What's new in Helperbird

Word Prediction, Rebuilt From Scratch ⚡

Word prediction now runs on Helperbird's own engine, built right into the extension. Suggestions appear the moment you start typing instead of after a pause on every page, everything happens on your device with nothing sent away, and the rest of Helperbird wakes up faster too.

Suggestions That Fit Your Sentence 🧠

Predictions now read the words you have already written instead of simply offering the most common ones. Type "I want to" and you are offered be, do, get and make; type "I would like to m" and you get make and meet rather than my. Start in an empty box and Helperbird offers real sentence openers like I, The and We.

A Much Bigger English Vocabulary 📚

English word prediction has grown from about 19,000 words to more than 46,000, including everyday words the old list simply did not have — minecraft, chromebook, iphone, netflix — plus irregular forms like went, children and taught. A few words that were quietly missing, such as "I'm", are back where they belong.

Spelling Help That Reads Like You Spell 🔤

Word prediction can now find the word you meant from the way it sounds, not just the letters you typed — fone finds phone, enuf finds enough, skool finds school, becuz finds because and nolij finds knowledge. Corrections are marked in the suggestion bar, and there is a Spelling corrections switch in settings if you would rather not see them.

Sound-Alike Words, Side by Side 👂

Finish a word that is easy to mix up and Helperbird offers the words that sound the same right next to it — their/there/they're, your/you're, its/it's, to/too/two and dozens more. A spellchecker never flags these because they are spelled correctly, so now you can just pick the right one from the bar. English for now.

It Remembers the Words You Use 🧩

Word prediction now keeps what it learns from page to page and day to day, so names, hobbies and subject words you type start appearing as suggestions and stop being flagged as misspellings. A word has to be typed three separate times before it is learned, so one-off typos never stick, words you stop using fade away, and it all stays on your device — "Clear learned words" in settings wipes the lot.

Topic Word Banks for What You're Working On 🔬

Pick a Topic — Science, History, Geography, Space or Animals — and word prediction leans towards that subject's vocabulary, so the words you actually need are in the bar instead of buried, and they are never marked as spelling mistakes. It is in beta and English only for now.

A "This Page" Topic That Follows Your Reading 📄

Choose "This page" as your Topic and Helperbird builds a word list from the article or assignment open in front of you, so its names and subject words are ready when you write about it. It is worked out entirely on your device, only for that page, and nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

Hear Each Sentence as You Finish It 🗣️

Switch on "Read sentence" and Helperbird speaks each sentence back to you as soon as you end it with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark — on websites, in rich text boxes and in Google Docs. Hearing what you wrote is often the quickest way to catch the word that came out wrong.

Choose a Word With a Number Key 1️⃣

Every suggestion now carries a number, and holding Alt and pressing that number picks it straight away (Ctrl+Alt on Firefox) — no arrowing along the bar first. The suggestion buttons are bigger as well, so they are easier to hit with a mouse, a finger or a switch.

A Suggestion Bar That Suits Your Eyes 👀

The suggestion bar now comes in four sizes — Small, Regular, Large and Extra large — and the whole bar scales, not just the text, so the buttons grow with it. There is a dark version too, set to light, dark, or automatic so it follows your system.

Word Prediction Where You Actually Write ✍️

Word prediction now follows you into Word Online, Microsoft 365 and SharePoint, and into many more rich text boxes around the web that it used to miss. It deliberately stays out of code editors, and it will never suggest from, or learn from, password, card-number or security-code boxes.

Better Predictions in Five Languages 🌍

Spanish, French, German and Portuguese now get the same next-word know-how English has, so "quiero ir a" suggests casa and trabajar, and "je veux" suggests savoir. Portuguese joins the list of supported languages, and words with apostrophes finally complete properly — type l'éco and you get l'école.

Smoother Word Prediction in Google Docs 📝

Suggestions in Google Docs now arrive about twice as fast, and the suggestion bar sits just under your cursor instead of waiting at the bottom of the window. Accented letters go in properly as well — école, ação and mañana used to arrive mangled, and now they don't.

Follow Along Word by Word 🖍️

Helperbird can highlight each word as it reads aloud, so it is easy to keep your place — in Reading Mode and when you read a selection. Choose your own highlight colour, and see it on a live preview before you commit. On by default in Beta features.

Try New Features Early With Beta Features 🧪

There is a Beta features section in Helperbird's settings where you can turn on what we are still testing. Four things live there now: highlighting each word as it is read aloud, making view-only Google Slides readable, extending that to full-screen presentations, and typing dictation straight into the page. Word highlighting and readable Slides are on already; presentation mode and dictation into the page are off until you switch them on. Beta features can change, and if your school or workplace manages Helperbird your administrator can decide which are available.

Dictate Straight Into the Box You're Writing In 🎤

Turn on "Type dictation into the page" in Beta features and voice typing puts your words straight into the box you were already typing in — including Google Docs — instead of into a separate panel you then have to copy from. Helperbird shows you which box it is typing into, and it never dictates into password, payment or security-code boxes.

One Capture for Words and Equations 🔢

Math Reader is no longer a separate feature, and there is no mode to switch on either — the Screenshot Reader now works out for itself what is inside the box you drag. A page that mixes ordinary writing with equations comes back in one go, in the right order, with the maths readable in Immersive Reader instead of arriving as jumbled symbols. If an equation cannot be shown as proper maths it is read out in plain words instead, and Helperbird tells you that is what happened, rather than leaving an error box in the reader.

Explain It Instead of Just Reading It 💡

New Explain mode in the Screenshot Reader: drag a box around a confusing paragraph, chart, diagram, table or formula and get a plain-English explanation instead of a straight copy of the words. The explanation appears in a card right beside what you captured, with Listen and Copy buttons, or opens in Immersive Reader if that is how you prefer to read.

Google Slides You Can Actually Read 📊

View-only Slides decks normally hide their text from Helperbird, and most class decks have downloading switched off. Now when you open one, Helperbird switches to a plain-text version of the same deck so your font, ruler, colour overlay and read-aloud all work — and your browser's Back button returns you to the slides. Decks you can edit are never changed, and full-screen presentations are left alone unless you opt in.

Extract Text Is Now Screenshot Reader 📸

Extract text (OCR) has been renamed Screenshot Reader — the name most people already use for capturing text from an image, a scan or a website. The new name appears in the popup, on the floating toolbar and in the PDF reader, and searching for "extract text" or "OCR" still takes you straight to it.

Your Capture Goes to One Place, Not Five 🎯

In the Screenshot Reader, where your capture ends up — Immersive Reader, Translate, Listen, Save as note or Copy to clipboard — is now a single choice instead of five switches that could all be on at once. Pick one and the others switch off, so a capture can never land in three places; switch them all off and it goes to your clipboard.

Translate, Rebuilt Around Two Clear Buttons 🌍

Translate no longer asks you to pick a "translation engine" before it will do anything. There is one language menu and two plainly named buttons — Translate page and Translate text — and the text box is always visible, already filled in with whatever you had highlighted. On a Pro account your translation now appears in the panel itself, with the language it detected, Play and Pause, Copy, and Start over, so pressing Listen starts speaking straight away instead of opening a second window that sat there silent.

Long Lists Are Now Simple Dropdowns 📋

Dark Reader's themes, High Contrast's colour styles and word prediction's language and topic pickers used to be long scrolling columns of buttons. Each is now a single dropdown — one tap on a touchscreen, type a letter to jump to what you want on a keyboard, and one clear control for screen readers instead of dozens of separate buttons.

Every Setting Has Its Own Icon 🎯

Dark Reader, the reading ruler, Word prediction and the Screenshot Reader now show a small icon beside each setting — Height, Width, Colour, Transparency, Language, Read sentence and the rest — so you can spot the one you want at a glance instead of reading down a list of words.

Your Own Colours Stay Where You Left Them 🎨

Pick a custom colour anywhere Helperbird offers swatches and it now stays on the palette as one more colour you can come back to, even after you try a preset, with its own edit button when you want to change it. Only the colour you are actually using shows a tick, and colours saved in older formats open correctly instead of jumping to black.

Helperbird Feels Lighter and Faster ⚡

The part of Helperbird that runs quietly behind your tabs now loads a fraction of what it used to — around 4MB down to under 300KB — so it wakes up faster every time you use a feature. Busy pages like Gmail no longer stutter when a setting is saved, selecting text stays quick on very long pages, and Google Docs no longer gets heavier the longer you leave it open. Popup search is instant again too, which was most noticeable on school Chromebooks.

A Shorter, Simpler Feature List ✂️

Schools and workplaces told us Helperbird's feature list had grown overwhelming, so four features have been retired: Speed Reading, Text stroke, Print and Paragraph columns. Print only ever opened your browser's own print box, and Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on a Mac) still does exactly the same thing. Your settings for everything else are untouched.

Two Switches Where There Used to Be Four 🔀

Hide images and Hide GIFs are now one "Hide images & GIFs" toggle, and Show link descriptions and Show image descriptions are now one "Show descriptions" toggle. If you had either of the old switches turned on, the new combined one turns on for you — there is nothing to set up again.

Keyboard Access, Restored ♿

Arrow keys for turning pages in the PDF reader, and Escape for leaving Reading Mode, used to quietly stop working the moment any setting changed — even a change you made in another tab. The word prediction bar was ignoring its own Alt+Arrow, Alt+Enter and Escape keys too, so if you use a keyboard rather than a mouse you could not pick a suggestion at all. Both work properly again, accepting a word no longer throws your cursor out of the box you were typing in, and the suggestion bar follows along as you scroll.

