Hearing Buddy - Speech To Text

2026 Apple Design Award Finalist (Inclusivity)

Hearing Buddy — No One Should Have to Miss What Matters

A hearing buddy is the person in your life who helps you hear — patient, understanding, and always on your side. But your person can't be with you through every interaction. Hearing Buddy is your backup: reliable, supportive, and always there when your person can't be.

Built by someone living with a hearing disability, every feature was designed from lived experience — not market research.

UNLIMITED FREE LIVE CAPTIONS

Most captioning apps charge by the minute, turning an accessibility need into a metered service. Hearing Buddy offers unlimited live captions for free. Every word around you becomes clear text on your iPhone — accurate even in noisy rooms, with accents, and fast talkers.

Everything stays on your device. No cloud processing. Your conversations are nobody else's business.

A BUDDY THAT'S YOURS

Name your buddy. Choose a personality. Each one transforms the entire look and feel of the app while sharing the same core: warmth, patience, and zero judgment.

BUDDY BOOST

Buddy Boost turns any headphones — AirPods, Bluetooth, or wired — into a real-time sound amplifier. Up to +39 dB to lift quiet voices into focus, shaped to your hearing test from Apple Health.

BUDDY EVERYWHERE

Captions shouldn't live on a tiny screen in your hand. Stream Buddy's live captions from your iPhone to your Mac in meetings, or to Apple Vision Pro during conversations and presentations.

APPLE WATCH ALERTS

A tap on your wrist when it matters most. Get instant haptic alerts when someone says your name or asks you a question — no need to pull out your phone. Stay present in conversations instead of worrying about what you might have missed.

QUESTION ALERTS

Missing a question and having to ask someone to repeat themselves is one of the most exhausting parts of hearing loss. Question Alerts immediately surface what was asked, helping you respond in real time instead of enduring another "sorry, what did you say?"

NAME ALERTS

Waiting for your name at the pharmacy, coffee shop, or waiting room? The moment your name is spoken, Hearing Buddy catches it — notification on your iPhone, alert on your Lock Screen, and a tap on your Apple Watch. You'll never miss your name again.

CONVERSATION SUMMARIES

For longer meetings, conferences, and group conversations — catch what was said at a glance without reading every word. Your Buddy summarizes key points so you're never lost.

PERFECT FOR

• Restaurants and coffee shops
• Work meetings and conferences
• Medical appointments
• Family gatherings
• Classrooms and lectures
• Any conversation where you need support

FREE FEATURES

• Unlimited real-time captions
• Background listening
• Transcript history
• Copy and share transcripts
• Adjustable text size

BUDDY+ FEATURES

• Buddy personality customization
• Buddy Boost: Sound amplifier for any headphones
• Apple Watch name & question alerts
• Conversation summaries
• Question & name alerts on iPhone
• Live Activity & Widget support
• Buddy Everywhere — live captions on Mac and Apple Vision Pro

Hearing Buddy was recognized with RevenueCat's $10,000 Peace Prize for technology that drives positive social impact.

No one should have to miss what matters. Download Hearing Buddy and stop apologizing for how you hear.

Requires iOS 26.0+, watchOS 10.0+.

LANGUAGE SUPPORT Captions in 18 languages and regional variants: English (US, UK, Australia, Canada, India, Singapore), Spanish (Spain, Mexico, US), French (France, Canada), German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin (Mainland, Taiwan), and Cantonese (Mainland, Hong Kong).

Buddy+ Annual: $59.99/year Buddy+ Monthly: $9.99/month Buddy+ Weekly: $7.99/month

Terms: https://apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula Privacy: https://kragerlabs.com/privacy.html

Note: Hearing Buddy is a supportive tool, not a replacement for medical devices or professional medical advice.