Self-Destruction à la Mission Impossible – The Disposable Audio Guide

At the beginning of every Mission Impossible episode, Tom Cruise receives a device with a voice message. After the message is played, the device self-destructs, rendering it unusable. A similar phenomenon has recently been observed in some museums with audio guides. As a visitor, you might buy, for example, a QR code for a smartphone audio guide for €5, and the next day (or the following week…) the code and audio guide no longer work. How annoying!

We receive inquiries about whether this is also the case with Hearonymus. Of course not! As a visitor, you should naturally be able to assume that a purchased (!) audio guide will still work perfectly even after years. Even if you replace your old smartphone with a new one, the audio guide must continue to function. You paid for it.

These disposable audio guides are also contradictory in light of the efforts to “open museums to everyone.” For years, museums have been considering how to attract new audiences (young people, locals, those from less educated backgrounds, etc.). An audio guide that a friend shows me or plays for me is great advertising and can spark interest in visiting a museum. The more people I reach with my guide, the better, because it’s advertising for a visit. Disposable audio guides are definitely the antithesis of openness, customer focus, and attracting new visitors.

Our guides, whether free or not, continue to work even after the initial visit. Hearonymus – your forever audio guide. Visitors appreciate it.