Dark Reader Has Its Own Shortcut Again ⌨️

Dark Reader's keyboard shortcut used to switch on the reading ruler instead, because both features were listening for the same key. Dark Reader has its own key now: Alt+Shift+W on Windows and Chromebook, Option+W on a Mac. The reading ruler keeps D, so nothing changes if that is the one you use. The Immersive Reader shortcut also opens the reader once now, instead of stacking up extra copies.

PDF Reader Fixes 📄

A password-protected or damaged file used to report success, open nothing and wipe the document you already had open — Helperbird now checks the new file first, tells you honestly when it cannot open it, and leaves your current document alone. Reopening a PDF takes you back to the page you were on — and opening a different one no longer drops you at the previous file's page — annotations and drawings stay locked to the right spot when you resize the window or open the notepad, and long books stay smooth while being read aloud. Dictation no longer gives out after about twenty minutes, and translating a PDF into Hebrew or Filipino finally works.

Dictation Into Google Docs Now Works Properly 🎤

With "Type dictation into the page" switched on, speaking into a Google Doc could do nothing at all — the words went nowhere and the microphone button never lit up to show it was listening. Helperbird now connects to the document before it starts, holds on to anything you say while the page is still loading rather than losing it, and tells you plainly if it cannot connect instead of leaving you talking to a microphone that is not recording. The toolbar button also lights up while it listens and goes out when it stops — including when it stops itself after 30 seconds of silence, which used to leave the button lit over a session that had already ended.

Read Aloud and Voice Typing Tell You the Truth 🔊

Read aloud used to show "Playing" and then sit in silence when the browser had blocked audio; it now says what happened so you can allow sound and try again. Voice typing reports problems in plain language instead of a technical error code, and the microphone button no longer stays lit after recording has stopped.

A Popup That Stays Put 🧰

The Display and Media panels now scroll, so the settings that used to sit below the bottom edge are reachable again. Open panels, colour pickers and slider positions also stop resetting themselves when something saves in the background, such as a licence check or a change synced from another device.

Printing Works With Your Reading Settings On 🖨️

With the colour overlay, reading ruler, Line Focus, Dark Reader or High Contrast switched on, printing a page could come out blank, solid-coloured or inverted. Helperbird now prints the page's own colours and leaves everything you have set up on screen exactly as it is — you no longer have to turn features off just to print.

Managed Licences Apply Properly at School and Work 🏫

When your school or workplace sets Helperbird up for everyone, the licence could go unrecognised and quietly drop you back to the free version. Your organisation's licence is now found reliably, so the features you are entitled to are there from the start. An administrator turning off link emphasis was also switching off link tooltips instead; each setting now does what its name says.

Fits Smaller Screens and Chromebooks 💻

Helperbird's dialogs — Listen, Voice typing, Translate, Summarize, Simplify, Grammar check, Screenshot Reader and Shortcuts — now size themselves to your browser window instead of a fixed height, so the controls at the bottom are no longer cut off on a Chromebook or a short screen. The Listen text box also fills the space it is given, instead of leaving an empty gap under the player.

Everything New Speaks Your Language 🌍

Every new label in this release — Explain mode, Read sentence, Spelling corrections, the topic list and the merged toggles — is translated across every language Helperbird supports. Everything the word prediction bar announces to a screen reader is now spoken in your language rather than English, and Voice Typing problems come through as a plain message instead of a technical English error code.

Little Things You'll Notice 🛠️

The highlight menu now appears on PDF pages, so selecting text in a PDF gives you the same actions as anywhere else. The help buttons on Word prediction, Voice typing and Auto scroll opened the wrong article — each now opens its own. And the arrow that shows or hides the full feature list points the way it moves: down to open, up to close.

Color Overlay Is Now Its Own Feature 🎨

The color overlay has moved out of Dyslexia Support and into its own home in the features list — with its own color swatches and opacity slider. Your overlay tint is now completely independent from your reading ruler, so you can style each one exactly how you like.

A Whole New Way to Add Text to PDFs ✍️

Text boxes in the PDF reader got a big upgrade: what you type is exactly what you see, with a floating toolbar attached to the box, a proper corner resize handle, and rich text — bold, italic, underline, colors, sizes and lists — that survives when you export. New boxes now land in the reading area of the page, and Escape finishes editing.

New Tools Menu in the PDF Reader 🧰

Immersive Reader, Translate, Summarize and Extract Text now live together in one tidy Tools menu at the top of the PDF reader. Translate grabs the page or your highlighted text and opens it in Immersive Reader with translation already switched on.

Text to Speech Reads It All 🔊

Long articles are no longer cut off part-way through a read-aloud — Helperbird now reads the whole thing, smoothly refreshing behind the scenes on longer sessions. We also fixed voices not loading on some PDF pages and read-aloud ending abruptly in Reader Mode.

A Calmer, More Consistent Design 🧘

Every settings panel — Dark Reader, Color Overlay, Dyslexia Support, Word Prediction and more — now shares one clean layout: a clear Settings section, tidier headers and spacing, sliders with visible values and plus/minus buttons, refreshed color swatches, and proper icons for Dark Reader themes and text alignment.

A Sleeker Highlight Menu ✨

The menu that appears when you select text has been redesigned as a rounded pill with circular buttons — matching the floating toolbar, taking up less of the page, and feeling much more at home on any website.

Your Notes and Highlights Are Safer 🗂️

We fixed rare cases where larger notes, documents and reading-list items could silently fail to save or overwrite each other. Sticky notes now appear right where you're looking — even on long, scrolled pages — and bringing a note to the front actually brings it to the front.

A Snappier Popup ⚡

Search in the popup now opens instantly instead of showing a fake loading screen, word prediction is lighter on your browser, and the green Active checks in the features list now always reflect what's really on.

Even Better with Keyboards and Screen Readers ♿

A huge accessibility pass across the popup and PDF reader: dialogs announce their names properly, focus stays where you'd expect, highlights can be activated from the keyboard, sliders and toolbar buttons have real labels, and toggles announce their on/off state.

Sharper Translations 🌍

We translated dozens of missing interface strings across all of our languages, rebuilt the Serbian translation, and fixed notifications that could show up blank — so messages like "Helperbird paused" now actually say so, in your language.

Little Things You'll Notice 🛠️

Zoom no longer shrinks the page on its first toggle, video playback speed returns to normal when you turn the feature off, Line Focus no longer blocks clicking, and Helperbird Pro reconnects quickly after a network blip instead of waiting hours.

Much Better Translations in 40+ Languages 🌍

We've completely re-done Helperbird's interface translations across every language we support, fixing grammar, spelling and wording so the whole app reads naturally — whether you use it in Portuguese, Spanish, French, Arabic, Japanese or any of our 40+ languages. With big thanks to the user who let us know the Portuguese translations needed work.

A Real Editor for Your Notes ✍️

Helperbird Notes now opens each note in a full editor, so you can write, edit and tidy a note in a focused space and save it back to your dashboard with a click — no more cramped editing in a tiny box.

Cleaner PDF Export from Notes 🖨️

Exporting your notes to PDF now groups everything neatly by website with a tidier, more readable layout that's nicer to print or share — and it handles blocked pop-ups gracefully, so your export always comes through.

Reading Tools Now Guide You on Google Docs, Sheets & Slides 🔵

Some reading tools work differently inside Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, where the page lives on Google's own canvas rather than the open web. Instead of just showing those tools as unavailable there, Helperbird now points you to the free Helperbird Google Workspace add-on that gives you the same controls right inside your document.

Find the Floating Toolbar More Easily 🧰

Haven't spotted the floating toolbar yet? A friendly hand-drawn hint now points it out in the popup, so it's easy to discover and try — one tap puts Read Aloud, Dictionary, Translate, the Reading Ruler and more on any page, without opening the popup. The hint tidies itself away once you turn the toolbar on.

Make It Readable in Google Docs, Sheets & Slides 📖

The Helperbird add-on for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides has a new Make it Readable tool. Open it from the toolbar and use two simple sliders to set your text size — anywhere from 8 up to 36pt — and your line spacing, from single all the way up to triple. Your changes apply either to just the text you've selected or to everything at once. Larger text and more generous spacing cut the visual crowding that makes reading hard if you have dyslexia or low vision, and because Helperbird adjusts the formatting in the document itself, it stays that way when you share, present, or print.

The Floating Toolbar 🧰

Helperbird now has a floating toolbar — a small pill that sits on top of any web page and puts your most-used tools one tap away, without opening the popup. Read Aloud, Dictionary, Translate, Immersive Reader, Word Prediction, Voice Typing, the Reading Ruler, Reading Mode, and Extract Text (OCR) are all right there, plus a button to open the full side panel. It's built in an isolated layer so it never clashes with a page's own fonts or styling, and it's fully keyboard and screen-reader accessible.

Put the Toolbar Where You Want It 🎯

Drag the toolbar anywhere on screen and it remembers where you left it. You can reposition it with the keyboard too — focus the grip handle and use the arrow keys, holding Shift for fine one-pixel nudges. Collapse it down to just the owl when you want it out of the way, expand it when you need it, and turn the whole thing on or off from the new toolbar button in the popup header.

