Automatic Callouts

What is it?

Soundscape can tell you about things around you as you approach them by calling out their name from the direction they are located in. The app will do this automatically for all sorts of things like businesses, bus stops, and even intersections. You can configure what the app automatically calls out in the Manage Callouts section of the Settings screen, and you can turn all callouts off when you want the app to be silent.

When would I use it?

Exploring a new area :

Turn automatic callouts on and walk around to hear about all of the different stores, restaurants, and the like as you pass them.

Walking to a specific location :

When you are on your way to a particular location, automatic callouts for intersections can be particularly useful. Intersection callouts tell you about the layout of intersections as you approach them, and confirm the road you are on when you leave them.

When you need silence :

When you are about to cross a road or just need the app to be quiet, you can turn callouts off. When callouts are off, the app will only tell you information if you manually tap one of the My Location, Nearby Markers, Around Me, or Ahead of Me buttons.

How does it work?

Turning callouts on or off :

Turning callouts off will silence the app. Callouts can be turned off in the Manage Callouts section of the Settings screen by setting Callout Detail to Silent, and turned back on by choosing any other level. On iPhone you can do the same by asking Siri, and on Android the same will work through Gemini once Google releases support for it. You can also make Soundscape quieter a step at a time with the media control buttons on your headphones: each press of previous moves down through Detailed, Simplified, Essential and Silent, and one more press goes back to Detailed. See the Using Media Controls help topic. Alternatively, you can use the Sleep button in the top-right corner of the home screen to stop Soundscape from making callouts until you wake it up.

Managing which callouts you hear :

To choose the types of things Soundscape will automatically call out, go to the Settings screen using the menu on the Home screen. The Manage Callouts section of the Settings screen is where you choose how much the app says with Callout Detail, whether it calls out Streets and Junctions, and which Places to Call Out. If you wish to turn off all callouts, set Callout Detail to Silent.