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Upgraded Currency Reader App Launched by Bureau of Engraving and Printing

December 13, 2013

Release Date: December 13, 2013
Contact: Darlene Anderson
Darlene.Anderson@bep.gov
(202) 874-2229

A new version of the EyeNote™ mobile device application (app) that denominates U.S. currency was released by the Department of the Treasury’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) today, replacing the version originally launched in April 2011. The newer version is easier and quicker to operate because it uses a continuous scan function to identify the note, rather than requiring the user to take a picture.

EyeNote™ can be downloaded for free onto many Apple iPhone, iPad, and iPod products. It recognizes all Federal Reserve notes issued since 1996, including the new $100 note that began circulating in October, and communicates the denomination back to the user through an audible response (English or Spanish) or a vibration pulse mode for privacy. EyeNote™ was developed by BEP as an interim solution to increase accessibility to Federal Reserve notes among blind and visually impaired individuals while the U.S. government develops a system of raised tactile features to incorporate into future redesigned notes.

“The recent enhancements made to the EyeNote™ app make it an even more effective tool to assist people in denominating U.S. currency,” said Treasurer of the United States Rosie Rios. “It offers portability and speed, both requirements when used in a retail environment, and the convenience of not needing to carry around a separate reader by using one’s personal mobile device.” The EyeNote™ app has more than 14,000 downloads since the 2011 launch.

Users who downloaded the original version of EyeNote™ will automatically receive notification on their devices that an updated version of the app is available to download. Others can download the upgraded version for free through the Apple App Store℠ via iTunes®.

More information about EyeNote™ is available at www.eyenote.gov.