HearLingo Support
Common questions, install guides and troubleshooting.
Quick start
1. Install the extension — from the Chrome Web Store / Edge Add-ons (recommended, auto-updates), or load the offline package via developer mode (chrome://extensions → Developer mode → Load unpacked).
2. Run the companion app — download, extract, double-click HearLingoService.exe (Windows) or run HearLingoService.app (macOS). It runs silently in the background — no window, no dialogs. The extension connects automatically.
3. Open any supported video — the floating ball turns green when connected; subtitles are translated and read aloud automatically.
Install troubleshooting
Windows: "Windows protected your PC"
A first-download reputation notice for apps without a long install history — not a malware finding. Click More info → Run anyway.
macOS: "cannot be opened / damaged"
Gatekeeper notice for unsigned apps. Right-click (or Control-click) the app → Open → Open. If it reports "damaged", run this once in Terminal from the extracted folder: xattr -cr HearLingoService.app
Firewall prompt
Allow it through — the service only listens on 127.0.0.1 (your own machine).
FAQ
The floating ball is red / "service not connected"
The companion app is not running. Double-click HearLingoService.exe / run HearLingoService.app again — no window will appear (by design); the ball turns green within seconds. Logs: %LOCALAPPDATA%\HearLingo\logs (Windows) or ~/Library/Application Support/HearLingo/logs (macOS).
No sound / reading doesn't start
Browser autoplay policy blocks programmatic audio until you interact with the page — click anywhere on the page once. Also check the master switch in the floating ball panel and the popup's master toggle.
Why is there no reaction on some sites?
YouTube / Bilibili read the caption track (with on/off control); other sites read burned-in subtitles via on-device OCR. Some platforms require sign-in to play or to provide subtitles (Netflix subscription, Xiaohongshu playback, Bilibili AI captions) — that's a platform requirement, not a bug.
Speech is too fast / too slow
Adaptive speed auto-accelerates when the queue falls behind (capped at 2×). Set a fixed rate in the popup (0.5–2×) or turn adaptive speed off.
How to stop / upgrade the companion app
Stop: the "Stop" button next to the green status in the extension popup. Upgrade: stop the service first (files are locked while running), then extract the new zip over the old folder and run again — your settings are preserved.
Port conflict (8790)
If another program occupies port 8790, the service fails to start — close it, or change the port in local-service/config.json.
Supported sites
YouTube (incl. Shorts) · Bilibili (incl. Bangumi) · TED · X/Twitter · Xiaohongshu · Hongguo Short Drama · TikTok · Instagram · Douyin (web) · Netflix (some require sign-in/subscription)
Feedback
Bugs and suggestions: Contact us.
Downloads: hq-i.com/tools/hearlingo · Privacy policy