Official product information
About SurfEnglish
SurfEnglish is a bilingual news reader for iPhone. It brings English news, articles, podcasts, and any webpage into one reader where the translation appears directly below each sentence, language chunks are highlighted automatically, and a double-tap shows a word’s meaning in context — with pronunciation.
Why SurfEnglish exists
Reading real English is the most motivating way to learn it, and the usual workflow breaks it: you copy a sentence into a translator, lose your place, and forget what the original said. SurfEnglish keeps the original and the translation together. Swipe right on a sentence and its translation slides in beneath it — one sentence at a time, or a whole paragraph — so you can compare the two, notice the patterns, and keep reading.
What makes it different
Bilingual by design
Every translation is placed directly below its own sentence or paragraph. The English never disappears, so reading stays reading instead of becoming a translation task.
Language chunks and meanings in context
After a sentence is translated, the phrases that work together can be highlighted automatically, each with its own explanation. Double-tap a word for the sense that fits this sentence, with pronunciation.
Reading becomes review
Translated sentences and looked-up words are saved with their context on the device and come back as quick games — without building flashcard decks.
Product facts
| Product | SurfEnglish, a bilingual news reader and English-reading app |
|---|---|
| App Store listing | SurfEnglish: Bilingual News — Read English with Translation |
| Platform | iPhone and iPad; iOS or iPadOS 18 or later |
| Categories | News, Education |
| Availability | Free to download, with an optional SurfEnglish Plus subscription |
| Interface languages | 12 |
| Translation languages | 21 |
| Account | Not required; Sign in with Apple is optional |
| Advertising | SurfEnglish inserts no ads and uses no IDFA or cross-app tracking; third-party websites opened in the built-in browser may show their own ads |
| Current version | 1.3.0 |
Who made SurfEnglish?
SurfEnglish was created and is maintained by Jinlong (Jinlong), an independent iOS developer. The product is built around a simple idea: useful language practice should grow naturally from what a learner genuinely wants to read — with the translation kept next to the English, not in place of it.
Follow the developer on X (@JinlongDev), see the SurfEnglish launch on Product Hunt, or contact SurfEnglish.
Official links
- Download SurfEnglish on the Apple App Store
- SurfEnglish official website
- How to learn English by reading the news bilingually
- Privacy Policy
- Support
Last updated: September 16, 2026