# Hearing Helper - Live Captions — Voice to Text for HoH & Deaf

> Real-time speech-to-text transcription with editing and large font options. (iPhone/iPad app by Mighty Fine Apps LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearing-helper-live-captions/id1391454121 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Mighty Fine Apps LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/973529494)
- Category: Medical, Utilities
- Price: $2.99
- Rating: 4.50/5 from 680 App Store ratings · 73 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 10.0 · 19 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2018-07-03
- Data updated: 2026-08-29
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearing-helper-live-captions/id1391454121/reviews.md

## What is Hearing Helper?

Hearing Helper is specifically designed for anyone trying to talk with HoH (Hard of Hearing), Deaf, or ESL (English as a Second Language) friends and family.

Simply push and hold the mic to translate speech-to-text with Apple's Siri technology.

Tap to quick-edit incorrect words. And make anything you say BIG! 

Hearing Helper sits in the background of your conversations, so you can focus on what's being said. 

Users love it:
“Just so you know, this app has changed my 86 year old mother's life. It is simple and easy for her and her friends to use. This is so important for the elderly since so many other apps are way too complicated. She can really have one on one conversations, especially with me, which is so very important.”
- Mark M

Doctors trust it:
"I use this w my HOH senior patients when the hearing aides aren't even enough to compensate for the hearing loss. This works great. I have recommended it to my nursing/CNA staff to use as well.”
- Istariken

Hearing Helper is also really helpful for communicating with family and friends who aren't as comfortable speaking English but can read it well.

Features
- Push and hold the mic for speech to text in real time
- Tap on the text to quick edit incorrect words
- Change the font size up to 100pts (That's big!)
- Simple, easy-to-follow instructions

I designed this app to help my family talk with my 100-year-old grandfather who's hard of hearing, and now even his roommate uses it to communicate with him!

If you find this app, I hope it helps you better communicate with your loved ones.

## Key features

- Real-time speech to text
- Quick text editing
- Adjustable font size
- Easy-to-follow instructions
- Background conversation support

## Chart rankings

- #81 in Top Paid · Medical (US App Store)

## What do users think of Hearing Helper?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🚀 Efficient speech recognition
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🙌 Transformative for communication
- 🔍 Accurate transcription
- 📱 Works well on mobile devices

**Cons**

- 🤚 Requires holding button to record
- 🔢 Occasional transcription errors
- 🔇 Struggles with quiet speech
- 🚫 Doesn't work on older devices

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Inconsistent performance
- Drops first words of transcription
- Crashes or freezes on some devices

**Most requested features**

- Toggle button to start/stop recording
- Support for multiple languages
- Larger font options
- Ability to rotate screen for easier reading

## Recent user reviews (10 of 73)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearing-helper-live-captions/id1391454121/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Ann of Bawdsey

*2025-08-04*

It has transformed our lives due my husbands sudden deafness and me wanting to have a conversation with him so very important

### 1/5 — Awful. A waste of money

*2025-07-11*

We tried the app to help my parent with hearing difficulties. It ability to understand even when people are speaking slowly and clearly is almost nonexistent. 
A total waste of money

### 1/5 — Don’t bother.. hard to use, doesn’t work well

*2025-06-04*

I purchased this for my HoH dad, with hope it could pick up conversations. This app doesn’t work well at all, and is more of a hindrance than a help. 

I wish they had a free trial so you could see how it works, because I definitely wouldn’t have purchased it. 

Will be looking for something else… (Google translate works better and is free!)

### 2/5 — Disappointed

*2025-05-25*

Purchased this app after reading all the positive reviews. Unfortunately for me, this app has been useless! It won't pick won't pick up any speech unless you hold the phone close to your mouth, even the TV which is only a metre away or if your at a show where the speaker is on an elevated stage. It picks up nothing! The screen says I'm listening... but that's all it does! Very disappointing.

### 5/5 — Solved a big problem

*2025-03-08*

My husband refuses to get hearing aids.  Our communication with each other was frustrating.  Writing down everything I wanted to communicate to him was aggravating not to mention time consuming. Hearing Helper has made a big difference. I can easily talk into my speaker and it prints out my words on my phone which I then hand to my husband. Because I have the font larger, he easily can read it. It’s been a lifesaver. Wish I had found this app sooner.

### 5/5 — Life Changing

*2024-11-27*

This app has been life changing for my elderly grandmother that suffers from hearing loss. The simplicity and accuracy of the app allows her to easily communicate with others in any scenario - informal conversation, hospital, restaurants, etc. 

Thanks for creating this - I hope others can find it as useful.

