# Pictello Visual Stories — Develop language and literacy

> App for creating and sharing visual stories with text-to-speech and multimedia. (iPhone/iPad app by AssistiveWare.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pictello-visual-stories/id397858008 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [AssistiveWare](https://appshunter.io/developer/308368167)
- Category: Education, Medical
- Price: $19.99
- Rating: 4.10/5 from 33 App Store ratings · 61 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 662 MB
- Languages: American English, Dutch, French (France), German (Germany), Italian, European Spanish
- Released: 2010-10-16
- Data updated: 2026-08-21
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pictello-visual-stories/id397858008/reviews.md

## What is Pictello Visual Stories?

Everyone loves to tell fun, engaging, and imaginative stories. Go ahead and make a social story or visual schedule for a child with autism or a slide show of holiday pictures for your friends - Pictello makes it a breeze to create and share! Whether you use the included natural-sounding Text to Speech voices, or record your own voice, Pictello is the perfect tool for visual storytelling.

Each page in a Pictello story consists of a photo or video and some text, which can be read aloud by a Text to Speech voice or your own recorded audio.

Develop literacy skills
- Support reading with word-by-word text highlighting
- Develop writing and spelling with built-in word prediction and Speak as You Type
- Create stories to teach academic and social skills
- Import free early literacy and adapted academic books from Tar Heel Reader

Create and playback with ease
- Let students use the wizard to create stories
- Play stories page by page or as a slideshow
- Use Text to Speech voices to read the story
- Turn on switch access for story playback

Integrate multimedia
- Add your own photos
- Include short video clips 
- Record your own voice or sound

Share your stories
- Share with other Pictello users through our free sharing server
- Use Dropbox to exchange stories
- Export to PDF or print to share with non-Pictello users

Speak your language
- Pick English, Spanish, German, French, Italian or Dutch for the user interface
- Select from over 110 free Text to Speech voices in 29 languages
- Use genuine American, British, Australian, American-Spanish, Swedish, French, Italian, German, Norwegian and Swedish children's voices
- Create interest with fun character and specialty voices

Customize to fit your needs
- Pick between Wizard or Expert creation modes
- Swipe or automatically turn pages
- Adjust speech rate and pronunciations

Read more at www.assistiveware.com/products/pictello

Additional Note:

Educational institutions can get a 50% discount if they purchase 20 or more licenses through Apple’s Volume Licensing Program for Education.

## Key features

- Create visual stories with photos and videos
- Text-to-speech and voice recording
- Word-by-word text highlighting
- Built-in word prediction
- Import books from Tar Heel Reader
- Share stories via server or Dropbox
- Export to PDF or print

## Recent user reviews (10 of 61)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pictello-visual-stories/id397858008/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Pictello Visual Stories

*2025-05-13*

Develop language and literacy

**Developer response:** Hi and thank you for your 5 star rating. We love to hear you are using Pictello to help develop language and literacy! We also have free resources on these topics at our website that you may find helpful. You can check them out at www.asssistiveware.com.

### 1/5 — App shuts down iPad

*2024-07-15*

When my son tries to create stories, the app rarely works and if it does work it freezes his iPad for hours afterwards. Waste of money.

**Developer response:** Hi fygkoo. We are sorry to hear you are having issues with Pictello. It sounds like it may be an issue with the size of the photos or videos you are using in combination with storage available on the device. We would love to help you troubleshoot this issue if you can email us at support@assistiveware.com.

### 2/5 — Needs more features

*2024-02-08*

this app is not the quality I thought I was paying for

**Developer response:** Hi R.Slason. We are sorry to hear you do not think the app is high quality. We would love for you to email us at support@assistiveware.com so we can help you get the most out of Pictello. We hope to hear from you soon!

### 5/5 — Preschool to Teens

*2023-03-28*

Pictello is an app that is useful in so many venues. Make stories with preschoolers about there day, activities, and people they love. Use it for older youngsters to tell stories and read aloud. It is so useful with those non-speaking with voice output. Everything can be personalized. It’s a really inexpensive and highly versatile app. I love it!

### 1/5 — Not worth it

*2023-02-28*

Not worth it at all. Does not pick up my sons voice accurately. Cant delete pages that you don’t want. Very frustrating.

