About NoteTell

NoteTell is a bill identifier app designed specifically for blind and visually impaired users.

Our belief

At NoteTell, we believe everyone should be able to identify their own money. We built NoteTell so that blind and visually impaired people can do it on their own.

Why it matters

Who it’s for

Around the world, 43 million people are blind, and 295 million more have moderate or severe vision impairment. People who are blind or have low vision can find it difficult to identify banknotes when running a business or paying with cash.

Technology that works the way you do

As Apple puts it, “Technology is most powerful when it empowers everyone.” With VoiceOver built in, iPhone is accessible right out of the box. But on its own, it can’t tell you what a banknote is worth. NoteTell can.

Why cash is hard to identify

Many banknotes don’t have an embossed tactile feature to assist the visually impaired community. Even where notes do have these marks, they can be hard to feel. Therefore, a visually impaired person struggles to use money independently, run a business, or pay for everyday goods. They have to rely on other people, or carry a plastic template to measure the length of each note to work out its value.

Our research

We researched the existing tools for identifying money. Most read only a few currencies, and some charge a subscription. So we started building NoteTell Money Reader, an affordable app, with the goal of supporting every currency in the world.

NoteTell identifies banknotes using machine learning models trained specifically for that purpose. We developed them using hundreds of thousands of images of real banknotes, captured in a wide range of lighting conditions. We continually improve our money-reading technology and work with the visually impaired community to discuss new features and improvements.

Meet NoteTell

Today, the mobile phone is an essential assistive device for many visually impaired people. We developed NoteTell Money Reader, an app that reads a banknote’s value when you point your iPhone’s camera at it. NoteTell tells you the value by voice or with a vibration pattern, so it’s also useful for deaf-blind people. It works offline, on your iPhone.

NoteTell reads a growing list of currencies. It’s a faster and more reliable assistive tool than the plastic template. Every visually impaired person with an iPhone can use it in daily life or while traveling.

Get involved

Ask for your currency. Tell us which currency you need. Every request helps decide what NoteTell reads next.

Questions? Email us at support@notetell.com.

Get NoteTell Money Reader