Phonto - Text on Photos: text overlay editor

Phonto - Text on Photos is a photo editing utility by youthhr that lets you place custom text onto your images. At its core, the app is designed for anyone who wants to add captions, titles, quotes, or decorative lettering to pictures without needing complex editing skills. Since its original release in 2012, it has grown into a widely used tool, with over 50 million installs and a rating of 4.73 based on more than 568,000 user reviews. The current version, 1.7.140, was updated on October 13, 2026, and continues the app's focus on simplicity while offering a surprisingly deep set of text customization options. The interface is straightforward: you pick a photo from your gallery, tap to add a text box, type your words, and then adjust the look using the many controls available. For beginners, this means you can achieve polished results in just a few minutes, even if you have never edited a photo before. The app is free to use, though it does contain advertisements and offers an optional in-app purchase to remove them. It also includes in-app purchases for additional features, but the core text-on-photo functionality is accessible without paying anything. Version 1.7.140 does not introduce a major redesign; instead, it refines the existing experience, ensuring stability and compatibility with current Android devices. The minimum operating system required is Android 10, so most modern phones and tablets will run it without issues. Whether you are making social media posts, personalized greeting cards, or simple labels for your photos, Phonto gives you the essential tools to do so. The learning curve is gentle, and the app avoids overwhelming you with dozens of unrelated editing features. Instead, it stays focused on one task: putting text on pictures in a way that looks good and is easy to control.

Key features

• Over 200 built-in fonts to choose from, covering a wide range of styles
• Ability to install additional fonts from external files such as TTF or OTF
• Adjustable text size, color, and shadow for full visual control
• Rotate text freely to any angle for creative placement
• Customize stroke color and width to outline your text
• Change text background color to improve readability
• Control letter spacing and line spacing for precise typography
• Use blend modes to merge text with the photo in different ways
• Optional in-app purchase to remove all advertisements
• Simple tap-to-add text interface suitable for beginners

How to install

1. Tap the download button on this page to get the APK file for Phonto - Text on Photos. The file size is not specified, so ensure your device has sufficient free space.
2. Before opening the downloaded file, go to your Android settings and allow your browser or file manager to install apps. Look for the 'Install unknown apps' permission and enable it for the app you used to download.
3. Locate the downloaded APK file in your notifications or file manager, and tap on it to start the installation process.
4. A system prompt will appear asking for confirmation; tap the 'Install' button to proceed. The app requires Android version 10 or higher to run.
5. After installation finishes, tap 'Open' to launch Phonto, or find its icon in your app drawer to start adding text to your photos.

This app is great for social media enthusiasts who want to add catchy captions to their posts, for casual users who need to label or annotate photos quickly, and for beginners who want a simple tool to create personalized images without learning complex software.

If you plan to use custom fonts, always check the font's license before installing, and remember that you can open font files directly in Phonto from your file manager to add them to your collection.

Phonto - Text on Photos is a reliable and beginner-friendly choice for adding text to images, offering a robust set of typography tools despite its simple appearance. The presence of ads and optional purchases is a minor drawback, but the free core experience is solid and well-regarded by millions of users. For anyone looking to quickly enhance photos with words, this app delivers consistent results without a steep learning curve.