Audio Beacon

What is it?

Setting a beacon on a nearby location allows Soundscape to keep you informed by playing an audible beacon sound coming from the direction of that location. This beacon can be muted or unmuted on the home screen. Additionally, Soundscape displays information about the location on the home screen including the distance to it and its street address if it is known.

When would I use it?

Setting a beacon is useful when you want to keep track of a familiar landmark as you explore a new area or when you are going somewhere and want to be informed about your surroundings along the way. The beacon feature does not give you turn-by-turn directions, but it does give you a continuous audible sound that tells you the direction to the beacon, relative to where you are currently located. Using the audio beacon, your existing wayfinding skills, and even your favorite navigation app, you can choose how you want to get to nearby locations yourself.

How does it work?

To set a beacon :

First, view the details for a location by either using the search bar to search for a place, or tapping one of the “Places Nearby”, “Saved Markers”, or “Current Location” buttons and selecting a location. From the location details screen you can select the “Start Audio Beacon” button. Tapping this will return you to the home screen and turn on an audible beacon coming from the direction of the place you selected. The name of the place you have selected along with its distance and physical address, if available, will now be displayed on the main app screen.

To remove the current beacon :

Simply press the “Stop Beacon” button on the home screen.

To mute the audible beacon :

Tap the “Mute Beacon” button next to the “Stop Beacon” button on the home screen.