Help

Nothing appears when people talk.

Look for the small blue light at the top right of the screen. If it is not there, tap Start. If it is there, move the phone closer to the person talking. The app writes nothing while the room is quiet, so a quiet room gives a blank screen. That is normal.

The phone says the microphone is off.

Open your iPhone Settings, scroll down to Hearing Words, and turn on Microphone.

The words are too small.

Tap the gear, then choose a bigger Size. XXL is the largest. You can also turn the phone on its side.

A name is wrong, or two people got the same name.

Press and hold on their words. You can rename the person, or say that two names are the same person.

A word keeps coming out wrong.

Tap the gear, then Boost words, and type the word or name. The app will spell it your way from then on.

The buttons disappeared.

They hide while you read. Tap anywhere on the screen and they come back.

It will not write down my phone calls.

Hearing Words is for the people in the room with you. For phone calls, use Live Captions, which is built into your iPhone.

What does it cost?

Your first hour of live captions is free. After that, choose one. Both give you unlimited listening:

• Hearing Words Forever: $34.99, paid once. Yours for good.
• Hearing Words Yearly: $9.99 a year. It renews each year until you cancel.

Both give you the very same app. There are no ads and no other charges. Prices are in US dollars; the App Store shows the price where you live.

The free hour only counts while the app is listening. It is not a trial of the yearly plan, and nothing is charged unless you choose a plan.

How do I buy it?

Tap the gear, then Unlock Hearing Words. You can do this at any time, even before your free hour is used up. Apple takes the payment. We never see your card or your name.

Can my family share it?

Yes. Both plans work with Family Sharing. A son or daughter can buy it and share it with you, and you do not pay again.

What happens when my free hour runs out?

The app never stops in the middle of a conversation. The one on screen carries on until you tap Stop. The next time you tap Start, the app asks you to choose a plan. Your saved conversations and Settings still work either way.

How much of my free hour is left?

Tap the gear. The time left is shown near the top of Settings.

I paid, but it says my free hour is over.

Tap the gear, then Restore purchase. Make sure your iPhone is signed in with the same Apple ID you used to pay. If that does not fix it, email us.

I have a new iPhone. Do I pay again?

No. Install Hearing Words on the new phone, tap the gear, then Restore purchase. Your plan comes back at no charge, as long as the phone uses the same Apple ID.

How do I cancel the yearly plan?

Open your iPhone Settings, tap your name at the top, then Subscriptions, then Hearing Words, then Cancel Subscription.

You can also get there from the app: tap the gear, then Manage subscription.

Cancel at least 24 hours before your year is up, or it will renew. After you cancel, the app keeps working until the end of the year you paid for.

Can I get my money back?

Apple takes the payment, so Apple handles refunds. Go to reportaproblem.apple.com, sign in, and choose the purchase. If you get stuck, email us and we will help.

How many conversations are kept?

The app keeps your 30 most recent conversations. When a new one is saved after that, the oldest one is removed to make room.

To keep one for good, open it from History and tap Share. You can send it to yourself by email or Messages, or save it to Notes.

How do I delete them?

Tap the gear, then History. Swipe a conversation to the left to delete it, or tap Delete all sessions. Deleting the app deletes all of them.