Use Your Tools Even While Paused ⏸️

Even with Helperbird paused, you can switch a tool on straight from the toolbar and it runs right there on the page. It stays local to that page and clears itself when you refresh or navigate away, so it never changes your saved settings or affects your other tabs. Toggle tools like Word Prediction and the Reading Ruler clearly show when they're active, and Voice Typing opens a tidy dictation popover on the page.

Works in Lockdown & Kiosk Mode 🔒

Because the floating toolbar lives on the web page rather than in the browser's chrome, it keeps working in lockdown and kiosk mode — locked-down exam browsers, kiosks, and locked quizzes where the toolbar is hidden and the usual popup can't open. So students keep one-tap access to their tools right on the page, exactly when the other ways in are gone. Administrators can force it on for every page through managed policy, and any admin-locked setting now shows a 'Managed by your admin' label instead of just looking greyed-out.

Word Prediction, Redesigned & Draggable 💬

Word prediction has a fresh look that matches the new floating toolbar — a clean horizontal pill of word suggestions. And like the toolbar, you can grab it by the grip and drag it anywhere on the page; it remembers where you put it, so it stays out of the way of whatever you're writing.

Clearer, More Consistent Icons 🎨

Every feature icon across the popup and the Quick Actions menu has been redrawn into a single, unified icon set with cleaner shapes and better contrast, so each tool is easier to recognise at a glance — a real help for low-vision users. Feature icons now sit in soft, colour-coded badges that make the whole popup quicker to scan.

Easier Quick Actions Customising ⚡

The Quick Actions customise screen — where you choose which tools show up in your quick menu — is much easier to use. Every feature now appears with its real colour-coded icon and a clean, readable name, so you can scan the list and pick your favourites at a glance, with a bold green check marking the ones you've already added.

Redesigned Notifications 🔔

Helperbird's on-screen notifications have a fresh look that matches the new floating toolbar — a deep, rounded pill with the Helperbird owl on the left and rich jewel-tone colours for success, info, warning, and error messages. They're easier to read and consistent whether they pop up on a web page or inside Helperbird's own apps, and notifications you can click now have a subtle hover effect so you know they'll do something.

Bolder Quick Action Buttons ⭕

The round Quick Action buttons now have a thicker outline, so they stand out more clearly and are easier to aim at — a small touch that helps if you have low vision or find precise clicking difficult.

New Handwriting Font: Coming Soon ✍️

Coming Soon is a friendly, casual handwriting-style font that makes any page read like neat hand-lettering instead of a printed screen. It joins OpenDyslexic, Lexend Deca, Comic Sans, and our other accessibility-friendly fonts in the Font picker — pick it from the Font feature menu and it applies wherever Helperbird's Font feature reaches: every web page, Reading Mode, the PDF reader, Notes, Reading List, the Editor, and the Equation Editor. Designed by Open Window and licensed under Apache 2.0, so it's free for anyone to use anywhere. iPad supported.

Highlight Words As They're Read Aloud 🖍️

Read aloud can now highlight each word on the page as it's spoken — karaoke style — in Reading Mode, on selected text (the selection toolbar or the right-click menu), and in the PDF reader, auto-scrolling to keep the current word in view. Turn it on under Settings → Beta features and pick your highlight colour. Works with local browser voices.

Chemistry Mode for Voice Typing 🧪

Voice typing has a new Chemistry mode — speak chemistry and Helperbird writes the formula. Say "H two O" and get H₂O, "sulfuric acid" → H₂SO₄, "sulfate" → SO₄²⁻, "calcium hydroxide" → Ca(OH)₂. It even balances spoken equations: "two H two plus O two yields two H two O" becomes 2H₂ + O₂ → 2H₂O, correctly keeping the coefficient full-size while subscripting the atom counts. Chemistry mode knows all 118 elements, common compounds, acids and bases, polyatomic ions, isotopes ("carbon fourteen" → ¹⁴C), hydrates, organic groups, reaction arrows, and state symbols. Turn it on from the voice typing options menu — a 🧪 badge shows when it's active.

Physics Mode for Voice Typing ⚛

A new Physics mode converts spoken physics into notation — units, vectors, constants, and all the maths. Say "ten newtons" → 10 N, "nine point eight metres per second squared" → 9.8 m/s², "vector F" → F⃗, "vector v cross vector B" → v⃗ × B⃗. Because physics is maths plus units, everything Math mode does works here too — Greek letters, exponents, fractions, and constants like the speed of light. Pick it from the voice typing options menu; an ⚛ badge shows when it's on.

Pick Your Voice Mode: Regular, Math, Chemistry, Physics 🎙️

The voice typing options menu now offers four mutually-exclusive modes — Regular (plain text), Math, Chemistry, and Physics. Choose one and it stays set, with a badge on the mic button so you always know how your dictation will be interpreted. The setting follows you across the popup, the PDF reader, and the Equation Editor.

Features Now Sorted A–Z 🔤

Both the popup's main features list and the Quick Actions picker now sort every feature alphabetically by name. No more hunting down the line to find Translate or Word Prediction — Grammar, Highlight Menu, Immersive Reader, Notes, PDF Reader, Reading Mode, Simplify, Summarize, Translate appear in the order you'd actually look for them. Sorting is locale-aware, so French, Spanish, and Japanese users see correct alphabetical ordering in their own language. Emoji prefixes on each feature name are ignored when sorting, so 'Grammar' sorts under G rather than under whatever glyph happens to precede it.

Brand New Equation Editor 🧮

Helperbird now has a dedicated Equation Editor — a full-page app for writing math without fighting a tiny popup. Type LaTeX shortcuts (\frac, \sqrt, \int), pick symbols from the on-screen math keyboard, or just dictate the equation out loud and let Helperbird convert your speech into proper math notation. Perfect for students, teachers, and anyone who needs to write math but isn't comfortable with LaTeX. Opens in its own browser tab so you have plenty of room to think — the cramped little equation box in the popup is gone.

Dictate Equations Out Loud 🎤

Click the mic button in the editor and say what you want — "x squared plus y squared equals z squared" becomes x² + y² = z² right in front of you. Math Mode is always on in the equation editor, so Greek letters, fractions, integrals, exponents, square roots, and common math vocabulary all just work. A live "Hearing…" preview shows you what's being heard as you speak, with the mathified version updating in real time so you can see the conversion happen. The mic auto-stops after 45 seconds of silence so a forgotten session won't sit there listening.

Read Equations Aloud With Immersive Reader 🔊

Click Read Aloud and Helperbird sends your equation to Microsoft's Immersive Reader, which reads it back in proper math language — "x squared" rather than "x caret two". The same reader used for math captured from images, so equations sound consistent whether you typed them, dictated them, or scanned them from a textbook. Great for proof-reading, accessibility, and anyone learning to recognise spoken math.

Copy Or Download Your Equation Anywhere 📋

Three Copy options — LaTeX (paste into Overleaf, Notion, Google Docs), MathML (paste into accessible web pages and screen-reader-aware editors), or Image (paste into Slack, Word, email, anywhere). Plus a dedicated Download button saves your equation as a PNG file you can attach, drag into other apps, or keep on disk. The image is rendered with proper math fonts so it looks crisp wherever you paste it, not like a screenshot of the editor.

Managed Subscriptions Activate Reliably on Chromebooks 🏫

Fixed an issue where students on school-managed Chromebooks could see Helperbird Free even though their district had pushed a subscription key through Chrome's enterprise policy. The licence check on a fresh install was running before the managed key had finished syncing, so the first validation hit the server with no key and cached the user as Free until the next routine check hours later. The check now waits for managed settings to load before validating, so enterprise subscriptions unlock immediately on install. The same fix applies when a district enables admin control after the extension is already installed.

Check Subscription Button Now Performs a Live Check 🔄

The 'Check Subscription' button in the popup used to only show whatever subscription state was last cached — it never actually contacted our servers to refresh. That meant if anything had cached a stale 'Free' state (network hiccup during a routine check, an enterprise subscription that hadn't synced yet, a recent renewal), clicking the button would just confirm the stale state over and over. The button now performs a real server check on each click, so a single click can resolve any stuck status — no reset or reinstall required.

Extract Text Reliable on Every Display 🖼️

Extract Text (OCR) used to silently return blank or partial results on certain setups — Retina Macs in scaled "More Space" modes, Windows at 125%/150% display scaling, Chromebooks paired with external monitors, and any tab with a custom browser zoom. The crop now measures the actual screenshot instead of guessing from your display ratio, so the highlighted region gets captured cleanly on every device. The selection overlay is also fully cleared before the screenshot is taken — no more dark shade leaking into the image on slower tabs — and underlying capture errors like Chrome's rate limit or restricted pages now log a clear reason instead of a generic failure.

Maths Reader Preserves Multi-Line Layout 🧮

When the Maths Reader extracted math from an image that spanned multiple lines — a system of equations, step-by-step working, or aligned equations — the result could collapse onto a single line in Immersive Reader. Helperbird now preserves the original layout from the image: stacked equations stay stacked, aligned working stays aligned, and step-by-step solutions read line-by-line the way you wrote them.

