Ear to Eye
Live captions that stay in one spot — a word or a short phrase at a time.
For people who read well but can't reliably follow speech, for example after a stroke, or with aphasia or an auditory processing disorder.
Now on the App Store- $2.99 once
- No in-app purchases
- No account
- We collect nothing
- Transcripts stay on your device
iPhone, iPad & Mac · iOS 17 or later
Example: a voicemail from a doctor's office, played on speaker.
The whole message
Hi, this is Maria calling from Doctor Patel's office.
I'm calling about your appointment on Tuesday.
The doctor has to move it, because of an emergency at the hospital.
We have an opening on Thursday at ten in the morning.
There is also one on Friday at two thirty.
Which day works better for you?
Here the words come in short phrases, at about 130 words a minute. In the app you choose the speed, one word or phrases, the text size and the font.
Who it's for
Some people read well but can't reliably follow speech. This can happen after a stroke, or with aphasia or an auditory processing disorder.
Captions that scroll ask for two jobs at once: read the words, and chase them across the screen. Ear to Eye puts every word in the same spot, so the only job left is reading.
How it works
Point it at the speech
Someone talking in the room, the TV, or a call on speaker on another device. Tap Listen.
Read in one spot
Words appear in the same spot as they are spoken. If the speaker gets ahead, the app catches up while they pause.
Read it again
The full text builds up below. Tap any sentence to see it again, or save the whole thing as a PDF.
What it looks like
Tap a picture to see it full size.
- $2.99 once
- No in-app purchases
- No account
- We collect nothing
- Transcripts stay on your device
iPhone, iPad & Mac · iOS 17 or later
What's in it
Words stay in one spot
Each word or phrase appears in the same place. Nothing scrolls, so your eyes can stay still. In One word mode, one letter of each word is marked and never moves, so you always know where to look.
Words or phrases
Show one word at a time, or a few words together. What feels easier differs from person to person, so you choose.
Easy to read your way
Set the speed, the text size and the font. Turn on Skip filler words to leave out “um” and “uh”. Reset to defaults goes back to the easy settings.
Paced to the speaker
Long words stay up a little longer, and there's a short rest at the end of each sentence. If the speaker gets ahead, the app catches up while they pause.
Tap to replay
Missed something? Tap any sentence in the transcript and it plays again in the same spot.
Save as a PDF
Save or share a whole conversation as a PDF in tidy paragraphs: a doctor's instructions, a family call, anything worth keeping.
Phone calls
iOS doesn't let any app hear a call on the same phone. Ear to Eye notices this and shows you how to use a second device, instead of just staying silent.
How it's different from scrolling captions
| Scrolling captions | Ear to Eye |
|---|---|
| The text moves up or across the screen, and your eyes follow it. | Every word or short phrase lands in the same spot. Your eyes stay still. |
| Text appears as fast as it is recognized. | Words are paced for reading, and catch up when the speaker pauses. |
| Missed a line? Scroll back and look for it, if you can. | Tap any sentence to see it again. |
| Captions are for the moment. | Save the whole conversation as a PDF, in paragraphs. |
Your iPhone's free, built-in Live Captions also captions speech around you, not just calls, and it's worth trying first. Ear to Eye is for people who find moving text hard to follow.
Why this works
Showing words one at a time in one spot is an old idea, called rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP). It got a bad name as a speed-reading trick. At 500 or more words a minute, people understand less, because they can't glance back.
Ear to Eye uses the same kind of display for a different job. Conversation runs at about 130 to 200 words a minute, far slower than speed reading. The point isn't speed. It's taking away the work of chasing moving text with your eyes.
The transcript gives back the chance to look back and re-read. And the words appear as they are spoken, so what you hear, even unclearly, and what you read arrive together.
Honest print: Ear to Eye is a communication aid, not a medical device, and makes no clinical claims. We're still learning, with real users, whether one word at a time helps or gets in the way for different readers. That's why one word or phrases is your choice, not ours.
If you caption a real call using a second device, treat it like recording: some US states require everyone on the call to agree.
Get it
Ear to Eye is on the App Store now. One app for iPhone, iPad (iOS 17 or later) and Mac (Apple silicon, macOS 14 or later).
- $2.99 once
- No in-app purchases
- No account
- We collect nothing
- Transcripts stay on your device
iPhone, iPad & Mac · iOS 17 or later
If you or someone you care for lives with aphasia or an auditory processing disorder, tell us how it works for you. Feedback from real use is the whole point.