# ReadLens: Text to Speech AI — Read Aloud PDF, Voice Reader

> AI-powered photo to speech reader with highlighted word synchronization. (iPhone/iPad app by Black Box Code LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readlens-text-to-speech-ai/id6763800958 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Black Box Code LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1496668922)
- Category: Books, Education
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.50/5 from 19 App Store ratings · 12 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 12+
- Requires: iOS 15.1 · 77 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-05-08
- Data updated: 2026-10-24
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readlens-text-to-speech-ai/id6763800958/reviews.md

## What is ReadLens?

Turn any printed page into spoken audio in seconds. Snap a photo, hit play, and listen as each word lights up — like karaoke for reading.

ReadLens is the easiest way to listen to anything written: textbook chapters, lecture slides, handwritten notes, restaurant menus, street signs, magazine articles, even photos of a screen. It's text-to-speech that actually fits how people read.

HOW IT WORKS
  1. Snap a photo of anything with text
  2. We pull the words out and read them back in a clear, natural voice
  3. Each word glows as it's spoken — tap any word to jump straight to it

PERFECT FOR
  • Students who'd rather listen to a chapter than re-read it
  • Commuters who want to "read" hands-free in the car or on the train
  • Language learners hearing pronunciation while seeing each word
  • Anyone with dyslexia, low vision, ADHD, or reading fatigue
  • Travelers translating signs and menus on the go
  • Busy parents catching up on articles between school runs

FEATURES
  • Snap & listen — works with books, slides, handwriting, signs, screens
  • Karaoke-style word-by-word highlighting that's easy to follow
  • Tap any word to seek instantly to that point in the audio
  • Translate as you listen — hear pages in a language you're learning
  • Natural-sounding voices powered by ElevenLabs and OpenAI
  • Multi-language support for both source text and translation
  • Clean, distraction-free reader designed for long sessions
  • Personal library — every snap is saved so you can pick up where you left off
  • Light & dark themes that adapt to your system
  • Fully translated app interface in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese

READLENS PREMIUM
Upgrade for unlimited snaps, unlimited translation, and an ad-free experience.
Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings.

Cancel anytime from your App Store settings.

Payment will be charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions in your App Store account settings.

Terms of Use (EULA): https://readlens.live/terms.html
Privacy Policy: https://readlens.live/privacy.html

## Key features

- Snap photos of any text to convert to audio
- Karaoke-style word highlighting
- Tap to jump to specific words
- Natural-sounding AI voices
- Multi-language support and translation
- Personal library for saved snaps
- Light and dark themes

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| Premium Weekly Offer | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Yearly Offer | $49.99 | per year |
| Premium Weekly | $5.99 | per 7 days |


## Is ReadLens safe?

Not enough ratings yet to assess ReadLens.

## Is ReadLens legit?

ReadLens: Text to Speech AI appears legitimate, with a few gaps. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for ReadLens is 70 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.

## Recent user reviews (10 of 12)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readlens-text-to-speech-ai/id6763800958/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Ok

*2026-09-14*

You have to watch adds to get photos and you only get three photos from one add which is not enough to  cover a chapter and then you have to pay like $99 to get unlimited photos

**Developer response:** Hi, thank you so much for taking the time to share this, and I'm sorry the free version felt limiting for studying a full chapter. That's really helpful feedback.

A couple of things that might help: your free photos refill automatically every Monday, so you don't need to watch ads to get them back. If you need more for a heavy study week, there's also a weekly plan, which costs much less than the yearly one and lets you try unlimited photos without a long commitment.

We're a small team and we're looking at how to make the free tier fairer for students reading longer chapters, so your comment is going straight into that discussion. If you have any questions or run into anything, just write to us at contact@blackboxcode.io and we'll be happy to help. :)

Thanks again for using ReadLens!

### 1/5 — Rubbish

*2026-09-12*

Not worth the money and it take so much time to load overall not worth it and terrible.

**Developer response:** Hi, thank you for taking the time to tell us, and I'm sorry ReadLens let you down. You're right that waiting for a page to load is frustrating. Each page is turned into natural-sounding audio when you snap it, and that can take longer than it should, especially on a slower connection. We're working on making it faster. If you're willing to give it another go, email us at contact@blackboxcode.io with what you were reading, and I'll personally look into why it was so slow for you. Thank you.

### 5/5 — Busy Readers

*2026-08-25*

I’m really busy to finish my favorite books. Since I found this app I’ve been able to snap and listen them on my way home! It’s simply awesome 🚀

### 5/5 — Useful app for college!

*2026-08-23*

I love this app! Ever since I found it, I haven’t stopped using it for all my school readings I have to do. It makes it so much easier to be able to multitask and listen to my books without having to download the entire audiobook! You just snap a pic of the couple pages you want to read and boom you can listen to it while cleaning your house!

### 5/5 — Love this app!

*2026-08-21*

It is perfect for productivity. I was able to finish books I’ve been reading for years, while commuting to work

**Developer response:** Hello Ryugo19! We are really pleased that our app has help you so much. Stay tuned for following features! Thank you.

### 1/5 — Terrible

*2026-08-21*

I can only take 2 pictures a week 
Not worth the price

**Developer response:** Hello Workingsnail5237, we have two models: free tier will allow you 2 snap a week, or you can earn 3 more each time you watch an ad. You can also try our unlimited snaps plan on a yearly or weekly basis. Thank you!