Speech to Math for Voice Typing 🧮

Turn on Math Mode in voice typing and speak equations the way you read them — Helperbird converts your speech into proper math notation. Say "x squared plus three y" and get x² + 3y. Say "alpha equals pi r squared" and get α = πr². Math Mode covers a huge vocabulary across math, physics, and chemistry, including Greek letters, fractions, integrals, derivatives, exponents, and chemical formulas. Just open the voice typing options menu and toggle it on — a small π badge shows when it's active so you always know your dictation is being mathified. Works in the popup and in the PDF reader.

A Better Dictionary 📓

The dictionary lookup page got a major refresh. Tap the speaker button next to any word — or any example sentence — to hear it read aloud in your chosen TTS voice. Perfect for ESL learners, dyslexic readers, and anyone unsure how to pronounce a tricky word. Pronunciation guides (the /ˈbætmən/ format) now appear under the headword when available, and there's a new Opposite words section alongside Similar words. The page remembers your recent lookups so you can revisit them with a single tap, and each search now updates the URL — meaning browser back, forward, and reload all just work. Press / from anywhere on the page to jump straight to the search box, and look up phrases like "ice cream" — the old single-word-only restriction has been lifted. The Wikipedia link in the corner finally takes you somewhere useful too.

More Natural Voices for Text to Speech 🌍

Pro users get a fresh batch of Azure Neural voices for popular regional languages — Spanish (Mexico), Brazilian Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, and French (both Metropolitan and Canadian). Pick voices like Dalia, Jorge, Francisca, Antônio, Xiaoxiao, Yunxi, Nanami, Keita, Sun-Hi, InJoon, Swara, Madhur, Henri, Sylvie, or Antoine for warmer, more natural-sounding playback in your preferred language and region.

Highlights & Notes Without Storage Limits 💾

If you save a lot of highlights or sticky notes, you may have noticed Chrome's sync storage filling up and silently dropping data. Helperbird now splits large saves into chunks behind the scenes, so you can keep as many highlights and notes as you need. If sync ever does fill up, your data automatically falls back to local storage and stays accessible. Existing highlights and notes upgrade automatically on first load — nothing for you to do.

Cleaner Voice Typing Menu ✨

The voice typing options menu has been tidied up. Math Mode sits at the top of the dropdown with a clear on/off check, and Listen, Copy, Clear, and Print are grouped below — only active once you've dictated something. The mic button in the PDF reader now shows the Math Mode indicator too, so the same setting follows you between the popup and PDFs.

Floating Helperbird Button 🦉

A new floating button can now appear on every page, giving you quick access to open Helperbird's side panel with a single click. Perfect for kiosk mode, locked mode Chromebooks, or any setup where the browser toolbar is hidden. Admins can enable it through managed JSON policy, and users can toggle it on or off in settings. The button defaults to the bottom-left corner but can be moved to the right via settings or admin policy. You can also drag it temporarily out of the way — it snaps back on the next page load.

Better Word Prediction 🔮

The word prediction bar now renders with proper background colors and styling on all websites. Fixed an issue where page styles could leak into the prediction bar, and the bar is now properly centered at the bottom of the screen. Predictions continue to learn from your writing and persist across sessions.

Faster, Smarter Font Engine ⚡

The font override engine has been completely rewritten. Instead of walking through every element on the page, Helperbird now applies fonts using lightweight CSS classes on the body. Pages feel noticeably snappier, especially on content-heavy sites like Google Docs and news articles. Icon fonts like Font Awesome, Material Icons, Bootstrap Icons, and others are now fully protected — even deeply nested icons won't break into squares anymore.

Text to Speech Engine Switching 🗣️

Text to Speech now has a proper engine manager under the hood. Free users get browser voices, Pro users can switch to Azure Neural voices. If Azure fails or you go offline, Helperbird automatically falls back to browser voices and restores your preferred engine when you're back online. Voice selection is now a single dropdown showing all available voices with clear Pro labeling.

PDF Editor Improvements ✏️

Text boxes in the PDF editor now auto-grow as you type, support more font sizes, and preserve list formatting when saving. Drawing tools got a full accessibility pass — the canvas has proper ARIA roles, screen reader announcements for shape selection, and keyboard support for deleting and moving shapes. Text export layout has also been tightened up so downloaded PDFs look closer to what you see on screen.

Keyboard Controls Across the Board ⌨️

Every modal in the app now has proper focus trapping, so Tab and Shift+Tab cycle through controls without escaping into the background. The color picker supports arrow key navigation. Escape closes modals everywhere, including the accessibility profiles confirm dialog. Redundant Enter/Space handlers have been cleaned up across dozens of components.

Smarter Word Prediction 🔮

Word prediction got a big upgrade. Predictions now persist across sessions using storage, so it remembers what you type. It learns from context as you write, has domain-aware fallback word lists, and works inside rich text editors and PDF text boxes. Duplicate suggestions are filtered out and results are sorted by how often they actually appear in real text.

Banner Now Lives at the Top 🔔

The status banner has been moved to the top of the popup and now uses a priority system. It detects offline status in real time, shows helpful tips on Google Slides, and handles subscription states like trial, past-due, and paused with clear messaging and direct links to fix things.

Fresh Logo 🐦

Helperbird is rocking a fresh new logo across the popup, reading list, dictionary, and all browser manifests. Same bird, cooler look.

Cleaner Architecture Under the Hood 🏗️

Replaced prop drilling with Vue's provide/inject pattern across 39 components, cutting roughly 1,400 lines of repetitive wiring. The background service worker has been split into focused modules for tab management, messaging, managed storage, and lifecycle events. None of this changes what you see, but it means fewer bugs and faster updates going forward.

Drawing Tools for PDFs 🎨

You can now draw directly on PDF pages. Freehand pen, rectangles, ovals, lines, and arrows are all included. Pick your color, adjust the stroke width, and your drawings stay visible even when you close the toolbar. Everything gets saved when you download the annotated PDF.

Move and Delete Individual Drawings ✏️

Made a mistake? Use the new Select tool to click any drawing, drag it to a new spot, or delete it with one tap. You can also use keyboard arrows to nudge shapes around and Delete to remove them.

Font Size Picker for PDF Text Boxes 🔤

Text boxes on PDFs now have a font size option. Choose from Small, Normal, Medium, Large, or X-Large right in the toolbar. Your chosen size carries over when you download the annotated PDF.

PDF Resizes with Your Window 📐

The PDF viewer now automatically adjusts when you resize your browser window or toggle the split view. No more fixed-size pages that don't fit your screen.

Immersive Reader Remembers Your Settings 📖

Fixed an issue where the Immersive Reader in the PDF tool wasn't loading your saved preferences like font size, text spacing, and color themes. Your settings now carry over correctly, just like they do on regular websites.

Accessibility Profiles ♿

New one-click profiles in Settings that apply recommended settings for different needs. Choose from Dyslexia, ADHD & Focus, Low Vision, Section 508, Reading Comfort, and Motor Accessibility. Each profile shows exactly what it changes before you apply it.

Rebuilt Notes App with Search 📝

The Notes app has been completely rebuilt as a standalone page. You can now search through all your notes by keyword, notes display in a cleaner card layout, and the new export flow lets you save notes as PDF or text. The tabs have been redesigned and the empty states are more helpful.

Refreshed Reading List 📚

The Reading List has been refreshed with a new search bar to quickly find saved pages. Items are now clickable cards, and the overall layout is cleaner and more modern.

Add Text Boxes to PDFs ✏️

A new Add Textbox button in the PDF toolbar lets you add text boxes directly onto any PDF page. Text boxes can be moved and resized, and they stack neatly when you add more than one. You can also insert text from the Notepad into the PDF.

Redesigned PDF Toolbar 🛠️

The PDF Reader toolbar has been reorganized with circle buttons for Text-to-Speech, Add Textbox, Download, Notepad, and Open PDF. The Helperbird logo now uses a fun new design, and the layout is cleaner on all screen sizes.

Word Prediction Bar Position Setting 📍

You can now choose where the word prediction bar appears on screen. Pick Bottom (default) to show it along the bottom, or Left Side to display it as a vertical bar on the left of the screen.

Smarter Word Prediction Engine 🧠

Word prediction is now smarter at catching misspellings. It uses keyboard-aware corrections (knowing which keys are next to each other), phonetic matching (so 'fone' suggests 'phone'), and pattern-based fixes for common errors like swapped letters, double letters, and ie/ei mix-ups.

Redesigned Voice Typing ✨

Voice Typing has a fresh new look. The text area now stretches to fill the full panel, includes helpful placeholder text, and uses a simpler native text input instead of the old rich text editor.

Redesigned Simplify, Grammar, and Summarize Panels ✨

All three tool panels now share a consistent modern design: full-height text areas, helpful placeholder text, a smooth single-block loading animation, and circle action buttons for Listen, Start Over, and Copy.

Report an Issue Button 🐛

A new Report an Issue button in Settings lets you copy your current configuration and send it to our support team for faster troubleshooting.

Smarter Account Banners 🔔

The Account page now shows helpful messages only when needed. Login prompts disappear once you are signed in, and the sync reminder only shows if your browser sync is not enabled.

Major Accessibility Improvements ♿

Skip-to-content links on all pages, proper aria labels on all buttons and icons, Escape key closes all modals, screen reader announcements for loading states, and better keyboard navigation throughout the app.

Disable Helperbird on Specific Websites 🚫

You can now choose websites where Helperbird won't run. Go to Settings and add domains to your exclusion list. Helperbird will automatically pause on those sites.

