# Bridgy: Face-to-Face Talk — Handwriting & Speech to Text > Handwriting & Speech to Text (iPhone/iPad app by AKIO NISHIYAMA.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bridgy-face-to-face-talk/id6757919531 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [AKIO NISHIYAMA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1869609743) - Category: Lifestyle, Utilities - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 18.6 · 5 MB - Languages: American English, Japanese - Released: 2026-02-05 - Data updated: 2026-10-28 ## What is Bridgy? An all-in-one communication app. Just place one iPad or iPhone between two people. Use handwriting, speech-to-text, translation, games, brain training, and drawing to support face-to-face conversation between two people. 1. Talk by writing • Sit face to face with someone who has difficulty hearing, and write on the screen with your finger or a pen. • Just speak to your iPhone or iPad, and your words appear as text on the screen. • You can also type on the keyboard. Register phrases in advance to display long messages with just a few keystrokes. 2. Speech to text • Speak to your iPad or iPhone, and your voice is converted to text on the screen. • Choose the text color and font. • Faster, smoother, and more enjoyable than writing on paper or on a whiteboard with a marker. 3. Screen controls and features • Split-screen (top and bottom) or full-screen display. Full screen shows large text even on small devices, making it easier for people with low vision. • Screen lock can be turned on or off. Turning it on keeps the screen from suddenly going dark. If you will not be talking for a long time, turn it off to save battery. • Enlarge and move the text on the screen with two fingers. • Use the slider in the bottom menu to change the text size. Tap the slider to switch it to line thickness. • Text adjusts to the screen size when you rotate between landscape and portrait. • Scroll back to see text that has moved off the screen. It also works as a memo, for example for a room number at a hotel front desk. • If speech is misrecognized, press and hold the microphone within 3.5 seconds to cancel it. • After 3.5 seconds of silence, the conversation so far is converted to text. • Text scrolls upward one line after another. • Tap the eraser to erase lines. • Tap the trash can to clear all lines and text at once. 4. Face-to-face conversation in foreign languages • Speak to your iPhone or iPad, and it translates into another language. • Supports English, French, Spanish, Italian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Japanese. • Double-tap the microphone to switch between listening to the other person and to yourself. • Translated sentences can be read aloud. • Translated text can be shown in a different color from the original text. • Once you download the language data in advance, real-time translation works without an internet connection, even where there is no signal. 5. Two-player games • Tic-Tac-Toe, Gomoku (Five in a Row), and Reversi. • Play face to face, or play against the AI. The AI has three strength levels. 6. Fun brain training • Memory Match (Concentration) and Reverse Rock-Paper-Scissors (where you play after your opponent), and more games that get you thinking. 7. Draw together • Two people can draw on one screen, facing each other. • Draw freely with your finger or a pen. 8. Photos to spark conversation and smiles • Show photos of pets, trips, family, scenery, and memories, or videos shot with the camera. • Look at photos together and share your memories. • Enlarge a photo with two fingers. Lines or speech-to-text drawn over a photo never change the photo itself. 9. Read text with the camera or from photos • Read text on signs, menus, and manuals with the camera, or from photos. • Trace over the areas you want to select. You can select more than one. • Check and correct the text before it appears on the screen. • Foreign-language text can be translated. 10. Privacy • Works offline. Designed so that conversation content is not sent to or stored on the developer's servers. • Speech recognition and translation use Apple's features. Depending on your device settings and conditions, processing may take place on Apple's servers. • One-time purchase, with no subscription and no ads. If you lose or change your iPhone or iPad, you can restore your purchase at no extra cost. We welcome your feedback: what could be easier to use, or what features you would like to see. ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Full Unlock | $1.99 | one-time | ## Is Bridgy safe? Not enough ratings yet to assess Bridgy. ## Is Bridgy legit? Bridgy: Face-to-Face Talk　 has limited verification signals. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Bridgy is 58 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.7.1 — 2026-10-15 Version 1.7.1 Update Bug Fixes - On some iPhone models, the menu at the bottom of the screen extended beyond the screen edges in portrait orientation, making the app unusable. This has been fixed. - In portrait orientation, the slider has been moved to a second row below the menu so that the menu always fits on the screen. In landscape orientation, the menu remains the same as before. 1. Full Screen Is Now the Default on iPhone - Even on iPhones with smaller screens, text can be displayed large in full screen. - To switch to split screen, tap the three-line icon at the left end of the bottom menu bar. - On iPad, split screen remains the default. To switch to full screen, tap the three-line icon at the left end of the bottom menu bar. - On both iPhone and iPad, the default text size is now 50 points, so text is displayed larger than before. To change the text size, use the slider. 