# Autour

> Eyes-free spatial audio system for blind users to perceive surroundings. (iPhone/iPad app by The Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning (McGill University).)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/autour/id887476373 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [The Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning (McGill University)](https://appshunter.io/developer/510358412)
- Category: Navigation, Lifestyle
- Price: Free
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 4 App Store ratings · 5 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 8.0 · 8 MB
- Languages: American English, French (France)
- Released: 2014-08-10
- Data updated: 2026-06-01
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/autour/id887476373/reviews.md

## What is Autour?

Autour is an eyes-free mobile system designed to give blind users a better sense of their surroundings. Although other systems emphasize navigation from one specific location to another, typically accomplished by explicit turn-by-turn instructions, Autour uses spatialized audio to reveal the kind of information that visual cues such as neon signs provide to sighted users. Once users notice a point of interest, additional details are available on demand.

For a demonstration video please visit our website at : http://autour.mcgill.ca/en/

Requires iPhone 4S or later.

## Key features

- Eyes-free environmental awareness
- Spatialized audio for points of interest
- On-demand detailed information
- Alternative to turn-by-turn navigation

## Recent user reviews (5 of 5)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/autour/id887476373/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Awesome app.

*2020-02-02*

awesome app. keep up the good work.

### 1/5 — Dommage

*2019-11-30, version 1.7.1*

Je  trouve ça dommage que cette Application ne fonctionne pas  dans la ville de Joliette
L’application Démarre   et ensuite après quelques information Arrête de fonctionner

### 5/5 — merci beaucoup ..

*2018-04-20*

Tout d'abord: je tiens à vous remercier pour votre excellente application qui aide les aveugles à naviguer dans le Secrétariat Général. 2. Pouvez-vous ajouter de l'arabe à cette application? .. Honnêtement Tana: Personnellement: j'ai essayé cette application dans la rue, j'ai découvert qu'elle est très excellente, mais ne contient pas la langue arabe comme je vous l'ai dit au début .. acceptez-moi, mes meilleures salutations et merci encore :)

### 5/5 — Great app and super responsive app support

*2016-12-01*

It was s a great app and everyone should use it.

### 5/5 — Félicitations!

*2016-07-31, version 1.6.4*

Vous pouvez être fier de l'application que vous avez conçu pour les non-voyants.

## Frequently asked questions about Autour

### What devices does Autour support?

Autour is designed to work on iPhone 4S or later, as well as iPod devices. It requires iOS 7.0 or later for optimal performance.

### How does Autour differ from standard navigation apps?

Unlike apps that provide explicit turn-by-turn directions, Autour uses spatialized audio to reveal ambient information about your surroundings, similar to how visual cues help sighted users.

### Is Autour free to use?

Yes, Autour is completely free to download and use. It does not have any in-app purchases or advertisements.

### How often is Autour updated?

The latest version, 1.8.0, was released on December 7, 2019. While updates may not be frequent, the app is stable and functional for its intended purpose.

### What is the age rating for Autour?

Autour has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for users of all ages. The app's focus on accessibility is beneficial for a wide range of individuals.

### Where can I see a demonstration of Autour?

You can find a demonstration video for Autour on the developer's website at http://autour.mcgill.ca/en/. This will provide a visual overview of its spatial audio features.

### What kind of information does Autour provide?

Autour provides information about points of interest in your surroundings through spatialized audio. Users can request additional details on demand.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.8.0 — 2019-12-07

Removed support for Google Places. Replaced Google Geocoding by LocationIQ geocoding for saying "you are standing at" in status. Maximum distance increased from 70 to 300 metres. OSM (alias OpenStreetMap) was the source of intersections, park shapes and large building shapes, but now it can also be used as a regular Place Data Source instead of FourSquare. Name of current mode is restated when you exit the main menu. The place menu now tells you the category of the place and, if you chose OSM Places, it can also tell you the website, the phone number and the opening hours if OSM has them, and Autour can dial the number or open the website. Screen sizes of the iPhone X models are now supported.

Bugfixes : Plugging stereo headphones after Autour was launched in mono mode now switches to stereo mode without restarting the app. Maximum radius of location error increased from 35 to 70 metres because iPhone 7 and later report much higher values than earlier phones. Intersection rendering is now always enabled, independently of whether the 'Services' category is selected. Fixed problem in which some devices continued rendering locations from the tutorial location after the tutorial was complete. Also fixed problem from iOS 13+ that prevented users from re-entering a given menu until restarting the app, and another iOS 13+ problem that froze the app if the menu was exited by swiping the page down.

### 1.7.1 — 2018-04-20

Place Menu wasn't pausing a Shockwave sweep. VoiceOver no longer says "selected" for the last menu item previously clicked. Menus now display correctly on wide screens such as iPhone 6 (with no effect on VoiceOver). Fixed a crash related to the detector for low battery, which was introduced in the last release and didn't affect iPhones older than 4S. Added a way to control the maximum number of places spoken per sweep, which was 15 and now can be increased up to 50. Help for Maximum Distance setting was very outdated, sorry. Lots more info was added about ICADE game pads in the instructions manual (and some more text in the settings menu).

### 1.7.0 — 2018-01-25

Autour can now be remote-controlled using ICADE game pads ! This works on both the main screen and for menu navigation, if the game pad has at least the four arrows plus the main four buttons. Go see 2 new settings about this in the settings menu, and consult instructions manual in the About menu. There is also a new menu called "Menu for this place", which lists actions that are relative to the last spoken place. You get it by swiping down from the main screen and it offers to go to Google Maps and Apple Plans, just as in the Other menu, except in this case it asks for directions to the specified place (even though the place is very close, it still helps some users). The setting for choosing upside-down use (neck pouch) now has an option so that tilting the phone is no longer used for switching modes (instead you can switch modes from the main menu or using a game pad button). A new setting allows to start sweeping or beaming as soon as you switch modes. History now sets cursor correctly when going forward past the end. Multiple-choice settings now say directly what is the current setting (instead of having to go back inside the chooser).

Meanwhile, on the server, a hundred more public transportation agencies were added. Those have been available since last summer, in all previous versions of the app.

### 1.6.8 — 2016-11-30

Corrected crash when abridging bus stop texts while using English language. Beam mode history no longer resets at every tick. Added setting for replacing metres by yards or feet. Place details (history) now tells you the address of a place if Google or Foursquare has it. GPS latency is improved. Foursquare ratings are now used for prioritising, partially. Meanwhile, on the server, a transmission problem for part of the accented characters has been corrected.

### 1.6.7 — 2016-11-05

Corrected freeze in tutorial that happened only on iOS 10. Now you are allowed to select French as the app's language when your phone's language is not French. Now you are allowed to select a different language for reading place names than for the rest of the text. Very long bus stop texts are no longer spoken unless you go hear details in history. Added headphone button interface. Summary of what's around you scans the whole circle instead of depending on the direction you are facing. Slightly reduced the startup time of the app.

Meanwhile, on the server, 490 new transportation agencies from around the world were just added on top of the 42 canadian agencies available until now. This covers much of USA and Europe. Agencies may vary heavily by how they name lines and directions, and so, we cannot guarantee that every bus stop text will make sense and will be as concise as it can.

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## More apps by The Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning (McGill University)

- [McGill App](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mcgill-app/id909542418)
- [McGill MIPC](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mcgill-mipc/id1584051092)
- [McGill Student Travel Registry](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mcgill-student-travel-registry/id1615766680)
- [McGill Rideshare](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mcgill-rideshare/id6462700764)

All apps by The Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning (McGill University): https://appshunter.io/developer/510358412

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-01.*