DearlyStoryDearlyStory · Guide
What is DearlyStory, and how can a story be read in my own voice?
DearlyStory is an iPhone and iPad app for parents. You read a short passage aloud for about 15 seconds, once. From then on, any story the app writes for your child, or any picture book you scan or import, can be read aloud in a voice that sounds like you, with each sentence lighting up as it is read. Writing a story and creating the voice are free; narration and picture books use story coins.
How it works
- Record your voice. Read a short passage for 15 to 20 seconds in a quiet room, or import a recording. Not ready? Start with a built-in voice.
- Give it an idea. Type one, or tap Try another for a ready-made one. The AI writes the story in seconds and you can edit it. There are 13 story types to choose from, or write your own.
- Make it a book. Paint it as a picture book for children, or a comic for adults, or keep it as a story.
- Press play. Your voice reads, the pages turn by themselves, and the current sentence glows so you can read along.
- Keep the characters. Start a series from any story (version 1.2): the next episode keeps up to three main characters, drawn the same way, and the episodes stay together.
What it is for
Nights when you cannot be there: travel, night shifts, deployments, living apart. And nights when you are there but have read the same book for the hundredth time. Lock the screen and the story keeps playing; the sleep timer stops it for you.
Facts at a glance
- Platform: iPhone and iPad, iOS 17 or later.
- Interface languages: English, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean. Narration in Mandarin, English, Spanish, French, Japanese and Korean.
- Free: creating a voice, writing a story, listening again, changing the speed. Story coins pay for narration (10) and picture books (140 to 280). New accounts get 150 coins.
- Accounts are for adults aged 18 or older. Available on the App Store everywhere except mainland China.
- Developer: Zhang Liu, independent. Support: [email protected]. No ads, no third-party analytics.
Step by step
- Record about 15 seconds Read the passage on screen in a quiet room, phone about 20 cm from your mouth, at a natural pace.
- Ask for a story Type an idea or tap Try another. Edit the text if you like; writing is free.
- Make a picture book Tap Make a picture book. The pages are painted one by one; you can leave and get a notification when it is ready.
- Play it at bedtime Your voice reads and the pages turn themselves. Saved stories play offline.
Questions people ask
Will it really sound like me?
The recording matters most. Record in a quiet room, hold the phone about 20 cm from your mouth, and speak at a natural pace. A voice sounds most like you in the language it was recorded in.
Is DearlyStory for children?
Accounts are for adults aged 18 or older. You make stories and picture books for children to enjoy, with you.
Does it work offline?
Stories saved on your phone play offline. Creating a voice, writing a story and making new audio need a connection.
Can I use a book we already own?
Yes. Photograph a paper picture book, or import an EPUB or PDF, and hear it in your voice.