Akshi: Indoor Guide

Akshi — "eye" in Sanskrit — is an indoor guide for people who are blind or have low vision. It speaks where you are in the places you know, and on iPhones with LiDAR it warns you about steps and obstacles ahead. Akshi supplements your cane or guide dog; it does not replace them.

STEP AND OBSTACLE WARNINGS (iPhone models with LiDAR)
• Beeps as the edge of a step approaches, then says "Step down" or "Step up" just before you reach it.
• A separate, lower beep for obstacles that speeds up as you get closer.
• "Proceed" when it sees clear floor ahead, so silence is never mistaken for a clear path.
• Works immediately — no setup, no markers, no internet.
• If the camera stops (a call, the phone locking), Akshi says "Guidance stopped. Use your cane."

TALKING MARKERS FOR YOUR OWN PLACES
• Add a place — home, office, a relative's house — and name its landmarks: doorways, rooms, the front door.
• Tag hazards such as a step down, a step up or stairs. Hazard markers interrupt whatever is being said and play a warning tone first.
• Print the markers from the app on any printer and tape each one about a stride before its spot. Akshi speaks the landmark as you walk past.
• Set up as many places as you like and switch between them.
• A family member or friend can build a place on their phone and share it with you.

DESIGNED FOR NON-VISUAL USE
• Large, high-contrast controls at the top of the screen, clear of a stick-mounted phone holder.
• Full VoiceOver support.
• "Where am I?" repeats the last marker — assign it to the Action button.
• Choose speech, tones and vibration, and the speaking rate. Step warnings always play.
• Works with a single-ear or bone-conduction earpiece.

PRIVATE BY DESIGN
Everything runs on your iPhone. Akshi has no account, no ads, no analytics and makes no internet connections. Camera images never leave the device.

IMPORTANT
Akshi is an extra warning, not a mobility aid or medical device. It can miss steps, obstacles or markers — in poor light, on shiny or dark floors, or when the phone is aimed wrongly. Keep using your cane, guide dog and the people around you, and never rely on Akshi in an emergency. For indoor use only.

Step and obstacle detection requires an iPhone with LiDAR (iPhone 12 Pro and later Pro models). Markers work on any supported iPhone.