2. New Camera Icon - The icon next to the microphone icon in the bottom menu has been changed to a camera icon. 3. New: Read Text with Camera - Tap the camera icon in the menu to choose between "Read Text with Camera" and "Photo / Video". - Tap "Read Text with Camera" and point your iPhone or iPad camera at text such as signs, restaurant menus, road signs, descriptions, or instruction manuals in foreign languages. - How to use: 1. Tap the shutter button. Frames appear around the text that can be imported on the captured image. 2. Trace over the text you want with your finger. The selected text changes color. You can select as many areas as you like. 3. Tap "Import Selected Text". The text appears in the keyboard input area. - Delete any unnecessary text, correct any mistakes, and then tap the "Add" button. - Text can be read even when vertical and horizontal writing are mixed. However, vertical text cannot be selected on iOS and iPadOS versions earlier than 26. - Please note that handwritten text, or text photographed in dark places, may be read incorrectly. 4. New: Read Text in Photos - Choose a photo containing text from "Photo / Video". - Tap "Read Text in Photo" in the camera icon menu. You can select and import text in the same way as "Read Text with Camera". - Delete any unnecessary text, correct any mistakes, and then tap the "Add" button. The text will appear on the screen. 5. Translation - Text read in a foreign language can be translated. - In "Settings", set the partner's language to match the language of the text being read. 6. Video Playback Fixed - Videos did not play correctly before. This has been fixed. Videos now play with sound. ### 1.6.6 — 2026-10-05 We've updated our icon to a friendly owl. The owl is Bridgy's symbol: someone who listens closely and cares. The app description has been greatly expanded. Also includes minor improvements, such as menu display. ### 1.6.5 — 2026-10-03 We have updated the menus displayed when using the Written Communication and Translation features. What’s New When you tap the three-line menu icon on the left, you can now choose: * Full Screen * Back to the Top Menu This makes it easy to switch from the top-and-bottom split-screen view to full-screen mode. We have also updated the menu displayed in full-screen mode. You can now choose: * Rotate 180° * Back to Split Screen * Back to the Top Menu You can also double-tap the three-line menu icon on the left to rotate the screen 180°, making it easier for the person sitting across from you to read the screen. ### 1.6.4 — 2026-09-25 ### Version 1.6.4 We've made photo viewing and translation even easier to use. - Photos can now be **zoomed, resized, and moved using two fingers**. - While a photo is enlarged, you can **draw directly over it with one finger**. - **Full-screen display** is now available for translation. - While viewing a photo, you can still use the sliders to **adjust text size and line thickness**. Enlarge a photo, point out details, or draw directly over it while enjoying a face-to-face conversation. ### Version 1.6.3 We've improved the photo display feature. You can now use **two fingers to zoom, resize, and reposition photos**. Even when a photo doesn't fit the screen, you can enlarge the part you want to see and adjust its position for easier viewing. ### Version 1.6.2 We've made Bridgy easier to use when communicating with people who are hard of hearing or have difficulty seeing small text. - In addition to the original split-screen view, we've added a **full-screen mode**. - Text can be enlarged up to **90 points** using the slider. - Double-tap the button on the left side of the menu bar to **rotate the screen 180 degrees**, making it easy to show large text, handwriting, and drawings to the person sitting across from you. - Double-tap it again to rotate the screen back toward you. - You can return to the split-screen view at any time from Settings. **The full-screen feature was inspired by a conversation with a 99-year-old user.** To make Bridgy easier for people with limited vision, text can now be displayed much larger and the screen can be rotated toward the person sitting across from you. ### 1.6.3 — 2026-09-19 Ver. 1.6.3 Update We added new controls for zooming in, zooming out, and moving photos. How to zoom, resize, and move a photo: Menu Bar → tap the icon to the right of the microphone Conversation Support (Photo / Video) → Show Photo / Video → select a photo → display the photo on the screen. Then tap Conversation Support (Photo / Video) again. A new option for adjusting the photo has been added, giving you three choices in the menu. You can now: Zoom in on a photo Zoom out from a photo Move the photo to a different position Use two fingers to zoom in and out. Ver. 1.6.2 Update Details Previously, only the split-screen layout was available for conversations with people who are hard of hearing. With this update, full-screen mode is now available. Go to Settings → Screen & Language → Screen Layout → Full Screen. You can use the larger screen area to draw pictures and write by hand. Move the slider to increase the text size up to 90 points. Even on smaller screens such as smartphones, handwritten text, drawings, and speech-to-text results can now be displayed in a much larger size. Double-tap the leftmost button on the menu bar (the three-line icon) to rotate the display 180 degrees, making it easier for the person sitting across from you to read. The person facing you can also draw lines and pictures and use the microphone for speech-to-text. Double-tap the three-line icon again to rotate the display 180 degrees back toward you. To return to the top-and-bottom split-screen layout, go to Settings → Screen & Language → Screen Layout → Top/Bottom Split Screen. Full-screen mode was inspired by a conversation with a 99-year-old person. To make the text easier to read for people with limited vision, the font size can be increased up to 90 points. 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Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-10-28.*