Navia is a touchable offline map for blind and low-vision people. Slide a finger across the screen and Navia speaks the street, shop, or place under your finger: its name, what it is, how far away it is, and directions as clock positions (for example, “2 o’clock, 40 meters”), following the way O&M training teaches. Sweeping around the map lets you build a mental picture of an area before you go there.
Main features
- Touch exploration of streets, house numbers, shops, bus stops, crossings, benches, and more. Points take priority over roads so smaller objects are easier to find.
- Aim at any point and get live distance and direction while walking toward it.
- Nearby list, search, and voice dictation to find places.
- Add your own points, rename places, save favourites, and filter announcements by category or keyword.
- Experimental on-device AI place recognition: film a place such as your front door for five seconds, then later point the camera to hear when you are facing it. Photos never leave the phone.
- Sound simulation: hear a 3D soundscape of any point, such as traffic, trams, parks, or water, with headphones.
- Works fully offline after downloading your area using OpenStreetMap data.
- Supports 47 languages, with no ads, no account, and no tracking.
Safety note: Navia is an extra aid only. Always use a cane, guide dog, or another safe mobility method first.
View on Google Play StoreFree or paid:
- Free
Accessibility and User Comments:
I am the developer. Navia was designed around TalkBack from the start rather than adapted afterwards. All buttons and controls are labelled and every dialog can be read with TalkBack.
The map itself is explored by touch: with TalkBack on, sliding a finger over the map speaks what is under it, and double-tap opens a menu of actions for that place (aim, hear its sounds, open in Google Maps, add to favourites). Voice dictation is available for search, adding points and renaming places.
For low vision there is an optional drawn map with a different marker shape per kind of place (not colour alone), street labels and a light/dark theme; it can turn itself off while TalkBack is running. Tested with Google TalkBack, including automated tests that run with real TalkBack enabled.
Known limitations: AI place recognition is experimental, needs a one-time ~240 MB model download and can miss a place; map quality depends on OpenStreetMap coverage in your area. Feedback is very welcome.
Last Tested App version and Android version:
Navia 1.1.12. Android 15
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