OverView
Hold fn. Talk. Your Mac does the rest.
A voice assistant for people with low vision
OverView is a Mac app you talk to. Hold the fn key, say what you need, and let go. It reads your email and texts, the page under your camera, and the window in front of you. It finds your files, tells you who wrote, and helps you write back. There are no settings to learn: it answers in plain spoken sentences, and shows things in large, high-contrast print when you want to see them.
What you can say
- “Read me this email.”Word for word, or a short summary if you ask.
- “Did anyone text me today?”Who wrote, when, and whether it’s a text or an email.
- “Tell Anna I’ll be late.”It reads the reply back and sends only when you say so.
- “Text my daughter.”It finds people by name, or by who they are to you.
- “What’s under my camera?”A letter, a label, a bill: read aloud, with what matters first.
- “Save it and show it to me.”Keeps the page in your library and shows it in large print.
- “Find the letter from Medicare.”Searches your saved pages and your files.
- “Read this page.”Reads the web page, document or message you have open, in any app.
- “Add milk to my grocery list.”Finds and changes your Apple Notes, after you say yes.
- “Remember that Emma is my daughter.”It remembers what matters to you, and forgets when you ask.
Made for the way you work
Works from the first minute
No account and no keys to type. The first time it opens, OverView introduces itself and talks you through allowing the microphone, speech and camera, one step at a time. Say “what’s missing?” any time to hear what else can be set up.
One key, in any app
Hold fn wherever you are: in Mail, Safari, or a document. You never need the mouse or to read the screen. OverView says what it’s doing while it works, and asks before it sends anything.
Large print when you want to see it
Photos, PDFs, letters and saved pages open in a large-print viewer with high-contrast themes. Say “bigger”, “next page” or “invert the colors”.
A good neighbour to Zoom and VoiceOver
OverView is built to work alongside Zoom, Hover Text and large text. With VoiceOver running, it hands its announcements to VoiceOver instead of talking over it.
A camera for paper
Use the Mac’s own camera, an iPhone, or a document camera above the desk. OverView straightens the page, reads it, and pulls out amounts, dates and what you may need to do.
Personal details stay on your Mac
Phone numbers, email addresses and account numbers are swapped for placeholders before anything goes to the AI, and filled back in on your Mac. No ads, no tracking. How OverView handles your data.
Helping someone else
Setting it up for a parent or friend?
Install it, open it, and let OverView do the talking: it explains each permission and asks macOS for it, one at a time. When macOS shows a box, choose Allow. Some steps ask for Touch ID or the Mac’s password. After that, all they need is the fn key.
Clinicians and vision rehabilitation
Low-vision optometrists, occupational therapists and vision rehabilitation therapists: ask us about trial access for your clients and a large-print handout.
Organizations
Agencies, employers, universities and libraries: get in touch about access for the people you support.
Get the beta
OverView is in private beta and free during the beta, with AI included to get you started. It needs a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 26.4 or later. The built-in microphone works fine; a document camera is optional.
Email us your name and whether you’re trying it yourself, helping someone, a clinician, or with an organization. We’ll reply with a private, notarized download link, usually within a day.