Text to speech on Apple devices

Text to speech (TTS) is a popular feature you can use on Apple devices, and it allows you to use your phone or Mac to convert text into voice. It is a built-in speech feature that works on any web page, and you can enable it in just a few steps. There are also many other TTS apps you can use on Apple devices.

If you ever wanted to listen to text using your iPhone, Apple TV, or even Airplay and Airpods, now is the perfect opportunity. 

How to use text to speech on Apple devices

Text-to-speech is a powerful tool that can improve accessibility, and help users in several different ways. Using text-to-speech software on your Apple device is quite simple. There are a couple of things you will need to know before you start.

First, these apps are great for those that struggle with reading, and if you have dyslexia, you will find TTS tools to be more than helpful. However, this doesn’t mean that only people with disabilities use this software. Anyone can take advantage of them.

So, how do you use text-to-speech on Apple devices? Once you find the text you want to convert into voice, all you need to do is highlight content and start the TTS app. The entire process is quite simple, and it will take you a couple of seconds.

How to turn on text to speech on iPhone & iPad

The first thing you will need to know is how to turn on the app. For Apple devices, you will need to go to Settings, and there, you will find the Accessibility section. Within this section, you should find Spoken Content, which offers all the info about the tool you will need. 

Here, you can customize the app and pick settings you enjoy using. There are a couple of different options you will notice. You will get a chance to select the Speak Selection, which will make your iPhone or iPad (or even Apple Watch) speak the highlighted text. 

You can also select your device to read aloud the entire screen, highlight words or sentences, and even pick different voices and dialects. Furthermore, iOS devices allow you to choose pronunciation where you can dictate or spell a specific word.

Keep in mind that these settings are located in the same place for macOS users, and all you need to do is to go to Apple Menu, System Preferences, Accessibility, and Spoken Content.

Text to speech on Safari for iPhone 13 and 14, and even older models.

Speechify offers Safari extensions for iPhone. Once you install the Speechify text to speech app, go to your Settings > Safari and then tap on Extensions. You can manage all your extensions, including text to speech for Safari on iPhone.

Tips for making the most of text to speech on an iPhone or iPad

There are a couple of ways you can improve the results when using TTS software. One of the most important things is to ensure that everything is spelled correctly. While TTS tools can sound quite good and realistic, it is essential that spelling and punctuation are correct in order to produce the best-sounding results.

If you plan on copying the text before listening to it on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, try to proofread it before using the app. This will improve the quality of the voice and make it sound more natural.

At the same time, the native iOS TTS app allows you to adjust pronunciation, so you can easily create your custom experience. If you notice that there is a word (or words) that aren’t pronounced properly, changing that will help the program avoid making the same mistake.

Finally, explore different options and voices. Go through the speak screen and see what your device has to offer. Maybe one voiceover will sound better to you compared to the others, and it will significantly improve the experience.

Use Speechify’s Chrome extension TTS reader

Many users prefer downloading an third-party app or TTS reader instead of using the built-in one for Apple devices, and there are a couple of reasons for this. The most important reason is that other apps can produce better-sounding voices. If you want to check out a powerful text-to-speech API, start with Speechify.

Speechify is a text-to-speech tool that works on any device, including Apple. You can use it on your iPhone, iPad, or even MacBook. The app also lets you to create a profile that can sync with other devices using Wi-Fi, allowing you to share both content and reading progress. 

Using Speechify as a Chrome or Safari extension is simple, and you can turn on the app with a single keyboard shortcut. There are also numerous different settings like languages, accents, voice types, background color for highlighting text, and speaking rate.

But Speechify can offer so much more. Using the Speechify app from the App Store allows you to try out the OCR function, which lets you take a photo of the text and instantly turn it into a voice. This is something you won’t find on other text-to-speech apps!

Having a chance to transform any type of physical text or book into a podcast is remarkable, and it is one of many reasons why Speechify is the best option for Apple users. It only shows the versatility and accessibility of the app, and the quality is exceptional.

Just be sure to allow the app to access your camera. Without these permissions, the app won’t be able to snap a photo of a page if you plan to use the app in this way.

FAQ

Does Apple have text to speech? 

Yes. Apple devices have a built-in text-to-speech tool you can use to convert selected text on the top of the screen into audio. You can find it by navigating to Settings, Accessibility, and Spoken Content. 

Once you turn it on, you will notice an onscreen Speak button appear next to the text. All you need to do is click it, and the app will read the text to you. You can also further customize the voice in the settings, and start it from the home screen.

However, you can access even more amazing features by downloading a separate TTS app like Speechify.

How do I download an app that lets me speak and it types?

Also known as dictation apps, there are many out there that will allow you to speak into your device while the app types out what you are saying. To use the native Speech Texter feature for Apple devices, first go to your Settings. There, select System, Languages and input, then Virtual keyboard. Finally, tap on the Google voice typing and select Offline speech recognition. To choose the languages to download, tap the All tab and select the language you want to speak in.

How do I get Siri to read my texts out loud?

The first option is to Use Announce Notifications. When this option is turned on, Siri will announce any incoming notifications for you. You will also get a chance to choose what type of content Siri will read. 

This includes All Notifications, Direct Messages, and Time Sensitive. You will find all of these options in Settings, Notifications, and Announce Notifications.