Admin-Managed Website Exclusions 🔒

IT admins can now push a list of excluded websites through Chrome managed policy. These show as locked entries that users can't remove.

New Toolbar Badge for Excluded Sites 🔵

When you're on an excluded website, the Helperbird icon shows a blue badge so you know it's disabled on that page.

Report an Issue Button 🐛

A new 'Report an Issue' button in Settings makes it easy to copy your current configuration and send it to our support team for faster troubleshooting.

Smarter Word Predictions 🧠💬

Massively expanded our word prediction dictionaries across English, French, Spanish, German, and Portuguese — nearly double the bigram entries for better, more natural suggestions.

Extract Text: Copy to Clipboard Toggle 📋

A new toggle in the Extract Text options lets you control whether extracted text is automatically copied to your clipboard. It's on by default, but you can turn it off if you prefer.

Extract Text: Processing Feedback ⏳

You'll now see a notification as soon as text extraction starts, so you know Helperbird is working on it — no more wondering if anything is happening.

Refreshed Word Prediction Bar ✨

The word prediction bar has a cleaner look with updated styling, better button spacing, pill-shaped word groups, and a theme-aware background that matches the rest of Helperbird.

Overhauled TTS Engine 🔊

A brand-new tiered text-to-speech system with Azure Neural voices, better fallback handling, and a new event-driven architecture for smoother playback.

Cleaner Settings UI 🧹

A big UX pass across all settings modals — cleaner layouts, better consistency, and a more polished feel throughout the extension.

Reader Mode Header Redesign 📖✨

The Reader Mode header now has a cleaner layout with properly aligned buttons on the right side for a more polished look.

Smarter Keyboard Shortcuts ⌨️

Shortcuts now toggle features on and off. Press once to enable, press again to disable — no more one-way shortcuts.

Proportional Font Scaling 🔤📏

Font size changes now use CSS zoom for truly proportional scaling. Headings stay larger than body text, just as intended.

Auto-Enable Highlights 🖍️

When you pick a highlight color from the toolbar, Show Highlights automatically turns on. No extra steps needed.

All-New Audio Player Experience 🎧

A sleek new TTS player bar with play, pause, stop, and speed controls. See your progress as you listen with a real-time progress bar and timer.

Instant Playback, Zero Wait ⚡

Audio now starts immediately with streaming mode — no more waiting for files to generate before you can listen.

Speed Up Your Listening 🏃💨

Control your listening pace from 0.5x to 2x with one-click speed cycling. Find your perfect tempo.

PDF Reader Gets an Audio Upgrade 📄🎵

New integrated TTS player bar in the PDF Reader — play, pause, and control speed without leaving your document.

Reading Mode Audio Player 📖🔊

The same beautiful TTS player is now available in distraction-free Reading Mode. Listen to articles your way.

Rich Text Annotations ✏️🎨

PDF annotations now support bold, italic, lists, and colors. Your notes just got a serious upgrade.

Share Any PDF Page, Instantly 🔗

Deep linking with page numbers — share a link like #doc#5 and it opens directly to page 5.

Settings Page Cleanup 🧹

A cleaner, more organized settings experience. We removed the clutter so you can find what you need faster.

Streamlined Controls 🎚️

Removed unnecessary sliders for speed, color, and pitch. Everything you need, nothing you don't.

Admins can now disable features

Admins can now turn features on or off for everyone, specific groups, or individual users. This makes it much easier to keep things simple and consistent across teams or schools. Check our help guides if you want to set it up.

Smarter Word Prediction

Word Prediction now fixes misspellings automatically and does a better job suggesting the next word, helping you write faster with fewer interruptions.

Owlie is now alive

Owlie, the Helperbird owl, now has animations and different poses throughout the app. They add a bit of personality and fun — what’s your favorite pose so far?

Instant admin updates

When an admin sets or updates a remote subscription key, Helperbird now updates straight away. No refresh needed — changes apply instantly.

Bug fixes and speed improvements

We fixed a bunch of bugs and improved performance across the app. Everything should feel faster, smoother, and more reliable.

Customizable Word Prediction

You can now choose how many words Helperbird suggests — anywhere from 2 to 9. More control, cleaner typing vibes.

Calmer, More Polished UI Colors

We refreshed the whole color system to be softer, more balanced, and way less overwhelming. Feature icons now use a more intentional palette, so everything feels cleaner and easier on the eyes.

Cleaner, Modern Visual Layout

The interface has been fully redesigned to reduce noise. Icons are spaced better, grouped more logically, and the overall layout feels more modern and organized.

Collapsible Features List

You can now collapse the features list to keep the page focused. No more giant wall of icons staring you down — just open what you need, when you need it.

Easier Feature Discovery

Tools are now grouped more clearly and laid out in a way that actually makes sense. It’s way easier to spot the tool you're looking for without scrolling through a crowded grid.

Quick Actions Button Moved Up Top

The ‘Customize Quick Actions’ button now lives at the very top of the page, making it way faster to personalize your setup.

Friendlier Wording Throughout the App

We updated a bunch of labels and text to sound more natural and human. Less technical jargon, more “real person” energy.

Smoother, Faster App Experience

We cleaned up a ton behind the scenes to make Helperbird feel snappier and more responsive. The whole thing just feels smoother.

Upgraded Math Tools

Math Reader got a fresh upgrade to make equation reading faster, clearer, and more accurate.

Improved Full-Page Text Extraction

Extract Text is now strong enough to handle full-page extraction, making long documents way easier to work with.

Settings Modal Updates

Dark Mode and Keyboard Shortcuts now live inside the settings modal for a cleaner, less cluttered interface.

You can Now Write on PDFs

Sketch ideas, highlight text, or leave yourself notes right on your PDFs. No more switching between apps - just open, annotate, and you're done!

Export Your Notes in New Formats

Your notes, your way. Export everything as markdown or choose from our new format options. Perfect for keeping things organized across all your favorite apps.

More Natural Speech Speed

We've tweaked the default TTS speed to 0.5 wpm and adjusted pitch/rate limits. It sounds way more natural now—like an actual person talking!

Text-to-Speech Reading Fix

Fixed a bug where text-to-speech was reading backwards. No more rewinding—it now reads from start to finish like it should.

Immersive Reader in Presentations

Good news! Immersive Reader now works in presentation and viewer modes, so you can focus on your slides without distractions.

App Name Updates

Refreshed the app name, TTS slider, and manifest versions to keep everything consistent across browsers.

Smoother Install Process

Cleaned up the install logic and version numbering behind the scenes. Updates should feel smoother going forward.

Version Bump

Bumped the extension to version 2025.10.03 across Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari.

Simplified Options Page

Removed those locked-feature badges and paid checks from options. Less clutter, easier navigation.

Better Debugging Tools

Added debug logs for mail and selection handling so we can squash bugs faster when things go weird.

Smarter Settings Access

The settings link now only shows up for paid non-iOS users—no more confusion about what's available.

UI State Updates

Improved how we handle the user interface state file for snappier performance.

Project Cleanup

Updated app name, entitlements, and project settings to match our latest standards.

Better Button Styling

Account page buttons are now larger and styled with backgrounds that adapt to your browser.

Browser Logos

We’ve added crisp new SVG logos for Chrome and Edge to make the UI feel more personalized.

Gentler Error Logging

Word prediction errors now show as warnings instead of errors, reducing unnecessary noise.

Firefox & Safari Updates

Bumped Firefox manifest versions and made sure Safari banners always show the instructions button.

Sticky Notes Fix

Removed old Firefox-only conditions so sticky notes now load properly everywhere.

Safari Voice Typing Fixes

Added special Safari workarounds for microphone permissions and session timeouts in Azure voice typing. Sessions refresh automatically and errors are handled more smoothly.

Modal Sizing

Tweaked modal box sizing in the voice typing options menu for a cleaner look.

Conditional Options Rendering

The options section now only appears when both 'quick' and 'isExamMode' are turned off, keeping the UI uncluttered.

Admin Controls

Added managed storage so admins can control keys and settings. Account alerts also hide when managed by an admin.

Efficient Syncing

Managed settings now only update when values actually change, cutting down on unnecessary writes.

Word Prediction Overhaul

Refactored word prediction for faster performance, better accessibility, and smarter personalization. Includes context tracking, faster UI updates, and improved Google Docs integration.

Ruler Default

The ruler tool’s follow feature is now off by default, giving you more control.

Immersive Reader on PDFs

Immersive Reader settings now fully work with PDFs.

Language Defaults

Irish is now the default selected language.

UI Consistency Tweaks

Standardized capitalization, refreshed backgrounds, adjusted grid layouts, and fine-tuned modal spacing for a smoother UI.

Improved Word Prediction Learning

Predictions now use up to 5 words of context, learn from your choices, and adapt to sentence patterns. Google Docs space key events are also detected more reliably.

Performance Boost

Helperbird now uses less memory, runs lighter, and feels faster overall.

New Voice Options

We’ve added new natural Azure voices and offline voices, and removed the low-quality ones.

PDF Detection Alerts

When we detect a PDF, you’ll now get a prompt asking if you’d like to open it in Helperbird.

Redesigned PDF Reader

The PDF reader has a new floating action button (FAB) for quick OCR and tools, plus a streamlined design.

Offline Button

There’s now a dedicated button to access offline features more quickly.