### 5/5 — Easy to use

*2026-08-10*

Tried other apps in the past that were too complicated, this is simple to use and very efficient

### 2/5 — Great Idea, Execution Needs Work

*2026-07-15*

This is an incredible concept. I have some super dense books that I want to listen to repeatedly to help me mull over. This app is simple to use in taking the pictures and then reading the pages. However, there’s some glaring issues right out of the gate. The voice reader will randomly skip sections of reading. There’s a highlighter that highlights the portions of texts that are being read so you can follow along; it almost never lines up and sometimes is off by an entire paragraph. There doesn’t seem to be a quick and easy way to remove unwanted texts like footnotes and page numbers, etc so the reading can get very choppy and jumbled as the reader literally will read every single thing it sees even if it’s not part of the written text. This app is a great idea and innovation but I’m hoping they can fix these issues.

**Developer response:** Hello JJCovert, we truly appreciate honest and real reviews like yours, that's what help us to shape a better product! We just release a new version with fixes of the reported bugs and will soon deploy more features, do not hesitate to contact us to provide further feedback. Thank you!

### 5/5 — Busy Readers

*2026-06-20*

I’m really busy to finish my favorite books. Since I found this app I’ve been able to snap and listen them on my way home! It’s simply awesome 🚀

### 5/5 — Long needed

*2026-05-27*

This app was what I didn’t know I needed until I downloaded it. It makes my reading time so much easier and I can catch up on the news I had queued up much faster!

**Developer response:** Hello Lyon_07, we are glad to know that our app has help you with your productivity! Stay tuned for future features we will be releasing soon. Thank you!

## Frequently asked questions about ReadLens

### What is ReadLens?

ReadLens is an AI-powered app that converts printed text from photos into spoken audio. It highlights each word as it's read, allowing users to follow along and tap to jump to specific words.

### How does ReadLens work?

You simply snap a photo of any text, and ReadLens uses AI to extract the words and read them aloud in a natural voice. Each word is highlighted as it's spoken, similar to karaoke.

### Who can benefit from using ReadLens?

ReadLens is perfect for students, commuters, language learners, travelers, and anyone with dyslexia, low vision, ADHD, or reading fatigue who prefers listening to reading.

### Does ReadLens have ads?

Yes, the free version of ReadLens contains advertisements. Users can upgrade to ReadLens Premium for an ad-free experience.

### What are the subscription options for ReadLens Premium?

ReadLens Premium offers a Weekly subscription for $5.99 and a Yearly subscription for $119.99, which includes a 3-day free trial. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled.

### Can I cancel my ReadLens subscription?

Yes, you can manage or cancel your ReadLens subscription at any time through your App Store account settings. Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period.

### What devices is ReadLens available on?

ReadLens is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices, supporting iOS.

### How often is ReadLens updated?

The latest version of ReadLens is 1.0.3, and it was last updated on June 11, 2026. Updates typically include new features and performance improvements.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.1.6 — 2026-10-22

What's new in 1.1.6

• Paste or type text: no photo needed. Paste an article, an email or your own notes and Readlens reads it aloud.
• Automatic voice: Readlens detects the language of your text and picks the right voice. You can change it with one tap.
• Pick a photo straight from home: choose a picture from your library without opening the camera.
• Dark mode: choose Light, Dark or Auto in Settings. Auto follows your phone.
• A fresh look: cleaner icons, easier-to-read text and a new player.

Questions or ideas? We read every message: contact@blackboxcode.io

### 1.1.5 — 2026-09-28

Faster from photo to voice, and cleaner scans.

- Listen right away: narration starts within seconds while the rest of the page is still being read, with the words highlighted as they are spoken.
- Frame the page before you send it: drag the corners over the text you want, with a magnifier for precise edges. Cleaner scans, fewer stray words.
- Multi-page reads open as soon as page 1 is ready. The other pages keep processing in the background and show their progress in the reader.
- PDF import shows page previews while they load, so a long document no longer looks frozen.
- Word highlighting stays in sync on pages with quotes, numbers and abbreviations.

Questions or ideas? Write to contact@blackboxcode.io. We read every message.

### 1.1.4 — 2026-09-22

Faster from photo to voice, and cleaner scans.

- Listen right away: narration starts within seconds while the rest of the page is still being read, with the words highlighted as they are spoken.
- Frame the page before you send it: drag the corners over the text you want, with a magnifier for precise edges. Cleaner scans, fewer stray words.
- Multi-page reads open as soon as page 1 is ready. The other pages keep processing in the background and show their progress in the reader.
- PDF import shows page previews while they load, so a long document no longer looks frozen.
- Word highlighting stays in sync on pages with quotes, numbers and abbreviations.

Questions or ideas? Write to contact@blackboxcode.io. We read every message.

### 1.1.3 — 2026-09-18

Faster from photo to voice, and cleaner scans.

- Listen right away: narration starts within seconds while the rest of the page is still being read, with the words highlighted as they are spoken.
- Frame the page before you send it: drag the corners over the text you want, with a magnifier for precise edges. Cleaner scans, fewer stray words.
- Multi-page reads open as soon as page 1 is ready. The other pages keep processing in the background and show their progress in the reader.
- PDF import shows page previews while they load, so a long document no longer looks frozen.
- Word highlighting stays in sync on pages with quotes, numbers and abbreviations.

Questions or ideas? Write to contact@blackboxcode.io. We read every message.

### 1.1.2 — 2026-09-09

- OCR speen improved
- UI navigation

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All apps by Black Box Code LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/1496668922

## Related topics

[photo reading](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/photo-reading) · [photo text read](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/photo-text-read) · [text reader photo](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/text-reader-photo)

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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 2026-10-24.*