NaviLens

NaviLens is an app that uses colourful, scannable codes to help people who are visually impaired navigate unfamiliar environments, or to give them more information about their surroundings. These codes are called NaviLens codes – they look like brightly coloured QR codes. You can search for and scan NaviLens codes through the NaviLens app.

NaviLens is available on Android and Apple devices and is free to download.  

How does NaviLens work?

NaviLens codes are scanned, using your phone camera, via the NaviLens app. Once scanned, the code can tell you information about a product, place, or provide directions. NaviLens is unique in several ways. For example:

• The app can read codes from up to 12 times further away than a standard QR code.
• It has wide-angle reading abilities, so you don’t need to be directly in front of a code, or have your phone camera angled straight at it, for the app to detect it.
• The app can read codes in all light conditions.
• You’ll receive information in written and audio format, but you can choose whether you hear a long version or a short version - you can change your preferences in the app’s settings.

NaviLens has a few different functions designed to help you find the code you’re looking for and to navigate to that code, if that’s your goal.

How NaviLens can help you

NaviLens can support your independence and day-to-day life in several ways. For example, the codes are useful for:

• Identifying products in the supermarket and getting more information about that product. For example, the code could list the ingredients or provide usage instructions.
• Identifying objects at home (when you print your own codes, which are specific to your own device.)
• Accessing information about an artifact in a museum.
• Locating platforms, gates, and stops on public transport.
• Finding out how often certain buses and trains run with real-time updates.
• Finding your way around a room; NaviLens codes are directional, so the app will inform you whether the code is to your left or right.

Where can you find NaviLens codes?

In the UK, you might find NaviLens codes on some products in supermarkets, at museums and cultural attractions, and in some public transport hubs such as Belfast Grand Central Station and Wolverhampton Bus Station.  

How to download NaviLens

You can download NaviLens for free from your device’s app store – for iPhone users this is called the App Store, for Android users this is the Google Play Store. The app’s icon has a white background and features a cartoon eyeball taking a step forward, and there’s a rainbow outline around the cartoon. 

Safety considerations when using NaviLens 

• Always be aware of your surroundings when using NaviLens, particularly when using the app in public places.
• NaviLens uses “NaviLens Anti QRising Protection” to detect if a QR code has been manipulated by a scammer. If a code has been tampered with, this protective technology prevents the code being read by your device. Despite this safety feature, you should always exercise caution when using your phone online. 

How to set up your own NaviLens codes 

1. After you’ve requested your own codes, you’ll be sent an email with 500 codes for you to print at home.
2. The codes come in different sizes. You can print all but one size on regular A4 paper, but for the other size, you’ll need to purchase the adhesive paper recommended by NaviLens.
3. To add information to your own code, attach the code in place then use the Personal Note option in the app to add the text you need.
4. You can change what’s written in the Personal Note option within the app, so the codes are reusable.

Apps and devices that are similar to NaviLens

• WayAround: The WayAround app can read information from WayTags, which work in a similar way to NaviLens codes. However, you need to be much closer to the WayTag to get the information.
• PenFriend: PenFriend can also be used for audio labelling, but it doesn’t use an app or phone – PenFriend is its own hand-held device.

If you need more information on audio or tactile labels have a look at our 'Tactile labels and markers page'.

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Technically reviewed by: Jamie Bruce, Vision Rehabilitation Specialist, on 28/04/2025

Guide Dogs is committed to integrating technology into our service delivery and promoting excellence in accessibility and usability. Our staff undergo comprehensive training in technology and accessibility in collaboration with industry leaders like Apple. We foster knowledge of technology and create content through our Technology Champions, comprising Vision Rehabilitation Specialists and Habilitation Specialists. We review this content periodically to ensure that it is up to date and includes new features and changes with operating systems. We work with our partners to ensure accessibility is at the centre of the design. To find out more, there is more information in our accessibility policy.

Whilst Guide Dogs may be able to suggest various third-party websites and third-party applications which may be able to assist you, those are not endorsed by Guide Dogs. Guide Dogs have no control over those third parties and cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of information and support they can provide or the suitability and quality of any products or services they provide.