Sonic Motion vs Hear the Light
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sonic Motion
Read full descriptionHide full description
Sonic Motion is an app that converts the values from the accelerometer, gravity, and rotation sensors into sound in real time. It plays sounds with a soft or hard tone depending on whether the sensor values are positive or negative. Select the motion of the X, Y, or Z axis and experience movement as sound!
Hear the Light
This app transforms light into sound, enabling users to "hear" brightness and locate light sources. It's designed for individuals with vision loss, offering features like color recognition and vibration feedback.
- Light to sound conversion
- Detects small indicator lights
- Fast response time
- Vibration feedback
- Color recognition
- Adjustable sensitivity
- VoiceOver accessibility
Read full descriptionHide full description
Hear the Light turns light into sound, so you can "hear" where brightness is around you. It was designed from the ground up for people with vision loss. Point your device's back camera in any direction and listen to a tone that rises as the light gets stronger. This makes it easy to find a window, check whether a lamp is on, or tell if a device has an indicator light lit. What makes it stand out: It detects even very small device lights — such as the LED on a router, a TV on standby, or a charger. Of all the apps of this kind we have tested, it is the only one that reliably picks them up. For very faint lights, the room should be dark so they stand out from any other lighting. Extremely fast response: the tone changes instantly as you move the device, noticeably faster than other similar apps. Features: Vibration feedback with variable intensity, independent of sound: use sound, vibration, or both together. Ideal if you have trouble hearing. (Vibration requires an iPhone.) Colour recognition: hear the basic colour of a small light, for example red, green or blue. It is a helpful guide, with best results in a dark room, close to the light. Two sound modes: continuous tone or pulses. Three sensitivity levels, affecting both the sound and the vibration. Light intensity shown in lux (estimate), spoken aloud with a single tap. Built-in user guide. Fully accessible with VoiceOver. Two languages, Greek and English, adapting automatically to your device's language. Privacy first: It does not collect any personal data. No internet connection required. No advertising, no tracking. The camera is used only to measure light — it does not take or store photos. Note: the lux reading and the colour recognition are estimates based on the device's camera and may not always be exact.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Hear the Light at every 3 days against Sonic Motion's every 15 months. Sonic Motion's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Sonic Motion ships an update every 15 months, Hear the Light every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sonic Motion | Hear the Light |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 4.5 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 15 months | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yoshiyuki Koyanagi | Stelios Platsis |
In-app purchases
Sonic Motion
No in-app purchases
Hear the Light
No in-app purchases









