# BiangBiang Hanzi — Hanzi to Pinyin Converter

> Chinese character to Pinyin converter and translator with OCR. (iPhone/iPad app by christian visintin.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/biangbiang-hanzi/id6754869174 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [christian visintin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1850649712)
- Category: Education, Utilities
- Price: $4.99
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 26.0 · 1 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2025-11-05
- Data updated: 2026-08-31
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/biangbiang-hanzi/id6754869174/reviews.md

## What is BiangBiang Hanzi?

BiangBiang Hanzi turns any Chinese character into Pinyin in one tap, and translates text into your language. Point your camera at a menu, sign, or book. Get instant readings with tone marks.

Supports Mandarin (Simplified and Traditional) and Cantonese (Jyutping).

Features

- Hanzi to Pinyin and Jyutping conversion in real time
- Translate Chinese into many languages
- OCR from live camera or photos
- Simplified and Traditional Chinese
- Mandarin and Cantonese pronunciation
- History to revisit past conversions
- 100% on-device. No account, no tracking, no data collection.

Perfect for

- Chinese learners improving reading and pronunciation
- Travellers in China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan
- Anyone curious about Chinese characters

Built natively for iOS using Apple's Vision and Translation frameworks.

## Key features

- Hanzi to Pinyin/Jyutping conversion
- Real-time camera OCR
- Text translation
- Mandarin & Cantonese support
- Simplified & Traditional Chinese
- On-device processing

## Recent user reviews (1 of 1)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/biangbiang-hanzi/id6754869174/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Disappointed

*2026-08-26*

Expecting a lot from this app. But unfortunately it doesn’t live up to the hype. I bought this to be able to order in restaurants, but it is not practical for this purpose. First it won’t work on vertical text, which renders it useless, not only for most displayed menus, but for a lot of signage when travelling. Also when it does work it fills the screen, obscuring the image behind it, making it impossible to know which item you are reading. So as an app purporting to help people reproduce the language in pinyin, I’m not sure how useful it is - certainly not useful for the purpose I bought it for. And with no free trial, I am out of money before I found out that it was useless. I can’t think of many other purposes that aren’t already easily possible in apps like google translate. Can I get my money back?

## Frequently asked questions about BiangBiang Hanzi

### What languages does BiangBiang Hanzi support for Pinyin conversion?

BiangBiang Hanzi supports Mandarin (Simplified and Traditional) and Cantonese (Jyutping) for Pinyin conversion, providing accurate tone marks for each.

### Can BiangBiang Hanzi translate Chinese text into other languages?

Yes, BiangBiang Hanzi can translate Chinese text into many other languages, making it a versatile tool for communication and understanding.

### How does BiangBiang Hanzi perform OCR?

BiangBiang Hanzi utilizes OCR technology from live camera feeds or existing photos to instantly recognize and convert Chinese characters to Pinyin.

### Does BiangBiang Hanzi require an internet connection or account?

No, BiangBiang Hanzi is 100% on-device, meaning it does not require an internet connection, an account, or involve any tracking or data collection.

### What is the price of BiangBiang Hanzi?

BiangBiang Hanzi is available for a one-time purchase of $4.99.

### On which devices can I use BiangBiang Hanzi?

BiangBiang Hanzi is built natively for iOS and is supported on both iPhone and iPad devices.

### How often is BiangBiang Hanzi updated?

The latest version of BiangBiang Hanzi is 0.5.2, and it was last updated on August 24, 2026, indicating regular maintenance and improvements.

### What is the age rating for BiangBiang Hanzi?

BiangBiang Hanzi has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users interested in learning Chinese.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 0.5.2 — 2026-08-24

- add translation support for Cantonese using traditional Chinese (Mandarin). Works fine as a workaround until iOS supports Cantonese translations natively

### 0.5.0 — 2026-05-19

• History: Save Hanzi entries and revisit them anytime. Tap to expand, switch between original and transliterated text, and play audio. Swipe to delete or clear all.
• Audio playback: Listen to any Hanzi text in Mandarin or Cantonese pronunciation.
• Save from the Text tab or long-press an OCR result to add it to your History.

Plus performance improvements and refinements throughout the app.

### 0.4.0 — 2026-05-10

- Added Cantonese support:
  - New `JyutpingDictionary` backed by a bundled `cantonese.json` generated from the Unihan `kCantonese` field.
  - `TextProcessor` gains a `.cantonese` mode that romanizes Hanzi to Jyutping.
  - Settings expose a "Cantonese" Chinese variant; text mode swaps the "Pinyin" header for "Jyutping", disables the translation language picker and hides the translation section since the Apple Translation API does not support Cantonese.
- Added a setting to dismiss the keyboard automatically when typing Hanzi on the home tab.
- Camera: configure the `AVCaptureSession` once at startup and only start/stop it on tab switch, removing the visible reconfiguration delay when returning to the camera tab.

### 0.3.1 — 2026-05-06

- Modernized the SwiftUI codebase to iOS 17+ patterns:
  - Migrated state from `ObservableObject` / `@Published` / `@StateObject` to `@Observable` + `@State` + `@Environment`.
  - Replaced `NavigationView` with `NavigationStack` and switched the tab bar to the iOS 17 `Tab` API with an enum-typed selection.
  - Replaced `MagnificationGesture`, `foregroundColor`, `cornerRadius` and `UIImpactFeedbackGenerator` with `MagnifyGesture`, `foregroundStyle`, `clipShape(.rect(...))` and `sensoryFeedback`.
  - Replaced Combine `debounce` and `DispatchQueue.asyncAfter` with cancellable `Task` + `Task.sleep`.
- Camera view polish:
  - Split into dedicated `CameraPermissionView`, `CameraLiveView`, `RecognizedTextOverlay` and `CopyToast` views.
  - Added a `ContentUnavailableView`-based permission screen with a deep link into Settings.
- Text view polish:
  - Replaced the read-only `TextEditor` with a `Text`-based `ReadOnlyTextBox` and switched the Hanzi input to `TextField(axis: .vertical)`.
- Added a shared `AppDesign` enum with spacing, corner radii, animation durations and tap target constants used across views.
- Fixed OCR overlays on gallery and captured photos rendering at the wrong size and position by mapping Vision's normalized box onto the displayed image's aspect-fit rect and passing the image orientation to the Vision request.

### 0.3.0 — 2026-05-03

- Camera controls: Pinch-to-zoom and 1x/2x/5x preset buttons in the camera view, with automatic lens switching on devices with multiple back cameras (triple/dual)

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## More apps by christian visintin

- [BiangBiang Kana](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/biangbiang-kana/id6770998277)
- [BiangBiang Hangul](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/biangbiang-hangul/id6782341879)

All apps by christian visintin: https://appshunter.io/developer/1850649712

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-31.*