PDF Loading Fixes

Improved the PDF loading sequence to prevent duplicate handling, reduce memory issues, and ensure smoother initialization.

IT Admin Remote Config

Coming August 22nd. IT administrators can now remotely configure subscription keys across Chrome and Edge. Once set, users automatically gain access to Helperbird Pro without individual logins or setup.

Voice Typing Rebuilt

Completely rebuilt voice typing now works across Firefox, Edge, Chrome, and Safari. Powered by Microsoft Azure, it supports over 20 languages for better accessibility.

Cleaner UI with Modal Windows

All settings sections now open in focused modal windows instead of long panels, keeping your workspace clean and helping you stay focused.

Notes on Firefox

The Notes feature is now fully supported on Firefox, bringing all your note-taking capabilities to every browser.

Unified Dyslexia Tools

Overlay colors and ruler overlays are now merged into one streamlined tool, making dyslexia support simpler and more effective.

Google Workspace Redesign

Google Docs and Google Slides add-ons have been completely redesigned for a cleaner, more intuitive experience.

Firefox Side Panel

Firefox users now enjoy a dedicated side panel instead of a popup, providing better screen real estate and workflow.

Audio File Transcription

Hidden feature: You can now transcribe audio files directly through the voice typing tool.

Safari Scrolling Fix

Fixed scrolling issues in Safari where certain sections weren't properly scrollable.

Smart Permission Prompts

Instead of showing errors, Helperbird now intelligently prompts you to grant necessary permissions when needed.

Performance Improvements

Fixed memory leaks for better performance and smoother operation across all browsers.

Quick Settings Access

Click the free/unlimited badge to jump directly to the settings page for quick login access.

IT Admin Remote Config

Coming soon: IT administrators will be able to remotely configure subscription keys for large organizations.

Natural Voice Options

More natural-sounding voices are on the way for an even better text-to-speech experience.

PDF Reader Annotations & Notes

You can now take notes, write directly on the PDF page, voice type, and use spell and grammar check within the PDF Reader.

New Spell & Grammar Corrector

Helperbird now includes a Spell and Grammar corrector across the entire app and text.

Hover Word Highlight

Under Media Options, hovering over a word now highlights it with a yellow background to help you focus.

10 Increments

You can now jump in 10 increments instead of 20, giving you finer control.

Coco Easter Egg

When a search can’t find a feature, Coco the Helperbird cat will show up as a fun easter egg.

Dark Mode is Here!

You can now switch between light and dark mode in Helperbird! Find the toggle under the Accessibility section to customize your experience.

Smoother Quick Actions

We’ve given the Quick Actions area a refresh! Buttons are now smaller, fully circular, and neatly arranged with five per row for a cleaner look.

Updated On/Off Toggle

The Helperbird toggle got a small redesign! It’s slightly smaller and now clearly shows when it's on (✔️) or off (❌).

Faster, Sleeker Search

Search has been redesigned across Helperbird with less padding and a speed boost. It’s not flashy, but it makes a big difference!

Reading Mode Upgrade

We've updated Reading Mode to the latest Readability version by Mozilla, making it smoother and more accurate.

Onboarding is Back!

The onboarding experience is back when you first install Helperbird! You can skip it or bring it back anytime from the Settings page.

A More Organized Helperbird

We’ve started reorganizing features to make Helperbird easier to use. For example, Paragraphs and Colors are now under Reading Options.

Immersive Reader on PDFs Fixed

Your Immersive Reader settings now save properly on PDFs—no more resets!

Better Text-to-Speech Voices

Some of the voices weren’t great, so we did an audit and removed the lower-quality ones. Now, the experience is much better!

Smarter, Faster Word Prediction

Word Prediction now suggests both the next word and the current one as you type. It’s lighter, quicker, and smarter—learning from mistakes along the way!

Media Options Fixed on iOS

Media options were missing on iOS, but we’ve fixed that! Everything should now work as expected.

OCR Beta is Here!

In side the 'Extract Text' section, turn on the beta option to see the next generation of OCR. It's faster, more accurate, and supports more languages.

Immersive Reader is Faster

We've made the Immersive Reader even faster, so you can enjoy a smoother reading experience.

Organize Your Notes Like Never Before

We've introduced a new Notes section where you can seamlessly switch between Extracted Sections, Highlights, Notes, and Categories. It's all about keeping everything neat and easy to find.

Sticky Notes Got a Makeover

Sticky notes are now taller, wider, and more customizable. Pick new colors easily from the bottom of the note, and enjoy their fresh look!

A Smarter Reading List

Finding what you need in the Reading List just got easier, thanks to a brand-new design that focuses on better search and organization.

Fixed: Enter Key Bug

The Enter key will now behave properly on buttons, so no more accidental double clicks!

Smoother Fonts Everywhere

We've added a CSS font swap for a cleaner, more polished experience across the board.

Better Modals on iOS

iOS modals now have a minimum height to make sure they display perfectly, every time.

Modals Redesigned

Our modals have a fresh look, plus a new accessible Close button so everyone can use them effortlessly.

Voice Typing Goes Next Level

Voice typing now lets you print spoken text directly—super handy for getting your thoughts on paper quickly!

Helperbird Editor: Export to Word

You can now export your work from the Helperbird Editor directly to Microsoft Word formats.

PDF Reader Updates

The summarize feature is now presented in a sleek modal. Plus, there’s a new Reading Mode for PDFs that lets you fully customize the text for a better reading experience.

New Highlight Color: Red

We’ve added a bold new highlight color to the menu—perfect for grabbing attention.

Accessibility Improvements for Highlighters

Our highlighter colors have been tweaked to ensure they’re accessible to everyone.

Reading Mode Upgraded

Reading Mode has been fine-tuned to handle text even better, so you can enjoy a smoother reading experience.

Better Google Docs and Slides

We've made Helperbird work even better with Google Docs and Slides by making it simpler and easier to use.

Unlimited Immersive Reader for Pro Users on Google Docs & Slides

If you're a Helperbird Pro subscriber, you can now use the Immersive Reader as much as you want in the addons.

Improved Text-to-Speech on Google Docs & Slides

Now, the text-to-speech feature won't overlap when talking. Plus, you can change the speed, volume, and pitch to suit your preferences.

📱 PDF Reader Working on iPad & iPhone Again

The PDF Reader is now fully functional on iPad and iPhone. This was caused by a bug in Safari, but everything is working perfectly now!

🧠 Word Prediction Fixes

We've fixed a bug where Word Prediction wouldn't remove the word you typed before inserting suggestions. Additionally, incorrect alt tags are now corrected.

🎨 Paragraph Feature is Now Free

The Paragraph feature is now free for everyone! You can add borders, background colors, adjust width, and set columns for paragraphs with ease.

📖 Dyslexia Ruler, Line Ruler, and Reading Guide Are Free

Great news! The Dyslexia Ruler, Line Ruler, and Reading Guide features are now free for all users.

🔔 Redesigned Notifications

Notifications and toasters have a fresh, rounded redesign for a cleaner, more modern look.

🛠️ Cleaner Action Buttons

Behind the scenes, we've tidied up action buttons to make them look and feel smoother.

➗ Maths Reader is Out of Beta

The Maths Reader is officially out of beta! Stay tuned as we add more features to this tool soon.

🏴‍☠️ Emoji Bug Fix

Fixed an embarrassing bug where flag emojis weren’t loading on Windows and Safari. That’s all sorted now!

🔄 Feature List Reordered

We've reordered some features in the list for better usability and easier navigation.

🖍️ New Layout for Key Features

Selecting high contrast, font picking, and translations now have a new layout for a better user experience.

⚡ Redesigned Quick Actions

Adding features to the Quick Actions menu has been redesigned for a smoother experience.

🚀 Improved Loading Time

Helperbird now loads even faster with slight optimizations under the hood.

✨ Official Immersive Reader Icon Added

We've integrated the official Immersive Reader icon within Helperbird for a more familiar look and feel.

💾 Immersive Reader Saves Your Settings

Your Immersive Reader settings are now saved! When you reopen it, your preferences will be restored.

💡 New Onboarding Guide

Click the lightbulb icon to start a step-by-step guide on using Helperbird's features.

🛠️ Google Drive to PDF Reader Fix

We've fixed issues with the Google Drive to PDF reader for a smoother experience.

🧠 Word Prediction is Back

Word prediction is up and running again, helping you type faster and more accurately.

🔖 New Features Header

A new header has been added to better organize and highlight the features section.

⚙️ Quick Access to Settings

A new section for easy access to the settings button has been added, making it simpler to customize Helperbird.

📄 Open PDFs Right in Safari

You can now open PDFs directly in the PDF reader on Safari, and you'll get a notification to let you know it worked.

📚 Google Docs Support is Here!

You can now select text in Google Docs, which means all the great features like immersive reader, text to speech, speed reading, and reading mode work there too. It's a game changer!

🧠 Word Prediction Got Smarter

Word prediction is now fixed and even better on Google Docs, automatically adding a space after selecting a word.

🔉 Summarize Tool Update

The Summarize feature now has a listen-back button, making it easier for those who prefer to hear the content.

🎙️ Voice Typing Improvements

Voice typing now supports copying, clearing, and listening to your text. Plus, the entire voice typing system has been completely rewritten for smoother use.

📚 Smarter Dictionary

The Dictionary app is now smarter and supports 20 different languages, working better than ever.

