Snapshelf: Scan & Read Aloud

Name: Snapshelf: Scan & Read Aloud
Rating: 4.3 (33 reviews)
Author: Ting Tze Chuen

Offline OCR & text to speech

Free · In‑App Purchases · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.

33 Ratings
Age Rating

4+
Years
Category

Productivity
Developer

Ting Tze Chuen
Language

EN
English
Size

18.5
MB

Six years in the making. Version 2.0 brings on-device translation, a real Lock Screen player, Premium voices and iCloud sync. Nothing you scan ever leaves your iPhone. Point your camera at a printed page and Snapshelf turns it into text you can listen to, translate, organise and search. A book, a letter, a handout, a label, a PDF — capture it once and hear it whenever you like. Everything happens on your iPhone. There is no Snapshelf server, no Snapshelf account, and nothing you scan is ever uploaded. Most scanning apps send your document away to be read. Snapshelf has nowhere to send it. SCAN • Reads printed text in around 25 languages, following the languages your iPhone is set to • Capture with the camera, or import from Photos or a PDF • Recognition runs on the device, so it works with no connection at all • Scans are stored compactly, so a large library stays small on your phone and in iCloud LISTEN • Every voice installed on your iPhone, including Apple's Premium and Enhanced voices • Lock Screen and Dynamic Island playback with a progress scrubber • Skip fifteen seconds either way, and change the playback speed • Handles calls, Siri and headphones being unplugged properly • Opening Snapshelf no longer stops the music you were already playing TRANSLATE • 21 languages using Apple's on-device Translation framework • Download a language once and translation works offline afterwards • Your text is never transmitted to a translation service ORGANISE • Playlists and hashtags • Search across everything you have ever scanned • Share a snippet's text and the original scan through the standard share sheet • Dark mode throughout, or follow your system setting SYNC • Snippets, playlists and translations follow you between iPhone and iPad • Through your own private iCloud account, not ours PRIVACY Your scans, the images behind them and the recognised text stay on your device and, if you enable sync, in your own iCloud. We collect crash reports and a small number of anonymous product-interaction events, which contain nothing you scanned. There is no advertising identifier and no tracking. FREE AND PRO Snapshelf is free to download, and everything is unlimited for your first week. After that, the free tier keeps unlimited scanning in every language it reads, as many snippets and playlists as you like, full search and sharing, and every voice on your phone. It also includes ten snippets listened to and ten translated each week, on a rolling seven-day allowance — so there is always some waiting for you when you come back. Snapshelf Pro removes both weekly limits and adds iCloud sync across your devices. It is available as a monthly or yearly subscription, or as a one-time lifetime purchase that never renews and is shareable with up to six family members. Current prices are shown in the app before you buy. Subscriptions are billed through your Apple Account and renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can cancel any time in Settings ▸ Apple Account ▸ Subscriptions. Requires iOS 26. Runs on iPhone and iPad. Terms of Use: https://snapshelf.app/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://snapshelf.app/privacy/ Questions and feedback: hello@snapshelf.app

Ratings & Reviews

4.3

out of 5

33 Ratings

Amazing!
05/07/2021
Writer&Crocheter
This app works super quick and is super helpful! I 100% recommend it! The translator worked really quick and accurate (from what I could tell) and the scan documents even worked on my handwritten document! 😄 Thank you for making such a great app! Five stars!
Amazing!
05/07/2021
Writer&Crocheter

This app works super quick and is super helpful! I 100% recommend it! The translator worked really quick and accurate (from what I could tell) and the scan documents even worked on my handwritten document! 😄 Thank you for making such a great app! Five stars!
Too many interruptions!
08/23/2021
41yr/old homeowner
Unfortunately, when you’re in the middle of scanning or creating a playlist the app closes each time. You have to start over and try to figure out where you left off! Unfortunately you cannot scan and make a playlist at the same time you have to scan your item 1st then create playlist there’s no shortcut so you got to figure out how to create a playlist by adding pictures from camera. It’s too time-consuming especially when you are a college student and you have a lot of material to cover. Once you have everything scanned and added to your playlist it works really well otherwise.

Developer Response
Hi there, do you mind sending us an email at hello@snapshelf.app so we can help you out? Thanks!
Too many interruptions!
08/23/2021
41yr/old homeowner

Unfortunately, when you’re in the middle of scanning or creating a playlist the app closes each time. You have to start over and try to figure out where you left off! Unfortunately you cannot scan and make a playlist at the same time you have to scan your item 1st then create playlist there’s no shortcut so you got to figure out how to create a playlist by adding pictures from camera. It’s too time-consuming especially when you are a college student and you have a lot of material to cover. Once you have everything scanned and added to your playlist it works really well otherwise.
Developer Response 11/09/2021
Hi there, do you mind sending us an email at hello@snapshelf.app so we can help you out? Thanks!

Snapshelf 2.0 is a ground-up rebuild — our first major update in six years, and worth the wait. TRANSLATION NOW RUNS ON YOUR DEVICE Translation uses Apple's on-device Translation framework across 21 languages. The previous version sent your text to a translation service over the internet. This one does not send it anywhere. SCANS AROUND 25 LANGUAGES Text recognition now reads the languages your iPhone is set to, rather than English alone. A PROPER AUDIO PLAYER Lock Screen and Dynamic Island playback with a real progress scrubber, skip fifteen seconds either way, and playback speed. Calls, Siri and headphone disconnects are handled correctly — and opening Snapshelf no longer stops whatever you were already listening to. BETTER VOICES Apple's Premium and Enhanced voices, grouped by language. All free — they are already on your phone. PLAYLISTS AND TRANSLATIONS NOW SYNC TOO Sync previously covered snippets alone. Your playlists and your saved translations now follow you between iPhone and iPad as well, through your own iCloud. MUCH SMALLER LIBRARIES Scans are captured at a sensible size and existing libraries are compacted once, automatically. A large test library went from around 200 MB to around 12 MB — that is your storage and your iCloud quota back. A FAIRER FREE TIER Everything is unlimited for your first week. After that, listening and translating run on a rolling weekly allowance instead of a one-time counter that never reset, so there is always something waiting when you come back. A LIFETIME OPTION Pro is now available as a one-time purchase that never renews, alongside the monthly and yearly plans, and it is shareable with your family. DARK MODE At last — with a Light, Dark or System setting of its own. REBUILT FOUNDATIONS A new data layer on SwiftData and CloudKit, and a one-time migration that brings your existing library across. Requires iOS 26.

Version 2.0.0 Aug 31

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Accessibility

Information

Seller: Ting Tze Chuen
Size: 18.5 MB
Category: Productivity
Compatibility: Requires iOS 26.0 or later.

iPhone
Requires iOS 26.0 or later.

iPad
Requires iPadOS 26.0 or later.

Mac
Requires macOS 26.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.

Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 26.0 or later.
Languages: English
Age Rating: 4+

4+

Learn More
In-App Purchases: Yes

Snapshelf Pro Monthly $3.99

Snapshelf Pro Yearly $24.99

Snapshelf Pro Lifetime $49.99

Learn More