**Developer response:** Hi autisticmum, we are very sorry to hear about the issues you are having with Pictello. Please know we will do everything we can to try to help you. First, regarding the sound, ​make sure you're not using a case that blocks the microphone. You may try removing the iPad or iPhone from the case to see if that helps. In addition, try experimenting with how you're holding the device when you record. You don't have to have the microphone right up to your mouth (in fact, this would cause the sound to be distorted), but you will get better sound if the microphone is a foot or so from your mouth. Another idea is to test your mic using the Voice Memos app on your device by making a test recording (for more info, see: support.apple.com/guide/ipad/make-a-recording-ipadf455678c/ipados). Next, to delete a page in Wizard Mode, tap Edit in the top-right corner of the screen, tap the story you want to edit, tap Edit in the Story Actions popover that appears, and then tap Wizard Mode. In Wizard Mode, tap Edit Pages, tap the X in the bottom-right corner of the screen, tap the red and white minus button next to the page you want to remove, and then tap Delete to remove the page. When you are finished, tap Done in the top-right corner of the screen, tap Previous in the top-left corner of the screen, and then tap Done With Story. To delete a page in Expert Mode, tap Edit in the top-right corner of the screen, tap the story you want to edit, tap Edit in the Story Actions popover that appears, and then tap Expert Mode. In Expert Mode, tap Edit in the bottom-right corner of the screen, tap the red and white minus button next to the page you want to remove, and then tap Delete to remove the page. When you are finished, tap Done in the bottom-right corner of the screen, and then tap Done in the top-left corner of the screen. If you would like to view the Pictello Manual, PDF tutorials, and FAQs, please be sure to check out our Pictello Help page (www.assistiveware.com/support/pictello). We also invite you to join AssistiveWare’s Pictello Community Facebook group (www.facebook.com/groups/353130621434993), where you can connect with other Pictello users, share stories, and share ideas about using the app. Note, membership must be approved before posting. Please feel free to email us at support@assistiveware.com if you need additional assistance with Pictello or AAC advice. Our caring team is always ready to lend a helping hand. Peace! :-)

### 5/5 — Autistic children growing up

*2022-10-22, version 3.8*

I am an autistic woman who was originally nonverbal and forced to speak in different therapies. They would drill me to repeat different phrases but I felt like I was saying nothing because I was just repeating what other people wanted me to say. I use all of the different assistiveware apps in different communication situations. They listened to autistic people and converted our natural dialect and communications into apps that really work for us. For the first time since I was seven years old, I finally found my authentic autistic voice. I am myself again. Thank you autistic community and thank you assistiveware. 

Pictillo has allowed me to accommodate myself as an adult by letting make my own visual schedule like my teachers used to do for me as a little girl.  My anxiety and fixation has reduced so much.

### 1/5 — Problème avec la voix

*2021-10-08*

Il y a un bug j’ai téléchargé la voix de Valentin et je l’ai coché mais à chaque fois la lecture se fait avec la voix de margaud ( très robotique). Même quand je la supprime, la voix revient.

**Developer response:** Bonjour Sonia, dans Pictello, il y a une voix par défaut mais aussi une voix associée à chaque histoire, ou page de l’histoire. Vous tentez peut-être de modifier la voix par défaut mais si la voix Manon est associée à l’histoire alors ce sera celle-là qui sera utilisée pour la lecture. N’hésitez pas à nous écrire à support@assistiveware.com pour nous décrire plus précisément votre problème, notre équipe d’assistance sera heureuse de vous aider à le résoudre.

### 5/5 — Use this app daily for lots of activities

*2021-01-18*

This app has allowed more independence.
Teaching speech and developing language.
Creating our own stories.
Making stories with more visuals.
Step by step recipes that he can cook independently.
Step by step instructions to follow for other day to say activities to create independence.

Can be as creative as you like.

