A live interpreter for travel

You don't press anything. You just talk.

One earbud in. They speak their language, you hear yours. You answer, and your phone speaks for you, out loud. The other person installs nothing.

10 free minutes·Minutes never expire·iPhone now, Android soon

Conversation should feel like conversation.

We travel a lot, and we wanted talking to people abroad to feel easy: no buttons, no screen between you, just the moment. So we built Bilu around six simple ideas.

Just talk
Tap Start once. After that, the conversation simply flows.
Eyes on each other
Your phone rests on your knee or in your hand. You look at the person, not at a screen.
Nothing for them to do
The other person doesn't install or wear anything. They hear your words in their language, from your phone.
The earbuds you already have
Any Bluetooth earbud with a microphone. One in your ear, the other ear free.
Your Arabic, your way
Egyptian, Gulf, Levantine or Standard Arabic, in both directions.
Pay for the trip, keep the rest
Buy minutes once. Whatever you don't use waits for your next journey.

How it works

B · I — BLEND IN
Pick two languages
Yours, and the language of the person in front of you. Bilu remembers them.
L — LISTEN
One earbud in
A quick check that you hear Bilu in your ear. The other ear stays free.
U — UNDERSTAND
Tap Start and talk
Speak normally. You hear them in your language; your phone answers for you out loud.

Blend in. Listen. Understand. The letters of the name are the three steps.

One app, every moment

Pick the mode that fits where you are. The phone always speaks out loud, so everyone knows it is translating.

1
Talk
Taxis, hotels, shops
A face-to-face conversation. Their words in your ear, yours from the phone speaker.
2
Table
Meetings, meals, doctors
Phone on the table between you. Bilu shows whose turn it is: Speak now, or Wait.
3
Listen
TV, announcements, tours
One-way: what is said around you, in your language, in your ear, with captions.
4
Read
Quiet places, lectures
Live captions on your screen in your language, with no voice at all.
5
My Trip
Before you fly
Paste a hotel or flight confirmation so names and places are recognised.

Arabic, the way you speak it.

Choose your dialect and Bilu answers in it: words and accent from Cairo, Dubai, Riyadh, Beirut, Damascus or Ramallah, or Modern Standard Arabic.

Egyptian Emirati Saudi Lebanese Syrian Palestinian Standard

Buy a trip, not a subscription.

Start with 10 free minutes. Buy minutes when you need them. They never expire, and silence is never counted.

Starter · A weekend away
3 hours
180 minutes
$14.99
$5.00 an hour
Get it in the app
Explorer · A year of trips
15 hours
900 minutes
$64.99
$4.33 an hour
Get it in the app

Prices in US dollars; the App Store shows your local price. Minutes are shared across Talk, Listen, Read and Table.

Coming next

In development
Android
The same Bilu on Android phones, with the same minutes.
Soon · join the list below
Ambient
Walk into a conference, a wedding or a market and understand the room all day.
In development
Bilu Call
Call any phone number and speak your language. The hotel hears theirs.
In development
Bilu Tour
One guide, every language. Guests scan a code and listen on their own phone.
For tour operators

About us

We've been lucky to travel a lot: taxis, markets, small restaurants where nobody spoke our language. What we loved most was never the sights. It was the people. Bilu is our way of making those conversations easy, so you can order the food you actually want, laugh with the taxi driver, and ask the lady at the market how she makes it.

The technology behind Bilu moves fast, so every few weeks we test the newest models ourselves and bring in whatever makes the conversation feel more natural. It isn't perfect, and we don't pretend it is. It keeps getting better.

The founders, CRAFHT
CRAFHT A practice of The Depth Group

Questions, answered honestly

No. Only you install Bilu and wear an earbud. They hear your words from your phone, in their language.

Usually a second or two after the person stops speaking. Bilu waits for the end of a sentence so the meaning comes through.

No. Bilu needs a data connection, Wi-Fi or mobile data.

Any Bluetooth earbud with a microphone. You wear one; the other ear stays free.

They stay in your account until you use them. They never expire, and silence is never counted.

No, never. The phone speaks out loud so everyone in the conversation knows it is being translated.

Never ask "Do you speak English?" again.

On iPhone now. On Android soon: leave your email and we'll tell you the day it lands.

One email when Android is ready. Nothing else.