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How does Lens work, and what happens to your data?

A plain-language explanation of how the tool is built - no technical jargon, no fine print.

What is Lens?

Lens is a reading & writing tool built for people with dyslexia and reading difficulties. It works right in your browser - no installation, no sign-up. You can write in it, upload files, hear your text read aloud, simplify wording, translate, and photograph a printed page to turn it into text.

Why did we build it?

To help students who struggle with reading and writing. When every page takes a huge effort to decode, there is less energy left for actually understanding it - and Lens is built to remove that effort: it reads aloud, simplifies, lays the text out comfortably for the eye, and helps with wording. So that every student can use it, it is free - no sign-up and no ads.

What it's made of - at a glance

What happens where?

Stays with you, on your device

  • The text you write
  • Opening PDF and Word files
  • Bold, fonts and spacing
  • The automatic saving of your document

Sent for momentary processing

  • Simplifying and rewording
  • Translation
  • Reading aloud
  • Dictation (speech to text)
  • Photographing a page (image to text)
  • Writing with AI
And your data? Nothing you write or upload is ever stored with us.

No sign-up, no account, and no place on our side that keeps your texts.

Three things worth knowing

Your text stays with you

What you write is saved only in your browser, on your device - so it isn't lost if you refresh the page. It is not sent to us and not stored with us.

Files never reach any server

When you upload a PDF or Word file, it is opened inside your browser itself. The file never leaves your computer or phone.

AI actions - momentary processing only

When you ask to simplify, translate, read aloud or photograph a page - your text is sent for momentary processing, comes back with the answer, and is not stored.

What happens when you press "Simplify"?

1

Your text is sent for processing

Just the text itself. No name, no email, no detail about you.

2

The engine processes it and returns an answer

It takes a few seconds.

3

And that's it. Everything is gone

No copy remains with us - not of what you sent and not of what came back.

And in full honesty - the one trade-off along the way

We don't want to sell you a story of "perfect privacy". There is one point we want you to know about: the AI actions are processed by large companies - mainly Google (simplifying, translation, writing, page photos) and Microsoft (reading aloud). To keep Lens free, we use their free tiers.

On Google's free tier, their terms allow them to use texts sent to them to improve their models. This is a trade-off we made with open eyes: the alternative was a paid service - which would have closed the tool to exactly the students it was built for.

What does it mean in practice? For everyday use - homework, articles, study material - it isn't a real problem. But genuinely sensitive text (a medical document, personal details) - better not to send to AI actions. And remember: writing, reading and opening files without AI actions stay fully on your device - no trade-off there at all.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to install something or sign up?
No. Lens is a regular website - you open it and start. There is no sign-up, so we also have no way of knowing who you are.
Can anyone read what I wrote?
No. Your text is not stored anywhere on our side, so there is nothing to read.
If I delete my text - is it really gone?
Yes. It was saved only on your device, and the moment you deleted it - it's gone.
How much does it cost?
Nothing. Lens is free, with no ads and no selling of data.
How is the service protected from bots?
We use Cloudflare Turnstile - a silent check that runs in the background with no interaction and no cookies, to confirm requests come from people and not scripts abusing the free service. It never sees your text. Details: Cloudflare Turnstile Privacy Addendum.

Full technical details: Privacy Policy.