PREMIERE
Happy Pride Month!
Find the rainbow in all your conversations with our new Pride Buddies. Caption with color this June.
Supported Features
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Larger Text
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Captions
Hearing Buddy - Speech To Text
Sound Amplifier, Hearing Boost
Free · In‑App Purchases · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
Apple Design Award Finalist - Inclusivity.
Hearing Buddy — No One Should Have to Miss What Matters
A hearing buddy is the person in your life who helps you hear — patient, understanding, and always on your side. But your person can't be with you through every interaction. Hearing Buddy is your backup: reliable, supportive, and always there when your person can't be.
Built by someone living with a hearing disability, every feature was designed from lived experience — not market research.
UNLIMITED FREE LIVE CAPTIONS
Most captioning apps charge by the minute, turning an accessibility need into a metered service. Hearing Buddy offers unlimited live captions for free. Every word around you becomes clear text on your iPhone — accurate even in noisy rooms, with accents, and fast talkers.
Everything stays on your device. No cloud processing. Your conversations are nobody else's business.
A BUDDY THAT'S YOURS
Name your buddy. Choose a personality. Each one transforms the entire look and feel of the app while sharing the same core: warmth, patience, and zero judgment.
BUDDY BOOST
Buddy Boost turns any headphones — AirPods, Bluetooth, or wired — into a real-time sound amplifier. Up to +39 dB to lift quiet voices into focus, shaped to your hearing test from Apple Health.
BUDDY EVERYWHERE
Captions shouldn't live on a tiny screen in your hand. Stream Buddy's live captions from your iPhone to your Mac in meetings, or to Apple Vision Pro during conversations and presentations.
APPLE WATCH ALERTS
A tap on your wrist when it matters most. Get instant haptic alerts when someone says your name or asks you a question — no need to pull out your phone. Stay present in conversations instead of worrying about what you might have missed.
QUESTION ALERTS
Missing a question and having to ask someone to repeat themselves is one of the most exhausting parts of hearing loss. Question Alerts immediately surface what was asked, helping you respond in real time instead of enduring another "sorry, what did you say?"
NAME ALERTS
Waiting for your name at the pharmacy, coffee shop, or waiting room? The moment your name is spoken, Hearing Buddy catches it — notification on your iPhone, alert on your Lock Screen, and a tap on your Apple Watch. You'll never miss your name again.
CONVERSATION SUMMARIES
For longer meetings, conferences, and group conversations — catch what was said at a glance without reading every word. Your Buddy summarizes key points so you're never lost.
PERFECT FOR
- Restaurants and coffee shops
- Work meetings and conferences
- Medical appointments
- Family gatherings
- Classrooms and lectures
- Any conversation where you need support
FREE FEATURES
- Unlimited real-time captions
- Background listening
- Transcript history
- Copy and share transcripts
- Adjustable text size
BUDDY+ FEATURES
- Buddy personality customization
- Buddy Boost: Sound amplifier for any headphones
- Apple Watch name & question alerts
- Conversation summaries
- Question & name alerts on iPhone
- Live Activity & Widget support
- Buddy Everywhere — live captions on Mac and Apple Vision Pro
Hearing Buddy was recognized with RevenueCat's $10,000 Peace Prize for technology that drives positive social impact.
No one should have to miss what matters. Download Hearing Buddy and stop apologizing for how you hear.
Requires iOS 26.0+, watchOS 10.0+.
LANGUAGE SUPPORT
Captions in 18 languages and regional variants: English (US, UK, Australia, Canada, India, Singapore), Spanish (Spain, Mexico, US), French (France, Canada), German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin (Mainland, Taiwan), and Cantonese (Mainland, Hong Kong).
Buddy+ Annual: $59.99/year
Buddy+ Monthly: $9.99/month
Buddy+ Weekly: $7.99/month
Terms: https://apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula
Privacy: https://kragerlabs.com/privacy.html
Note: Hearing Buddy is a supportive tool, not a replacement for medical devices or professional medical advice.
Events
- Buddy is now just a tap away — from your watch face, a Home Screen long-press, or a Shortcut
- Buddy starts faster and feels calmer throughout, with dozens of small refinements
- Sharper post-session title suggestions
The developer, Krager Labs LLC, 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 Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
- Purchases
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
- Identifiers
- Usage Data
- Diagnostics
The developer indicated that this app supports the following accessibility features. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Krager Labs LLC
- Size
- 124.1 MB
- Category
- Medical
- 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. - Apple Watch
Requires watchOS 10.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- In-App Purchases
Yes
- Pro $59.99
- Pro $59.99
- Pro $9.99
- Pro $6.99
- Pro $9.99
- Buddy+ Friend $0.00
- Copyright
- © Krager Labs LLC