Laonei
Speak Chinese. Read anything.
Only for iPhone
Free · Designed for iPhone. Not verified for macOS.
iPhone
Laonei speaks Chinese for you.
Press the disc and say it in English — it says the Chinese out loud, so you can hand the phone to the person in front of you. They answer into the same button. No toggle to find, no direction to choose.
POINT IT AT ANYTHING
A menu, a street sign, a form, a receipt, a parking bay. Photograph it and Laonei reads the whole thing, line by line, with the characters, the pinyin and what it means. Or type one question and it answers only that — including the small grey print at the bottom that everything else skips.
THE ADDRESS A DRIVER CAN READ
Photograph a hotel booking and ask where it is. The address comes back in Chinese characters, in Chinese order, with a copy button — ready to paste into a ride app or hold up at a car window. Not a translation nobody local can read.
ASK ANYTHING ABOUT LIVING HERE
Visas, deposits, hospital paperwork, how the metro card works, where to eat when you have had enough rice. Short answers you can read standing up, from something that answers like a friend who has been here five years — and remembers what you just asked, so "which one is best?" means something.
LOOK AROUND YOU
The places on this street in Chinese, with pinyin and what they are, big enough to hold up to a taxi driver.
WHY IT IS DIFFERENT
No account. Nothing to sign up for. Your history stays on your phone and never reaches a server. No adverts, no tracking, no analytics.
老外 is the outsider. 老内 is the joke: the insider. You arrive as one and this is how you stop being one.
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
- Two tabs: Laonei for translating, asking and the camera, and Learn for everything else.
- Nine of China's most famous stories, read aloud with pictures: the Monkey King, the White Snake, Chang'e, the Butterfly Lovers, Mulan, Nezha and more.
- Save Laonei's answers, just like phrases.
- Lessons built from the phrases you use most, plus short culture lessons: toasts, gifts, the bill and face.
- Calmer, clearer voice, with Chinese names said properly.
- Your China status, front and centre.
The developer, THOMAS JOSLPH LIDD SHANAHAN, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
- Location
- User Content
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- THOMAS JOSLPH LIDD SHANAHAN
- Size
- 8.3 MB
- Category
- Travel
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 15.0 or later. - iPod touch
Requires iOS 15.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- Copyright
- © 2026 Thomas Shanahan