Enabling text-to-speech on iOS devices

Apple’s Mac computers have long offered users a built-in speech engine that can read on-screen text aloud—but did you know that your iOS device can do the same thing? To activate the feature, open the Settings app, tap on Accessibility, tap on Speak Selection, and turn on Speak Selection. Once you’ve got that set up, simply select any text, and you’ll see a new “Speak” option sitting next to the standard copy option. Tap it, and you’ll hear your device begin to read the text back to you. While it’s definitely a handy feature, you’ll want to play around with the speaking rate until you find a pace that’s right for you—we found the default setting to be a bit too speedy.

Enabling text-to-speech on iOS devices

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Charles Starrett

Charles Starrett was a senior editor at iLounge. He's been covering the iPod, iPhone, and iPad since their inception. He has written numerous articles and reviews, and his work has been featured in multiple publications.