Oko Navigation App Temporarily Pulled from Canada, But Set to Return Soon!

If you’re a blind or low-vision traveler who relies on the Oko app, you may have noticed something frustrating recently—it’s disappeared from the App Store in Canada! But don’t worry, this isn’t a permanent goodbye.

For those unfamiliar, Oko is an app that helps blind pedestrians navigate intersections by using AI to detect and interpret pedestrian signals. It’s been a handy tool for many, except in Quebec, where it’s been unavailable due to unique challenges with pedestrian signals.

But recently, Oko made the decision to pull the app from all of Canada—not just Quebec. Why? Well, the team wanted to avoid confusion as they introduced a new subscription model. They didn’t want users to start paying for the app, only to later discover that it wasn’t available in their region.

In a statement to Double Tap, Michael Janssen from Ayes who make the app, said: “Oko was always blocked in the state of Quebec due to issues with pedestrian signs over there, all the rest of Canada did have access to Oko. With the introduction of the subscription in Oko, we didn’t want to have people start paying and then get a message that Oko isn’t available in Quebec. Our team is changing that so we can bring Oko back to Canada except for Quebec.”

Understandably, this move raised concerns in the blind and low-vision community. Users took to forums like AppleVis, questioning why the app had disappeared without much warning. But there’s good news: Oko has told Double Tap that this is only temporary!

Their team is already working on bringing Oko back to Canada, with the exception of Quebec. In fact, they’re hoping to have it available as soon as next week.

Michael Janssen told Double Tap: “We hope to get it shipped somewhere next week!”

So, if you’ve been missing Oko, hang tight—it should be making its way back to the App Store very soon! And, of course, we’ll keep you updated here on Double Tap.