The Beam

Point at a place.
Discover what’s there.

The Beam reveals content in the direction you’re curious about. Tap for the nearest result ahead, double-tap to look around, or press and hold to extend your reach.

See it in the app Request app access

Espy / The Beam

Aim, then Beam

One button.
Three gestures.

Hold your phone up and point its top edge towards what you are curious about. A steady hand gives the best results.

Tap. Find what’s ahead.

Point towards a place and tap for the nearest result in that direction.

Double-tap. Look around.

Discover content in all directions around you.

Hold. Reach farther.

Press and hold to extend the Beam, then release to collect results.

The Espy Beam on the Discovery map. Click to enlarge.

Results connected to the places you explore. Click to enlarge.

How discovery works

The shape changes
how a veacon is found.

Body-only and geofence-only veacons

A body-only veacon, with no signal, is found only with the Beam and never sends arrival notifications. A geofence-only veacon, with no body, cannot be found with the Beam; it reaches you through notifications when you enter its zone.

If the Beam finds nothing

Try aiming elsewhere or holding to reach farther, and check the categories you follow. There may simply be no matching content nearby. Available reach and result limits depend on your account configuration.

With “3D spatial discovery” turned on in the app Settings and altitude information available on your device, the Beam works in real 3D: it follows your phone’s upward or downward tilt (pitch), as well as its compass direction (yaw). A veacon may be there, but 50 metres higher—point your device up to discover it.

Discovery without pointing

Opt into proactive discovery for the topics you follow. You can mute a category, unsubscribe, or turn proactive discovery off when you prefer on-demand exploration.

Keep exploring