Soundscape comes to Android – Skilled Volunteers Double the Reach of Life-Enhancing Tech
When a groundbreaking corporate research project concludes, its technology often vanishes. But a unique collaboration between skilled volunteers from a UK non-profit and an accessibility-focussed tech podcast has created a blueprint for how life-enhancing software can be preserved and scaled for public good.
Today, The Scottish Tech Army and Double Tap—the international show “where blind people talk tech”—announce the global launch of Soundscape for Android. The deployment marks the latest milestone in a remarkable technical relay race that began when Microsoft Research decided to sunset its highly effective spatial audio navigation code for Soundscape, but made the code open-sourceand later provided the Scottish Tech Army with funding to help secure its future.
Until now, Soundscape—which uses 3D spatial audio cues to "paint" a 360-degree acoustic map of the environment for blind and partially sighted travellers—was an iOS-exclusive tool. By engineering a completely new backend framework to bring the platform to Android, the work of a small group of skilled volunteers could double the app's potential reach. Android commands a 67% share of the global mobile operating system market, making this launch a vital milestone in increasing the reach and impact of this life-enhancing tech. [1]
Crucially, the software remains completely non-commercial and 100% free at the point of use, with no download fees, subscription paywalls, or data harvesting.
"Microsoft created something extraordinary with Soundscape, and their decision to open-source the code was an opportunity we had to seize," says Kirsty McIntosh, Executive Director of the Scottish Tech Army. "We launched Soundscape for iOS in 2023 with the support of the Thomas Pocklington Trust, and I’m delighted that this group of committed volunteers decided to pick up the baton and develop the Android version. The app already has tens of thousands of users internationally, and it’s only right that visually impaired Android users can access it too."
Instead of issuing rigid, turn-by-turn spoken commands, Soundscape enriches ambient awareness. It announces landmarks, points of interest, and custom audio beacons in real-time, allowing users to build an intuitive mental model of their surroundings and travel with genuine autonomy.
"For our listeners, Soundscape is a vital piece of daily mobility infrastructure," says Steven Scott, co-host of Double Tap, which is acting as a key sponsor and community champion for the launch. "Technology moves incredibly fast, which often causes anxiety for disabled users who fear losing the tools they rely on. This partnership proves that community-led innovation, backed with corporate stewardship, can guarantee longer-term continuity."
With 2.2 billion people globally living with visual impairment, the Android launch of Soundscape could more than double its reach and impact.[2] "This project is a masterclass in technology stewardship," adds skilled volunteer Dave Craig, who has been leading the team’s work on Soundscape. "We took enterprise-grade code born inside a global tech giant’s research lab and kept it alive thanks to the time and expertise of skilled volunteers. And now we’re expanding it to the global majority who use Android. It proves that, in an effective tech for good ecosystem, we can successfully run and scale elite tech assets for social impact and public good."
The Soundscape app is available on iOS and launches globally on the Google Play Store on 3rd June 2026. For exclusive interviews with volunteers or Soundscape users, reach out to The Scottish Tech Army.
Soundscape Android can be downloaded from the Google Play Store here.
Media Contacts
Scottish Tech Army – kirsty@scottishtecharmy.org
Double Tap Productions – media@doubletaponair.com
Sources
[1] https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/mobile/worldwide
[2] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/blindness-and-visual-impairment