**Developer response:** Hi Hayden_rocks, thank you so much for the five big stars and taking the time to share the many ways you use Pictello. From creating a daily schedule to documenting step-by-step instructions on how to do household chores, as you mention, Pictello opens up numerous possibilities. If you are not a member already, we welcome you to join AssistiveWare's Pictello community Facebook Group where you can connect with other Pictello users and share about how you are using the app. You can join here (www.facebook.com/groups/353130621434993) Note AssistiveWare's Pictello community is a closed Facebook Group, so each membership request must be approved on a case-by-case basis. If you ever have questions about Pictello, please feel free to email our team at support@assistiveware.com and one of our team members will be happy to assist you! :-)

### 5/5 — That was nice.

*2020-02-05, version 3.7*

So I found your app, and then on 2/5/2020, I came up with an idea! I decided to make Education For US Money! It took probably 30 minutes to make! My mom paid $18.99! While the app was downloading I was using the camera to take pictures for it it was amazing! I could probably educate kids about money now a days! Just great. I mean seriously!

### 3/5 — Poor quality

*2020-02-02*

The sound recorder does nothing, it should pop open a request for permission. Adding a video causes it to start “compressing” it (even though it is already), but then it just sits there forever doing nothing, without even showing a progress bar, and then the screen turns off. After the screen is put back on the “compressing” task is lost. The interface is hard to understand. There a plenty of cheaper and better alternatives to this app.

**Developer response:** Hi Hairy_wen, we are very sorry for the issues you are experiencing with Pictello. We were under the impression these issues were addressed in Pictello 3.7. However, as you are running Pictello 3.7, it seems they are not fixed. As we are very eager to fix these issues, please email our team at support@assistiveware.com so that our team can learn more about your setup and hopefully address these bugs. Regarding difficulty with Pictello's interface, if you have not done so already, please check out our Pictello Quickstart Manual and step-by-step tutorials (www.assistiveware.com/support/pictello/manuals) for helpful information on using the app. Thank you very much! We look forward to hearing from you soon and assisting you. :-)

## Frequently asked questions about Pictello Visual Stories

### What is Pictello Visual Stories?

Pictello Visual Stories is an application designed to help users create and share engaging visual stories. It allows for the integration of photos, videos, and text, with options for text-to-speech narration or recording your own voice. The app aims to support language development, literacy skills, and the creation of social stories or visual schedules.

### What are the key features for developing literacy?

The app supports literacy development through several features. It offers word-by-word text highlighting to aid reading comprehension, and includes built-in word prediction and 'Speak as You Type' functionality to assist with writing and spelling. Users can also create stories to teach academic and social skills, and import free early literacy books from Tar Heel Reader.

### How can I share stories created with Pictello?

Stories created in Pictello can be shared in multiple ways. You can share them with other Pictello users through a free sharing server or use Dropbox for exchange. For sharing with individuals who do not use Pictello, you can export your stories to PDF format or print them.

### Is Pictello Visual Stories available on different platforms?

The provided description does not explicitly state compatibility with multiple platforms. However, it mentions educational institutions can purchase licenses through Apple’s Volume Licensing Program for Education, suggesting it is available on Apple devices.

### What are some common use cases for Pictello?

Common use cases include creating social stories for children with autism, developing visual schedules for daily routines, making slide shows of personal events like holidays, and supporting early literacy development. It can also be used to teach academic and social skills through interactive storytelling.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.14 — 2025-07-14

With this latest update, you can now access the 'Audio in Calls' feature available in iOS and iPadOS 18.2 and later to use your Pictello voice during calls. Thanks for updating and using Pictello.

### 3.13 — 2024-11-25

The voices in Pictello are now of a higher quality. They sound smoother and clearer, especially for longer messages. We have also updated the app to fix bugs and improve performance and stability.

### 3.12 — 2024-08-26

With this update, Pictello on iPad now supports Split View, making it easier to use alongside your favorite apps. We’ve also introduced four new Polish child voices and enhanced the eye-tracking experience for smoother interaction.

### 3.11 — 2024-07-01

You can now customize the pitch of your voice on Pictello. We've also improved the app's accessibility and performance.

### 3.10 — 2024-01-22

Find a voice that best reflects you! This update makes Pictello compatible with Apple’s iOS 17 feature, Personal Voice. 
Plus, we have added many new voices, including those from Apple.

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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 2026-08-21.*