Bukai

Every book, read aloud.

Bukai is a reader for EPUB books that can also read them to you. A natural AI voice, made on your iPhone or iPad, reads aloud sentence by sentence and highlights each one as it goes. Your books never leave your device, and there is no account and no ads.

Support

Questions, problems or ideas? Email [email protected]. If something isn't working, please include your device model, its system version and, if you can, the book it happens with.

Common Questions

How do I add books?
Tap + in the library and choose EPUB files, open an EPUB from another app or AirDrop and choose Bukai, or copy books into the Bukai folder in the Files app. Several books can be added at once.

Which books can Bukai open?
EPUB books, both reflowable and fixed-layout. Books protected by DRM, such as those bought in some stores, can't be opened.

How do I listen to a book?
Open it and tap Listen. Reading starts from the page on screen and keeps going when you lock your device or switch to another app, with controls on the Lock Screen. You can change the speed, skip a sentence back or forward, and set a sleep timer.

Why does the AI voice need a download?
The AI voice runs entirely on your device, so its model, about 1.3 GB, is downloaded once from Apple's servers when you choose it. To free the space again, swipe it in Listening Settings and tap Remove; listening then uses the system voice.

The AI voice says it's preparing.
The first time, your device prepares the voice for its own chip, which can take a few minutes. After that, it starts in moments.

Which languages does the AI voice speak?
English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Russian. Books in other languages are read with the system voices on your device.

How can the system voice sound better?
Download an Enhanced or Premium voice in Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content > Voices, then choose it in Listening Settings in Bukai.

A book is read in the wrong language.
Some books declare the wrong language, or none. Choose the right one under Book Language in Listening Settings.

Does Bukai work with VoiceOver?
Yes. With VoiceOver on, the reader's controls stay on screen, the book's text can be read by VoiceOver itself, and a two-finger double tap starts or pauses listening with Bukai's own voice.

Are my books uploaded?
No. Your books, bookmarks and reading progress stay on your device. See the Privacy Policy for details.