Be my eyes now available on huawei’s HarmonyOS

San Francisco-based Be My Eyes announced on Monday the availability of its app on Huawei’s HarmonyOS. The move is touted as “significantly expanding access” to Blind and low vision people in China. Be My Eyes is downloadable from Huawei’s AppGallery.

“The initial release of the app brings the call-a-volunteer functionality to HarmonyOS, enabling blind and low vision users to connect with sighted volunteers through live video calls. The volunteers then provide real-time assistance with everyday tasks such as identifying products, reading labels, sorting items, and more,” Be My Eyes said in its press release. “The launch marks another important step in Be My Eyes’ underlying mission which is to make the world more accessible for people who are blind or have low vision, wherever they are, and whatever device or operating system they happen to use. With an estimated 17 million or more blind and low vision consumers living in China, this partnership brings Be My Eyes to a huge population of people who would otherwise have no access to it.”

The company said it has a “long-term plan” to bring Be My Eyes’ full functionality—including artificial intelligence—to HarmonyOS as time progresses, adding the initial launch is laser-focused on supporting “volunteer calling functionality—including private groups—allowing users to receive assistance from the community that has been at the heart of the service since its inception.” Moreover, Be My Eyes noted “additional features and enhancements will be evaluated for future releases.”

“Accessibility should not depend on which phone someone owns,” Mike Buckley, CEO of Be My Eyes, said in a statement for the announcement. “Our mission has always been to connect people who are blind or have low vision with assistance whenever and wherever they need it. By bringing Be My Eyes to HarmonyOS, we’re extending that mission to a new community of users and helping ensure that more people can access support on their terms.”

I don’t have much analysis about this news except to say given China’s population is 1.4 billion, it’s a big market for Buckley and team to tap. It’s estimated there are 83 million people with disabilities in the country, or 6% of the populace; it means there are a lot of Blind and low vision people to help. Be My Eyes clearly saw the opportunity for them.