📰 Reading Mode Just Got Smarter

Reading Mode now checks if the page can use it, and it works with PDFs as well!

🖱️ Better Select Inputs

We’ve added more padding to select inputs to make things more comfortable and easier to use.

📱 Touch Support for Rulers and Guides

Dyslexia rulers, Focus Rulers, and Reading Guides now have full touch support. They even work smoothly on iPads!

🚦 Quick Actions Made Easier

Clicking the ruler button in Quick Actions now turns it on or off—simple as that!

🔔 One Less Notification

We’ve removed the extra notification that popped up when opening Reading Mode. Less clutter!

🚫 'Not Supported' Badges

Now, if a feature isn’t supported on a page, you’ll see a badge letting you know.

📄 Open PDFs Right in Safari

You can now open PDFs directly in the PDF reader on Safari, and you'll get a notification to let you know it worked.

📚 Google Docs Support is Here!

You can now select text in Google Docs, which means all the great features like immersive reader, text to speech, speed reading, and reading mode work there too. It's a game changer!

🧠 Word Prediction Got Smarter

Word prediction is even better now, and it automatically adds a space after you select a word. Nice little touch, right?

📰 Reading Mode Just Got Smarter

Reading Mode now checks if the page can use it, and it works with PDFs as well!

🖱️ Better Select Inputs

We’ve added more padding to select inputs to make things more comfortable and easier to use.

📱 Touch Support for Rulers and Guides

Dyslexia rulers, Focus Rulers, and Reading Guides now have full touch support. They even work smoothly on iPads!

🎙️ Voice Typing Improvements

You can now have Voice Typing read your text back to you, and there’s a handy new copy button to grab your text quickly.

🚦 Quick Actions Made Easier

Clicking the ruler button in Quick Actions now turns it on or off—simple as that!

🔔 One Less Notification

We’ve removed the extra notification that popped up when opening Reading Mode. Less clutter!

🚫 'Not Supported' Badges

Now, if a feature isn’t supported on a page, you’ll see a badge letting you know.

🔉 Summarize Tool Update

The Summarize tool now has a button to read the text out loud. Super useful for anyone who prefers to listen!

🚀 Sleek and Speedy

Cleaner UI for easier navigation. Helperbird is now 55% quicker and uses fewer resources.

🌟 Smarter Tools

Improved word prediction that's faster and more accurate. Natural-sounding text to speech voices on Chrome and Edge.

🖍️ Highlighter Upgrades

New support for highlighting PDFs with an improved UI. Now supports up to 100 highlights per page.

🌍 Expanded Language Support

UK English is now available in word prediction. Revamped voice typing that supports 9 languages and is now integrated into the app.

🎨 Fresh Look

New overlay colors to customize your reading experience.

🔧 Bug Fixes and Improvements

51 bug fixes and UI improvements for a smoother experience.

📚 PDF Reader and Notes

All Helperbird features now work in the PDF reader and notes app.

🔑 Keyboard Navigation Improved

Enhanced keyboard support for app navigation.

🎯 Focus Issue Fixes

Improved button focus for better usability.

🆕 New Default Apps

Added new default applications.

🔔 Updated Notification System

Notifications and updates system improved.

🗣️ Text to Speech Enhancements

Text to speech now includes natural voices and word highlighting.

🚪 Modal Escape Key

Added escape key functionality to exit modals.

📸 Screenshot Feature Update

Moved screenshot feature for easier access.

🔢 Math Reader Update

Improved Math Reader for faster equation processing.

📝 Sticky Notes Redesign

Made sticky notes smaller and more compact.

📚 Reading Level Indicator

Added a reading level indicator under text input fields.

⚡ Speed Reading Settings

Speed reading settings now have their own separate pages.

📱 Subscription Key Fix for iPhone Users

Fixed a bug affecting subscription key recognition on iPhone.

🔐 Simplified Subscription Key Usage

Removed login reminders for subscription key usage.

✨ UI Improvements

Updated UI for a cleaner look and feel.

✏️ New Highlighter Supports

Enhanced highlighter functionality for improved document handling.

🎙️ Voice Typing into Inputs

Added voice typing feature for text input fields.

Right-Click Pause: Fixed and Functional 🚫🎵

Encountered a glitch with 'Stop Playing' on right-click? We've ironed out the creases. Your audio controls are now seamless.

Immersive Reader Customization: Your Read, Your Rules 📖⚙️

Tailor your reading experience with customizable Immersive Reader settings. Choose your preferred voice, speed, and text size for a reading experience that's uniquely yours.

OCR Tool: Now with Translation Support 🌍✍️

The OCR tool just got smarter! With translation support, accessing and understanding content in multiple languages is a breeze.

Highlighter on PDFs: Bug Squashed 🐛🖍️

Frustrated with the highlighter not working on PDFs? Worry no more. We've zapped this bug for smooth, uninterrupted learning.

Summarizing Tool: Auto-Reset on New Pages 🔄📄

Our summarizing tool now automatically resets with each new page you visit, ensuring a fresh start for every read.

Login & Account Redesign: Sleek and Secure 🔐💡

Experience our new login and account pages, redesigned for a sleeker look and a more secure sign-in process.

Maths Reader Update: No More Confusion 🤔

When maths puzzles stump our Maths Reader Beta, it now clearly says 'No Maths Found.' No more guessing games!

Tab Through Image Descriptions 🖼️➡️

Good news! You can now use the tab key to move through image descriptions easily. It's web surfing made simpler.

PDF Fonts: Your Style, Your Choice 📚✍️

Make PDFs yours by choosing fonts like Lexend and Open Dyslexic. Reading comfort just got a personal touch!

PDFs in Google Drive & Classroom: Open Seamlessly 📂🎓

Now, Helperbird PDF reader works directly with Google Drive and Classroom. Access and read PDFs without a hitch!

Sliders That Keep Up with You 🎚️💨

Our sliders now move as fast as you do, updating instantly for a smooth and responsive experience.

Speed Reading, Now With 100% Less HTML 📖✔️

Enjoy speed reading without the surprise of HTML snippets. Just pure, focused reading.

Increased Limit for Free Users in Immersive Reader

Big news for our free users! The Immersive Reader's character limit has been bumped up to a generous 2400. More reading, more learning!

Spanish Support Now in Text/Screenshot Reader

Our text/screenshot reader is going global! Embrace the diversity with our new Spanish and Arabic language support.

Arabic Support Now in Text/Screenshot Reader

Our text/screenshot reader is going global! Embrace the diversity with our new Spanish and Arabic language support.

Alt Text, Your Way

Personalize your web experience with our new alt text options. Image descriptions and link alt texts are now separate, giving you the choice to see what matters most to you.

Introducing a Sleeker, More Focused Reading Mode

Dive into a cleaner and more intuitive Reading Mode. We've streamlined the look for a distraction-free reading experience that you'll love.

Math Learning with Our Maths Reader Beta

Introducing the Maths Reader Beta! Snap a math problem and watch it come to life in the Immersive Reader. Perfect for learning or quick help with homework. Your feedback can shape its future!

Text/Screenshot Reader Now with Translations

Your translation tasks just got easier! Our enhanced text/screenshot tool now comes with a built-in translator. Instantly translate text for a seamless multilingual experience.

Immersive Reader in Text/Screenshot Tool

We've integrated the Immersive Reader directly into our text/screenshot tool. Now, opening and reading your screenshots is more straightforward and efficient than ever!

New, Streamlined Search Bar

Looking for something? Find it in a flash with our sleek new search bar. A smoother, more intuitive Helperbird is just a search away.

Dark Mode Arrives

It's here! Dark Mode arrives in Helperbird, bringing with it a stylish and eye-friendly interface. Perfect for those late-night study sessions or early morning browsing.

PDF Reader Just Got an Upgrade!

Exciting news! Our PDF reader now opens directly from Google Drive and Classroom, and guess what? It supports all the amazing Helperbird features!

Light as a Feather!

We've worked some magic to make Helperbird super light on your computer. Now saving a whopping 60% on RAM!

Reading Mode Redesigned!

Our Reading Mode has a fresh new look, and it's better than ever! Nearly all Helperbird features work seamlessly within it.

Voice Typing Smooth as Silk

We've given voice typing a makeover, making it smoother and more intuitive. Speak away effortlessly!

Sticky Notes, Now Stickier and Prettier!

Our sticky notes have been revamped with better icons and a fresh design. Get ready to stick your thoughts everywhere!

Real-Time App Updates

We're now updating in real-time! Features not supported in docs or PDFs will be smartly disabled. Keeping things neat and tidy!

Smoother Keyboard Navigation

We've updated our keyboard navigation to be smoother and more intuitive. Navigate with ease!

Alt Tags Updated App-Wide

We've refreshed alt tags across the app for a more accessible experience.

Immersive Reader at Lightning Speed

Hold onto your hats! Our Immersive Reader is now faster and remembers your settings!

Modals for Filters and Configuration

Introducing modals for filters and configuration in the Helperbird apps. Configuring just got a whole lot cooler!

Document Editor Reimagined

Our document editor has a brand-new look! Enjoy enhanced writing breakdowns, exporting options, and more.

Night Owls Rejoice with Dark Mode!

Get ready for a sleeker, easier-on-the-eyes experience with our upcoming Dark Mode!

