Subscription plans: Ava offers different subscription plans to cater to users' needs. The free plan provides 90% accuracy and unlimited live captions for up to 40-minute long sessions. The "community plan" costs $120 per year or $14.99 per month and includes three hours of premium captions with 95% accuracy. Additional premium transcription hours can be purchased for $4.99 per hour. The community plan also offers language translation features in 16 different languages.

Pros:

• Provides live closed captions for conversations in real-time
• Works in both solo and group modes
• Allows recordings of conversations for future reference
• Offers various subscription plans to meet different needs
• Provides accurate transcriptions, even in noisy environments

Cons:

• Requires a solid internet connection for optimal performance
• Some limitations in locations where the service can be used

Chatable Hear Better in Noise

In this section, we'll explore Chatable Hear Better in Noise, an app designed to enhance speech understanding in noisy environments. This app utilizes deep learning AI to identify the voice of the person speaking and Create a new audio signal that removes background sounds. By streaming the cleaned-up speech signal directly to headphones or hearing aids, Chatable aims to improve speech intelligibility for individuals with hearing loss.

Enhancing speech understanding in noisy environments: Chatable offers two modes: conversation mode and TV mode. In conversation mode, the app functions as a remote control by using your phone's microphone to pick up the voice of the person you want to hear. The app then streams the person's voice directly to your headphones or hearing aids. For TV mode, simply place your phone next to the TV speaker, and the app will stream the TV's audio signal to your ears.

Pros:

• Improves speech understanding in noisy environments
• Offers modes for both conversations and TV viewing
• Removes background sounds for a cleaner speech signal
• Easy to set up and use with compatible headphones or hearing aids

Cons:

• May cause the occlusion effect, making it feel like your ears are blocked
• Robotic element in the voices being streamed
• Slight delay in audio transmission

RogerVoice

In this section, we'll explore RogerVoice, an app that provides live closed captions for phone calls. This app revolutionizes telephone communication for individuals with hearing loss, offering real-time transcriptions during phone conversations. By holding your phone in front of you, the RogerVoice app transcribes the conversation's text, allowing you to Read instead of relying solely on listening. RogerVoice supports over 80 different languages and offers several subscription plans to meet users' needs.

Live closed captions for phone calls: To utilize RogerVoice, simply call your contacts through the app, and the conversation will be transcribed in real-time on your screen. You can reply by speaking, or if you prefer typing, the app's voice synthesizer will convey your messages to the listener. RogerVoice also allows you to save call transcriptions for future reference or note-taking purposes.

Subscription plans and features: RogerVoice offers a free version that enables unlimited calls to other app users. For calls to non-app users, subscription plans are required to cover the cost of calls. The "one-hour plan" costs $5.99 per month and allows calls to both landlines and cell phones for up to one hour per month. The "unlimited plan" costs $29.99 per month and provides unlimited calls to landlines and cell phones, with up to 2 hours per month. RogerVoice also offers a Roger number service, allowing incoming calls to be directed to the app instead of your phone.

Pros:

• Provides live closed captions during phone calls
• Supports over 80 different languages
• Allows recording and saving of call transcriptions
• Offers intuitive controls for adjusting text size and microphone settings

Cons:

• Solid internet connection required for optimal performance
• Limited call duration for free and lower-tier subscription plans

Conclusion

In this article, we have explored five remarkable apps that can greatly assist individuals with hearing loss in their daily lives. From finding quiet venues to streaming audio from live television, providing live transcription during conversations, enhancing speech understanding in noisy environments, and offering live closed captions for phone calls, these apps offer a range of features to enhance communication and accessibility. Each app has its unique strengths and limitations, so it's important to consider personal preferences and needs when selecting the most suitable app. Whether You're looking for quieter environments, better television viewing experiences, or improved phone communication, these apps can significantly improve the quality of life for individuals with hearing loss.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Are these apps available for both iOS and Android devices?

   • Yes, all the apps Mentioned in this article are available for both iOS and Android devices.

2. Can I use these apps without hearing aids or headphones?

   • Yes, while using headphones or compatible hearing aids can enhance the experience, these apps can still be utilized without them.

3. Are these apps free to use?

   • Some of the apps mentioned offer free versions with limited features, while others provide subscription plans with additional benefits. Make sure to check the details of each app to determine the pricing structure.

4. Can these apps replace hearing aids?

   • These apps are not meant to replace hearing aids. They are designed to supplement and enhance the listening experience for individuals with hearing loss.

5. Are these apps available worldwide?

   • Availability may vary depending on the app and region. Some apps may have limitations in certain locations.

6. How accurate are the transcriptions provided by these apps?

   • While the accuracy of transcriptions may vary, the apps mentioned in this article have been developed to provide reliable and accurate transcriptions in real-time.

7. Can I save and retrieve transcriptions for future reference?

   • Yes, most of these apps allow you to save and retrieve transcriptions for future reference or note-taking purposes.

8. Can I use these apps during phone calls with people who don't have the same app?

   • Some apps allow you to make calls to non-app users, while others require both parties to have the app installed. Check the details of each app to understand their calling capabilities.