Black Lens

lackLens is an accessible camera app built for blind, low-vision, and fully sighted people who want better selfies without needing to see the screen. Designed by legally blind founder Steve Johnson, BlackLens uses face detection, spoken feedback, haptics, high-contrast visuals, and automatic capture to help you frame photos confidently — whether you are using VoiceOver, shooting outdoors in bright sunlight, wearing sunglasses, doing sport, or taking a higher-quality selfie with the rear camera. ◆ AutoCapture BlackLens can automatically take a photo when faces are detected, framed, and steady. No tiny shutter button. No guessing. Just hold the camera and let the app guide the shot. ◆ Headcount Taking a group photo? Turn on Headcount, choose how many faces you expect, and BlackLens helps make sure everyone is in frame before capture. ◆ Missile Lock When AutoCapture is off, Missile Lock gives you an audio lock-on cue. A tracking tone helps you frame the shot, then a lock tone tells you when you are ready to tap or press volume to capture. ◆ Haptic Framing Feel what the camera sees. • Gentle vibration means a face is near the edge • Stronger feedback means someone may be cut off • No vibration means the framing is improving This makes it easier to angle the phone without needing to inspect the screen. ◆ Mask Mode Mask Mode turns the screen into a bold, high-contrast framing surface. It is useful for low vision, bright sunlight, rear-camera selfies, and situations where the display is hard to see. Faces appear as clear visual targets: • Green means face detected • Red means locked and ready ◆ VoiceOver-Friendly Controls When VoiceOver is active, BlackLens provides dedicated accessible controls for key actions like switching cameras and toggling Mask Mode. Headcount can be adjusted with a simple VoiceOver swipe up or down. ◆ Simple Gestures • Tap anywhere to capture manually • Swipe up or down to switch cameras • Swipe left or right to toggle Mask Mode • Press a volume button to capture ◆ Better Rear-Camera Selfies Use the higher-quality rear camera with confidence. BlackLens gives spoken, haptic, and visual feedback so you can frame yourself even when you cannot see the display. ◆ Private and Simple No accounts. No subscriptions. No tracking. Just a focused camera tool designed to help more people take better photos.

Version 3.0 adds Headcount for group photos, improved VoiceOver navigation, better burst-mode announcements, refined Mask Mode guidance, Missile Lock promotion, and silent camera-quality improvements for sharper face capture.

Developer

Steven Johnson

Main Category

Photo & Video

Version

3.0

Version Release

2026-06-02

Initial Release

2025-11-19

Size

1 MB

Age Rating

4+

Price

USD 1.99

Languages

EN

Bundle ID

app.bitrig.stevenjohnson.blacklens

Version Rating

★ 5.00 (5)

First Seen

2026-07-01

Metadata updated 2026-07-01

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