Immersive Reader in the OCR Tool

We're bringing the power of Immersive Reader to our OCR tool. Stay tuned!

Maths Support in Immersive Reader

Maths is getting friendlier with upcoming support in our Immersive Reader. Math lovers, this one's for you!

PowerPoint Support for Online

We've added support for PowerPoint online, enhancing your productivity.

Dyslexia Features in Their Own Cards

Dyslexia features now have dedicated cards for improved accessibility.

UI Tweaks for a Cleaner Look

We've made UI tweaks to provide a cleaner and more intuitive experience.

Summarize Mode Integrated

The Summarize mode is now seamlessly integrated into the app for your convenience.

Paragraph Features in Their Own Card

Paragraph-related features now have their dedicated card for easy access.

Enhanced Volume Booster

Our volume booster is now available and works with both videos and audio.

Automatic PDF Opening in Google Classroom

Google Classroom now allows automatic opening of PDFs for a smoother workflow.

Touch Support for Sliders

Sliders across the app now fully support touch interactions.

Shortcuts are free again

Shortcuts were made paid while we fixed a bug. They are now free again.

Improved Accessibility for Sliders

Sliders now have better text and translations, enhancing their accessibility.

Bug Fix: Text-to-Speech Player

We've fixed a bug where the Text-to-Speech player would occasionally not stop or work on iOS and Chrome.

Enhanced PII Removal for Immersive Reader

We've improved our PII (Personally Identifiable Information) removal function. We now remove sensitive information locally, adding an extra layer of protection for Immersive Reader users.

Coming Soon: Google Docs and Slides Add-on

Stay tuned for our upcoming release where the Google Docs and Slides addon will be bundled and available for use.

Coming Soon: Helperbird for Android

We're excited to announce that Helperbird will soon be available for Android users, expanding our reach to a wider audience.

Coming Soon: Helperbird for Firefox on Android

Get ready for the Helperbird experience on Firefox for Android. Coming soon to enhance your browsing on mobile devices.

Coming Soon: Redesigned Reading Mode

More details coming soon.

Coming Soon: Redesigned Summary feature

More details coming soon.

New Reading Mode Design

We've updated the Reading Mode to be more responsive, now fully supporting smaller screens.

Follow Mouse Feature for Dyslexia Ruler

The dyslexia ruler now includes a 'follow mouse' feature, offering an enhanced user experience.

Restored 'Add to Reading List' Functionality

Due to popular demand, the 'Add to Reading List' feature has been reinstated.

Sync Toggle

You now have the option to turn syncing on or off.

In-app Update Notifications

Updates will no longer display on a separate page, streamlining the update process.

Redesigned Settings Page

The settings page has been redesigned for improved usability.

Import Helperbird Settings

You can now import your Helperbird settings for easier setup on new devices.

Export Helperbird Notes and Settings

We've added the ability to export both Helperbird notes and settings.

Shorter Codes for Districts

District codes have been shortened for easier access.

Extended Immersive Reader Limit

Immersive Reader on Helperbird Free now supports up to 1800 characters.

Immersive Reader for PDFs

Immersive Reader is now compatible with PDF files.

Coupon Prompt

Show a Helperbird prompt and receive a special coupon.

Extended Reworder Limit

The Reworder feature now supports up to 1000 characters.

Fixed Trial Year Display

Resolved an issue where the trial period incorrectly displayed as starting in 1970.

Added Reading Mode Themes

New themes are now available in Reading Mode.

Custom Fonts in Reading Mode

Reading Mode now supports custom fonts for a more personalized reading experience.

Microsoft Word Support

Helperbird is now compatible with Microsoft Word.

Redesigned Settings Page

We've revamped the settings page for a more intuitive user experience.

Improved Dyslexia Rulers

The dyslexia rulers are now less buggy, making reading easier for users with dyslexia.

PDF Reader Enhancements

Added 4 new features to the PDF reader, including OCR and page support. You can now open PDFs with a single click, no download required.

New Summarize Engine

Our new summarization engine helps you get the gist of long articles and documents quickly.

Side Panel UI for Edge and Firefox

We've extended the side panel UI to Microsoft Edge and Firefox for a consistent user experience across browsers.

Quick Actions Personalization

Users can now remove all default quick actions and set their own features, adding another layer of personalization to the Helperbird experience.

Improved Voice Typing

We've upgraded the voice typing feature. It now supports multiple languages and comes with an improved user interface.

Enhanced Quick Actions Flexibility

Users can now add all apps to the quick actions and remove all default apps, providing more control and customization options.

Optimized Dimensions for iOS Devices

A default height and width have been set for optimal usage on iPad and iPhone devices.

Word Prediction

Word prediction now leverages web components for improved performance.

Citation Support

Dragging notes into the editor now automatically adds a link to the original file, making referencing easier.

Note Titles

Users can now add titles to their notes for better organization.

Text to Speech Enhancement

Text to Speech is now faster, providing an even smoother user experience.

New App Icons

We've introduced new icons for several apps, adding a fresh look and feel to the platform.

Web Search

Users can now quickly search the web directly from Helperbird.

Comprehensive Editor Statistics

The editor now includes a word count feature, which provides details such as word count, character count, reading time, speech time, writing time, average word length, average sentence length, paragraph count, and more.

Drag and Drop Format

The new update provides a drag and drop format to offer more convenience and enhance the user experience. Users can now easily drag and drop elements, making navigation within the platform more intuitive.

Open PDF Toggle

The newly introduced toggle feature now allows users to open PDFs directly in the PDF reader, simplifying document handling and increasing user efficiency.

Ruler Settings

A newly introduced feature allows users to change the color of the ruler based on their selected settings, adding a personalized touch to their Helperbird experience.

Reading Mode Enhancements

We've solved an overflow issue on titles in Reading mode, offering a smoother, distraction-free reading experience for users.

PDF Reader Update

A fix has been implemented to handle file overflows in the PDF reader, ensuring a seamless document viewing experience.

Color Preservations in Shadow DOM

We've addressed an issue where colors were being lost in the Shadow DOM, ensuring consistent and accurate color representation across all components.

Speed Reading Feature

The color initiation issue in the Speed Reading feature has been resolved. Furthermore, the entire Speed Reading feature has been rebuilt to enhance functionality and provide a smoother user experience.

UI Improvements

A design update has removed the grey bar around the toolbar to provide a cleaner, more streamlined interface. Additionally, the footer positioning has been optimized for better layout balance.

Accessibility Audit

We've performed an accessibility audit to ensure the platform is user-friendly and compliant with accessibility standards, making Helperbird more inclusive for all users.

Text-to-Speech (TTS) and Word Prediction Updates

The TTS feature now has improved voice update responsiveness. We've addressed an issue with color highlighting on change. Moreover, the Word Prediction feature has been refined for better performance. We've resolved the issue where the word prediction was adding a word three times in Google Docs.

iPad Compatibility

The issue where the dictionary feature was not functioning on iPad has been addressed and resolved. Now all iOS users can leverage the full functionality of Helperbird.

Z-Index Updates

We've addressed z-index issues on sliders and badges, ensuring a more smooth and consistent user interface.

Sticky Notes Customization

Users can now customize sticky notes, adding another layer of personalization to their Helperbird experience.

Configuration Settings

All color choices have now been moved to a centralized configuration setting, enabling easier and more intuitive color customization.

Font Preview

In this update, users are now able to preview fonts before selecting them. This feature helps to ensure the chosen font is to the user's liking and suitability.

Quick Actions Translation

We've made improvements to the Quick Actions area. Users can now conveniently perform translations without any issues, making multilingual accessibility more efficient.

Added More Color Options

We've expanded the color options available across all features. With over 15 colors to choose from, users can now personalize their Helperbird experience to suit their preferences.

Replaced Selects With Buttons

To provide a more user-friendly and intuitive interface, all select options have been replaced with buttons.

Improved Navigation

The bottom navigation has been divided into Writing, Reading, and Accessibility categories for easier access to specific features.

Enhanced Math Support

Helperbird now includes Maths Solving Support and Immersive Reader Support for Maths, providing assistance and an immersive reading experience for mathematical content.

Expanded File Format Support

Helperbird now supports Epub files, allowing users to access and read electronic books in that format. Additionally, offline support is now available, enabling users to utilize Helperbird even without an internet connection.

Enhanced PDF Tools

The PDF reader in Helperbird now offers new tools such as next page and back options, improving the overall reading experience for PDF documents.

Improved User Interface

Helperbird has undergone UI improvements to provide a smoother and more user-friendly experience, making it easier for new users to get accustomed to the tool.

Faster Search

Helperbird now includes a fast search feature, enabling users to quickly find specific functionalities or settings within the tool.

Optimized Resource Usage

Helperbird has been optimized to reduce its resource consumption, resulting in improved performance and a more efficient user experience.

Sticky notes now play the current text

Sticky notes prefill is now the placeholder text

Drag and drop support for PDFs in the PDF reader

Links to change the sound settings

Sticky notes now have a new look

Sticky notes are keyboard accessible

Sticky notes can now read out loud

You can now translate Reading Mode pages

Highlight menu tool is now supported in the PDF reader

OCR/Extract text closes when you turn it on

OCR reads text out loud by default

Helperbird shows the welcome screen when you install it

Portuguese (Brazil) language

Portuguese (Portuguese) language

Portuguese support for word prediction

Added Bold font support

Smoother and quicker loading