In one sentence: You do not have to retype a quotation. In EasyReadAI notes, choose Image to text, take a photo or pick page images, check the recognized text, and save it as a reading note. What you keep is an excerpt you can revisit — not a newly published ebook.
The first recognition step uses Apple Vision on the device. Optional AI proofreading is a separate online action. This walkthrough follows the iPhone and iPad notes flow.
Related: Reading quote widget · How to take notes while reading
From a book page to a saved note
- Open the notes area and choose Image to text when adding a note.
- Take a page photo or choose photos from the library. You can add several images to one task and continue adding pages.
- Choose the recognition language that matches the book and enter its title. Keep page numbers in the saved text if you need a citation.
- Let recognition finish. Open the text review and compare doubtful words, numbers and line order with the photograph.
- Edit the text where necessary, then save it. Each page with usable text is stored as its own note.
Use even lighting, keep the passage in focus and avoid the curved gutter of a tightly bound book. When a two-page photo mixes reading order, photograph one page at a time. Check names and numbers before quoting them.
How this differs from Live Text, scanners, and highlighter apps
System Live Text and generic OCR apps stop at copying characters off an image. Document scanners aim at searchable PDFs of entire files. A separate class of apps tries to detect highlighter or pencil marks on the paper and keep only those sentences.
EasyReadAI does not detect ink marks and does not publish a scan-to-EPUB book. It turns one or more page photos into editable reading notes, which you can search, ask AI about, or show in a Home Screen quote widget. It will not automatically isolate only the line you underlined on paper, and it does not claim handwriting accuracy.
Local OCR and optional AI proofreading
| Step | What it does | Network and data |
|---|---|---|
| Initial OCR | Recognizes text from the page image with Apple Vision | Runs on device; this step does not upload the photo |
| Manual review | Lets you compare and correct the recognized text | Task and edits stay local |
| Optional AI proofreading | Compares a compressed image with the OCR text | Sends image and text through the platform AI gateway to Moonshot/Kimi; requires sign-in and available AI credits |
| Save to notes | Makes the reviewed text available in your notes | Notes remain on that device |
“Local OCR” is not a promise that every AI feature works offline. You can finish photo-to-note without requesting AI. See the privacy policy.
Why you still check the photo
The original OCR result is stored separately from the editable text, and edits are recorded. AI output can still change a proper name or join lines incorrectly. If one page fails, retry that page; a successful first page does not mean the whole batch succeeded.
Quality depends on language, type size, contrast, orientation and layout. Columns, marginal notes and decorative lettering need closer checking. This guide makes no accuracy percentage claim.
After you save
Filter notes by book, search the text, and export CSV or a PNG card. Excerpts with body text can join the iPhone or iPad widget. A photo note does not link back to a page in an imported EPUB. Notes do not sync across devices automatically; export a copy before removing the app.
If you already have EPUB, PDF or TXT, import that file instead of photographing it.
Proofread the text you will revisit
Compare the recognized text with the photo before saving: later review shows that saved wording, including any mistakes you leave in it. OCR excerpts enter the same daily selection pool as other notes, and passages from different books may qualify as connection candidates. Revisit a photographed passage in daily review, without expecting every saved page to be selected.