Contact Microsoft Soundscape Support

by Hafík

The idea of sound navigation aid is ingenious. However, this app comes short in almost every aspect of its implementation. The app is not functional without a network connection. No way to download regions for offline navigation. The app can't even determine your location when you're offline. The app is not able to navigate along a previously recorded route. It can only navigate to a single point -beacon. There is neither a way to automatically navigate along a string of predefined beacons. Markers are great, however, you never know how close you need to be to a given market to hear about its proximity. For some markers you really want to be close, for others, you just may want to know that they are near.
The app claims to be mostly for people with impaired vision. It doesn't have to be. It could be used to navigate in dense forests, in the dark, in the fog or snow storm. Sound navigation clearly has much larger potential. Actually, one has to wonder if this kind of sound navigation is not severely limiting audio stream a person with reduced vision needs to proced in order to stay safe in a busy city environment. The constant sound distraction coming from this app could prevent its user from, let's say hearing a incoming car when crossing a street. What is also very frustrating is that there is nobody listening to user feedback. Well. That's a normal large corporation way.

by MuxaLuxa

Testing out for a visually-impaired loved one. Concept is amazing and very exciting, but still has a ways to go. Often too slow/late on announcing intersections in downtown Manhattan, which is disappointing as this is the most appealing feature of the app for navigation. Would be nice to be able to further categorize callouts. Biggest request: Please please please enable audio ducking or some kind of volume control for the voice! VIP like listening to music etc while walking just like the rest of us, and it’s not currently possible with extreme volume difference between voice and most music. Also, PLEASE consider pairing with or implementing Bose AR support in the near future (Bose Frames, etc)—with that increased spatial accuracy, this could be an amazing pairing!

by Lyra M. T.

I am visually impaired and thought I’d try out this app. It’s a great concept but here are some problems I’ve noticed. First, I tried using it at an outdoor shopping outlet, but Soundscape wouldn’t recognize individual stores within the outlet and would only direct me to the outlet itself and the shops on the very outside of it. Another issue I had was with malls. I used it at my local mall and it cannot pinpoint the stores within the mall. I tried to set my own beacon in a specific store, but the app doesn’t work in a multi-level building. I was on the second floor and the app didn’t recognize that and didn’t direct me to stairs. As a visually impaired person, I know that navigating through a mall can be difficult and this app isn’t much help.