### 5/5 — Deaf moms life line

*2024-10-25*

My mother is deaf and without this app she would not understand what’s going on. This has been a miracle for us. We can finally put away the pad and pen. Thank you. Just wish I could make the font even bigger on my iPad

**Developer response:** Hi mmaratos 👋, I’m so glad the hearing helper is helping your family. I’d love for you to try out the newest version that’s now in Beta to see if it helps your mom even more! Just reach out to me through developer support. - Rob

### 5/5 — Speech recognition

*2024-10-03*

Very reliable when communicating with my deaf father

### 3/5 — Don’t want to have to hold button

*2024-08-17*

It’s tiring to have to keep my finger on the red button and makes it harder to concentrate naturally on the conversation. Please make it possible to just click once to record and again to stop

### 2/5 — Why oh why?

*2024-03-28*

Have bought this twice now. And realised why I never used the first time. 

Having to press and hold button to record text is in convenient and ridiculous. Why make your customers jump through this hoop?

Many people have complained about this as a major factor in what could be a brilliant solution making it almost pointless.

If you in your developers mind beleive there is a good reason for this, at least listen to your customers and give them the option to have an “always listening on” option. It is such a simple thing, so obvious and yet you insist on forcing people to what you think is best for them despite a clear desire for something more usable. Refund please, unless you make the very simple change i settings.

## Frequently asked questions about Hearing Helper

### What does Hearing Helper do?

Hearing Helper converts spoken language into text in real-time, making it easier for people who are hard of hearing, deaf, or learning English to follow conversations. It uses Apple's Siri technology for accurate transcription and allows for quick edits to any incorrect words.

### What are the key features of Hearing Helper?

Key features include real-time speech-to-text conversion by holding the microphone, the ability to tap and edit transcribed text, and the option to significantly increase the font size (up to 100pts) for better visibility. It also provides simple, easy-to-follow instructions.

### Is Hearing Helper free to use?

Yes, Hearing Helper is available for free. The app does not have any in-app purchases or advertisements, allowing users to access its communication features without cost.

### Who can benefit from using Hearing Helper?

This app is designed for individuals who are hard of hearing (HoH), deaf, or have friends and family who are English as a Second Language (ESL) speakers. It's also beneficial for elderly users who may find other apps too complicated, and for medical professionals assisting senior patients with hearing loss.

### How does the app help with conversations?

The app acts as a background tool during conversations, transcribing speech so users can focus on understanding what is being said. The large font option and editing capabilities further enhance clarity and ease of communication, making one-on-one conversations more accessible.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.7 — 2021-07-13

► NEW! Go Pro with our sister app Live Transcribe for a more advanced captioning experience.

### 1.6 — 2020-07-22

► IMPROVED! Transcription reliability
We know you depend on Hearing Helper for hundreds of hours of conversation. We made sure to squash a few bugs that were getting in the way.
► FIXED! Proper support for Dark Mode
Things got a little weird when dark mode was enabled. Now we have full support!

### 1.5 — 2020-02-23

► IMPROVED! Transcription reliability
We know you depend on Hearing Helper for hundreds of hours of conversation. We made sure to squash a few bugs that were getting in the way.
► FIXED! Proper support for Dark Mode
Things got a little weird when dark mode was enabled. Now we have full support!

### 1.4 — 2019-12-31

► Improvements under the hood, much excite!
We added better crash logging and made a bunch of other small improvements. We're prepping for some big improvements in upcoming releases.

### 1.3 — 2019-12-08

► FIXED! Broken speech-to-text on iOS 13.2
Turns out iOS 13.2 broke some critical recording functionality in the app. For now I've downgraded everyone on 13.2 to offline speech-to-text so the app will still work. Be sure to upgrade to iOS 13.3 when it comes out to return to the higher quality online speech-to-text engine.
► NEW! Flip
Now you don't need to turn the iPad or iPhone when you're talking face-to-face. Just tap "Flip" and you're good to go!
► NEW! Shake to clear
Give your phone a quick shake to clear text at any time.

## Apps similar to Hearing Helper

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Live Captions +](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/live-captions-plus/id6449623259) | 4.4 (45) | Free | Medical |
| [Med. Reminder](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/med-reminder/id1596855340) | — | $0.99 | Medical |
| [北京凤凰智慧互联网医院医护版](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id1599687920) | — | Free | Medical |
| [Angelpaw](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/angelpaw/id1596162640) | 1.8 (5) | Free | Medical |
| [觅健医生版-互联网医院](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id1591574440) | — | Free | Medical |
| [Smartee Doctor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartee-doctor/id1610978200) | — | Free | Medical |

## More apps by Mighty Fine Apps LLC

- [Bakery - Study Timer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bakery-study-timer/id1441084360)
- [Live Transcribe](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/live-transcribe/id1471473738)
- [Sound Amplifier](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sound-amplifier/id1615079093)
- [Chat AI・](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chat-ai/id6446840149)

All apps by Mighty Fine Apps LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/973529494

## Related topics

[hearing helper](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/hearing-helper) · [hearing impaired caption](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/hearing-impaired-caption) · [hearing impaired text](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/hearing-impaired-text) · [ava live captions](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ava-live-captions)

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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 2026-08-29.*