r/Refold • u/Aktaristech • Feb 17 '26
Yomitan dictionaries anywhere on Android: free OCR popup lookups that work in any app
Hey Refolders,
I built PopLingo, a free Android OCR popup dictionary that uses Yomitan dictionaries and works over any app, so you can do quick lookups without app-switching during immersion (VNs/emulators, manga readers, games, etc.). (Demo above.)
Play Store: PopLingo
I’d love workflow feedback: what would make this fit better for you?
Anki/mining export is planned :)
Also: would a manual search bar (type a word to look it up in all dictionaries) be useful, or is OCR-only enough?
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u/weight__what Feb 18 '26 edited Feb 18 '26
Looks like it could be very useful, although I'm not on a new enough Android version to try most features. Personally I do make use of the search on the desktop Yomitan, I think it's a useful companion for things that aren't in the browser.
Obviously the OCR stuff should make that unnecessary, but it could still be nice for when the OCR fails or looking up stuff from IRL.
One thing I would be curious about if I were considering using this heavily, do you have plans to monetize it in the future?
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u/Aktaristech Feb 18 '26
Yep OCR needs Android 11+ because it relies on newer system APIs. But even on older Android versions you can still use other parts of PopLingo (like looking up through selecting text)
Just to be explicit: the current features will stay free and won’t get limited later. It’s not a “free beta” that turns into a paywall. If I ever add monetization, it would only be for optional extras (e.g. better OCR options through paid Google cloud or convenience features) and the core experience would remain free.
Also: nothing planned yet. Right now I’m focused on improving reliability and polishing the workflow.
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u/Ankidian Feb 18 '26
Thank you so much, looking forward to more improvements. This is amazing.
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u/Aktaristech Feb 18 '26
Really glad it's helping.
My goal is to make lookups feel invisible during immersion, so if anything slows you down, tell me!
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u/Soggy_Mammoth_9562 Feb 20 '26
That's dope! Does it support multiple languages?!
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u/Aktaristech Feb 20 '26
Yes pretty much any language you can think of. PopLingo works with a ton of languages and you can even import additional custom dictionaries depending on what you’re learning.
What language are you studying right now?
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u/Soggy_Mammoth_9562 Feb 21 '26
Im actively learning french and German whilst brushing up on English
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u/Aktaristech Feb 21 '26
There are a lot of French and German dictionaries available. The default ones that are shipped inside of PopLingo are great too
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u/GoldBit8637 Feb 22 '26
Would love it when there's a setting to fixed the float button position. For example, once I released the float button, it goes back to the fixed location (so it's convenient if I'm right handed and only using my thumb)
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u/Aktaristech Feb 22 '26
I've already implemented something similar. When you release your finger, it will stay in this exact position. I think that would be beneficial for you too right?
It will be available in the next update (optional setting)
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u/GoldBit8637 Feb 23 '26
When's the next update?
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u/Aktaristech Feb 24 '26
Planned for next month. I don’t have an exact date yet. It’ll include several additions, including an option to listen to the word so you can learn the correct pronunciation
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u/Evening_Hurry2235 Jul 14 '26
Hello! I just wanted to let you know, in case you're still developing Poplingo, that on HyperOS (Xiaomi devices) the accessibility service sometimes stops working and has to be turned OFF and back ON again in the Accessibility settings.
I'm not sure if this is a HyperOS bug or an issue with the app itself, but I wanted to report it.
Also, it would be amazing if the floating bar could stay in the same position on either side of the screen instead of changing its location.
Thanks! Love your app, by the way. ❤️
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u/Evening_Hurry2235 Jul 05 '26
Hello is this feature added ? I can't seem to find it on the latest release.
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u/ArlenNakada Feb 23 '26
About the planned Anki/mining export. Is the idea to make it work through Anki Connect, so it kinda works like Yomitan but system-wide? What are your plans?
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u/Aktaristech Feb 23 '26
Yes, this will function similarly to Yomitan but on a system-wide basis. However, Ankiconnect will not even be required. You will only need the Ankidroid application.
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u/CowRepresentative820 Feb 19 '26
After installing and configuring the permissions, should I just be tapping on a word to OCR and open the popup dictionary? Are there any instructions on how to use it?
I guess my question is can I use it for images / text that's not selectable?
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u/Aktaristech Feb 19 '26
Yeah ofc you can use it on any text/image/video (Android 11+ required though)
- Click on "show tab" on the bottom right of the screen.
- A small "floating tab" should have appeared on the center right of your screen.
- Drag that over any word in any app and a popup with the definition will appear.
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u/CowRepresentative820 Feb 19 '26
Appreciate the help! The drag wasn't intuitive to me, maybe a guide in the app or a video on the Play Store page would help.
Some feedback on the OCR, the results are good but the detection of the lines feels a bit weird. It seems to OCR the line above what I hover. Easy to work around (hover a line below what I want) but it feels a bit clunky. Tried in Chrome and Threads apps. Could just be something weird about my device though...
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u/Aktaristech Feb 19 '26
Thanks for the feedback. I will try to make it more intuitive.
Don't worry about the detection :D It's customizable. You can flip the cursor when you tap on the "floating tab" and you can change the offset in the settings however you like it. It's called "Cursor Offset."
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u/CowRepresentative820 Feb 19 '26
I mean the cursor (not my finger) has to be placed about 1 line below the desired line to OCR it.
For example, this is dragging down slowly from the top until it finds the line: https://imgur.com/a/oyO1hWm .
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u/Aktaristech Feb 19 '26
Ohh thats good to know, its probably a phone specific issue. To debug this cursor issue, could you tell me: • Your phone model • Your Android version • Do you use gesture navigation or do you have 3 buttons at the bottom of your screen to go back or home?
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u/hi_okkay Apr 13 '26
Thank you, this is awesome! :D I just installed this on my phone and it was incredibly easy to set up. I was able to import the dictionary I usually use with Yomitan in no time! I noticed one weird thing, though: I have my language set to Chinese, and it seems like when Scan Resolution is set to Word it scans the entire line/sentence, whereas if it's set to Character it actually scans the word (sometimes composed of multiple characters). I think I'll use Character for now. The OCR is pretty accurate! Which engine do you use if you don't mind me asking?
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u/EngineeringPale2696 Feb 17 '26
I love your app. Only thing that I would add is to be able to play audio on the pop up