News

Amsaan Accessible Tours Launches New Website And App

The pioneering inclusive travel company hopes to revolutionize tourism for Deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors to the United Arab Emirates.

Published

1 year ago

November 6, 2023

Nour Nasir

amsaan accessible tours launches new website and app

Amsaan Accessible Tours (AAT), an inclusive UAE tourism company for Deaf and hard-of-hearing travelers, has launched a new website and mobile app designed to revolutionize travel for the 1.5 billion individuals globally who experience hearing impairment.

Deaf tourists frequently encounter language barriers and limited communication when booking trips or traveling overseas, and the new Amsaan Accessible Tours website aims to fix this with a user-friendly interface fully adapted for sign language. The site serves as a platform to book tours and connect with sign language-fluent AAT staff, and offers videos in British and International sign language, allowing Deaf users to access travel information more easily.

After booking a tour, tourists can use a deaf-friendly mobile app for on-the-go assistance. Travelers can use the app to initiate direct messages for sign language support and access sign language interpreters via video, ensuring effective communication in various situations. The app also facilitates easy connection with guides and tour information and features an accessibility map highlighting restaurants, souvenir shops, and more.

Vitalii Potapchuk, Co-founder of Amsaan Project, commented: “Accessibility and inclusivity are not mere buzzwords, but the very foundation of Amsaan Accessible Tours. To promote the UAE as one of the top 10 global tourist destinations, we have meticulously designed the Amsaan Tours website and mobile app to ensure that Deaf travelers can plan, book, and savor their journeys without encountering any communication barriers”.

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Meanwhile, Majed Al Bloushi, Relationship Manager at AAT, said: “Being an Emirati and a Deaf employee at AAT, I am proud to be part of an organization breaking down barriers and making the UAE a truly inclusive travel destination. This collaboration showcases our commitment to making tourism accessible to everyone, including Deaf travelers, and it’s a step toward making the UAE more diverse and inclusive”.

For more information, visit the Amsaan Accessible Tours website or download the Amsaan Tours mobile application on iOS and Android.

News

Truecaller For iPhone Gets Real-Time Caller ID And Auto Spam Blocking

The latest update integrates with Apple’s Live Caller ID Lookup framework, launched with iOS 18 last year.

Published

2 hours ago

January 23, 2025

Nour Nasir

Truecaller

Truecaller has rolled out a major update for iPhone users, introducing API support that brings real-time caller identification and automatic spam blocking. The upgrade aims to bring the iOS version of the app closer to its Android counterpart, which has long offered these advanced call-screening features.

The latest update integrates with Apple’s Live Caller ID Lookup framework, launched with iOS 18 last year. The technology allows third-party apps to cross-check incoming calls against a database of known spam numbers in real-time. Importantly, the process employs “homomorphic encryption,” ensuring user privacy by masking the caller’s number, concealing the client’s IP address, and using anonymous authentication.

With this update, Truecaller has also introduced global automatic spam call blocking for iPhones. However, the real-time caller ID feature is being released gradually and is available only to Truecaller Premium subscribers on iPhones running iOS 18.2 or later. Free users will still have access to ad-supported features, such as manual number searches and caller identification for verified businesses.

How To Enable The New Features

To activate the new features, follow these steps:

Update the Truecaller app to version 14.0 or newer via the App Store.
Go to Settings > Apps > Phone > Call Blocking & Identification on your iPhone.
Turn on all Truecaller toggles, then restart the app.

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While these features are new to iOS, Truecaller has hinted at this update for months. Following Apple’s iOS 18 update and the introduction of its Live Caller ID API last September, Truecaller Co-founder Alan Mamedi shared his excitement on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “Truecaller finally works on iPhone”.

The global rollout of spam call blocking is already live, but users may need to wait for gradual access to the live caller ID feature.