A complete guide to using AI to break down complex documents, jargon, and concepts — in plain language anyone can understand.
An AI that can explain things is a type of artificial intelligence — specifically a large language model (LLM) — that reads written content and produces a clear, plain-language explanation of what it means. Rather than simply repeating the original text, it interprets the meaning, identifies the key points, and rephrases everything in language that is easy to understand regardless of your background.
These tools are distinct from search engines (which find information) or translation apps (which convert between languages). An AI explanation tool understands the content and rewrites it for clarity. The most capable modern systems — including those built on Google Gemini, GPT-4, and Claude — can handle dense professional documents like legal contracts, medical reports, and financial statements with a high degree of accuracy.
The core function: you provide a complex document or piece of text; the AI provides a plain-English explanation of what it says and what it means for you.
Simplifier is an iOS app built specifically around this idea — that everyone deserves to understand the documents in their own life, without needing a lawyer, doctor, or accountant on speed dial.
The app is powered by Google Gemini, one of the most capable AI models available. When you upload a document, Simplifier reads its full content and applies one of four analysis modes depending on what you need:
Simplifier accepts PDF files, Word documents (.docx), photos taken from your camera, screenshots, and pasted text. There is no account required — you open the app, add your document, and get your explanation within seconds.
The need to understand complex documents affects almost everyone. Here are the most common use cases:
In each of these cases, the person does not need to become an expert — they simply need to understand what a specific document is telling them. That is precisely what an AI that can explain things is designed to do.
Not all AI explanation tools are equal. The best ones share several characteristics:
Yes. Simplifier is designed specifically for this. Its Explain mode reads any document and rewrites each section in plain, jargon-free language. It is particularly effective on professional documents that use specialist vocabulary — legal contracts, medical letters, financial statements, and insurance policies. It is free to download on iPhone with 5 analyses per day on the free plan.
Yes. Simplifier handles multi-page documents including lengthy PDFs, full contracts, and detailed reports. For long documents, the Summarise mode extracts the key points into a concise overview, while Explain mode works through the content section by section. The Ask mode lets you ask specific questions about a long document — such as "what is the termination clause?" — and get a direct answer without reading the whole thing.
Simplifier works with virtually any text-based document: legal contracts (employment agreements, NDAs, tenancy agreements), medical documents (lab results, GP letters, discharge summaries), financial documents (payslips, bank statements, mortgage offers), insurance policies, academic papers, and government letters. It accepts PDF files, Word documents (.docx), photos from your camera, screenshots, and pasted text.
Yes. Simplifier is free to download on iPhone with no account required. The free plan includes 5 document analyses per day. Premium subscriptions start from $4.99/week and include unlimited analyses, all file types, and a 7-day free trial. See the full pricing page for details.
Download Simplifier and get plain-English explanations of any contract, medical letter, payslip, or PDF — in seconds.