Two thumb buttons
One button for your language, one for theirs. Hold to speak, release to send. You run both sides of the conversation from a single phone.
Psybeam
AI Voice Translator
Hold up your phone. They don't touch it.
Psybeam is a real-time voice interpreter for travel: you hold the phone and run both sides of the conversation. Hold your button and speak — they hear it aloud in their language. Hold theirs while they answer — you hear it in yours. The stranger in front of you never touches your phone.
No ratings yet Free Travel iPhone
- 22 languages, spoken aloud both ways
- No account and no subscription to start
- Your transcript stays on your device
./psybeam --screenshots
Psybeam in action
tap a screen to enlarge · swipe to see more → click a screen to enlarge
./psybeam --iphone-duo
Psybeam on iPhone Duo
./psybeam --in-the-wild
Out in the world
cat psybeam/FEATURES.md
What Psybeam does
Voice to voice
Natural speech-to-speech that follows the speaker's own voice. No typing, no reading a script, no teaching anyone the app.
Always faces them
Your words, in their language, rotate to face the person opposite you. Their reply stays upright for you to read.
Local language by GPS
Cross a border and Psybeam suggests the local language from your location, so you start talking instead of digging through menus.
Pay per minute
Start with free minutes, then buy a pack only when you need more. No recurring charge and no trial trap.
Private by design
Audio is streamed to OpenAI only to translate it. OpenAI does not use it to train models, though it may briefly retain API audio for abuse monitoring. Your transcript never leaves your phone.
./psybeam --pricing
Free minutes to start. Then packs, never a subscription.
Free
$0
- 5 free minutes to start
- No account and no subscription
Minute packs
$4.99 to $19.99, once
- Buy only when you need more
- No recurring charge
- Small $4.99 once
- Medium $9.99 once
- Large $19.99 once
US prices shown; your local price appears in the App Store. Minute packs are one-time purchases; there is no subscription.
man psybeam
How Psybeam works
-
Open
Launch Psybeam and it goes straight to talking, no account or sign-up required.
-
Hold and speak
Press your button and talk; Psybeam says it aloud in their language, then they hold their button to reply.
-
Understand
You hear their answer in your own language, face to face, in seconds.
./psybeam --changelog
What's new in 1.2.1
On the App Store since
We now ask for a rating only at a good moment, and never right after you close the credit store.
less psybeam/README
About Psybeam
Psybeam is a real-time AI voice translator for travel. Hold a button, speak, and the person in front of you hears it spoken aloud in their language. Hold the other button while they answer, and you hear them in yours. No typing, no reading, no app on their phone.
It is a live speech-to-speech interpreter in your pocket: it detects what was said, translates it as you speak and speaks it back in a natural voice that follows the speaker. Order food, ask directions, check into a hostel, talk to a pharmacist or a taxi driver, face to face, in seconds.
WHY PSYBEAM
• Voice to voice, live. Not a text translator with a speaker button: the translation is spoken as it happens.
• One phone, one operator. You hold the phone and run both directions from two thumb buttons. The other person just listens, then speaks when it's their turn.
• The translation faces them. Your words, in their language, rotate to face the person across from you. Their reply stays upright for you.
• No account, no sign-up. It opens straight to talking.
• No subscription, no trial trap. Start with free minutes, then buy a minute pack only when you need more. Never a recurring charge.
• Your conversation stays on your device.
22 LANGUAGES, SPOKEN BOTH WAYS
English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Finnish and Swedish. Any pair, either direction.
HOW IT WORKS
1. Pick your language and theirs, or let Psybeam suggest the local language from where you are as you cross a border.
2. Hold your button and speak. Release, and it says it aloud in their language.
3. Hold their button while they reply. You hear the answer in your language.
That's the whole app.
BUILT FOR TRAVEL
Markets, restaurants, hotel and hostel desks, taxis, pharmacies, train stations, asking a local for help. Any moment when you and someone else don't share a language. Works with Voice Isolation for noisy streets and cafés.
PRIVACY
Audio is streamed directly to our cloud translation provider only to translate it and is never routed through our servers. Your transcript never leaves your phone. You can withdraw cloud AI consent at any time in Settings.
iPhone, iOS 18 and later. Open it, hold a button, and have your first conversation across a language barrier in seconds.
./psybeam --faq
Frequently asked questions
How much does Psybeam cost?
Psybeam is free to download and starts you with 5 free minutes. After that you buy a one-time minute pack, starting at $4.99, only when you need more. There is no subscription and no recurring charge.
Do I need to create an account?
No. Psybeam opens straight to talking with no sign-up. You can sign in with Apple later to link your account, but it is never required to use the app.
Does the other person need the app?
No. You hold the phone and run both sides. The person you are talking to just listens, then speaks when it is their turn, with an on-screen prompt inviting them in their own language.
How many languages does it support?
22 languages, spoken aloud in both directions: Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese.
Is my conversation private?
Your conversation transcript stays on your phone and is never uploaded anywhere. To translate your speech, the audio itself is streamed to OpenAI in real time; OpenAI does not use that audio to train its models, though like any API traffic it may be retained briefly for abuse monitoring. Psybeam's own servers never see or store your audio or transcript.
Does it work offline?
No. Live voice translation needs a connection, since the speech is translated in real time by a cloud translator.
Which devices does it run on?
Psybeam runs on iPhone with iOS 18 and later.
Can I get a refund on unused minutes?
Minute packs are handled through the App Store, so refunds follow Apple's standard purchase support process. There is no subscription to cancel.
Download Psybeam and have your first cross-language conversation in seconds.
Free to download with free minutes to start, then pay per minute with one-time packs, no subscription and no recurring charge.
ls ~/apps
