How to enable Spoken Content on iPhone and iPad

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How to enable Spoken Content on iPhone and iPad
How to enable Spoken Content on iPhone and iPad (Image credit: Joseph Keller / iMore)
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For those with low or no vision, the Accessibility features available on iPhone and iPad are absolutely essential. One such feature, Spoken Text, gives your iOS device the ability to read out words on a page, read out the whole page, and more. Here's how to use Spoken Content on iPhone and iPad!

How to enable Speak Selection

Speak Selection allows you to select bits of text on a screen to be read aloud to you. Here's how to turn it on.

  1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
  2. Tap Accessibility.

Enable Speak Selection showing how to open Settings, then tap Accessibility (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Tap Spoken Content.
  2. Tap the switch next to Speak Selection.

Enable Speak Selection showing how to tap Spoken Content, then tap the Speak Selection switch (Image credit: iMore)

How to use Speak Selection

Once you've followed the above steps to enable Speak Selection, you'll want to go ahead and use it. Here's how.

  1. Navigate to the text you want to be read aloud.
  2. Tap and hold on the text and drag the highlight to surround all of the text you want to be read aloud if it's not all highlighted already.
  3. Tap the Speak button in the menu that pops up.

Using Speak Selection showing how to find text that you want read, then tapping and holding on the text to highlight it, then tapping Speak (Image credit: iMore)

How to enable Speak Screen

If you have a hard time reading on your phone, you can enable Speak Screen and it'll read out the entire screen to you. Follow the below steps to turn it on.

  1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
  2. Tap Accessibility.

Enable Speak Screen, showing how to open Settings, then tap Accessibility (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Tap Spoken Content.
  2. Tap the switch next to Speak Screen.

Enable Speak Screen, showing how to tap Spoken Content, then tap the Speak Screen switch (Image credit: iMore)

How to use Speak Screen

When you want to use Speak Screen, here's what you need to do.

  1. Swipe down with two fingers from the top of the screen.
  2. Tap the controls to manage, play/pause, skip forward, touch to speak, and playback speed.

Use Speak Screen, showing how to swipe down with two fingers from the top of the screen, then use the playback controls (Image credit: iMore)

How to enable the Speech Controller

The Speech Controller is a control panel that lives on your screen that you can expand to help you control speech playback on your iPhone or iPad by playing speech, pausing it, skipping forward and back, or changing the speed.

  1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
  2. Tap Accessibility.
  3. Tap Spoken Content.

Enable Speech Controller, showing how to open Settings, then tap Accessibility, then tap Spoken Content (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Tap Speech Controller.
  2. Tap the switch next to Show Controller to the green 'on' position.

Enable Speech Controller, showing how to tap Speech Controller, then tap the Show Controller switch (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Tap Long Press or Double Tap.
  2. Tap None, Read All Content, or Speak on Touch under the Long Press or Double Tap menus to decide what either of these actions do when you're using the Speech Controller.

Enable Speech Controller, showing how to tap Long Press or Double Tap, then tap the None, Read All Content, or Speak on Touch options (Image credit: iMore)

How to enable Highlight Content with spoken text

As content is being read out to you, you can enable Highlight Content to highlight along as it reads. Set it up like this.

  1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
  2. Tap Accessibility.
  3. Tap Spoken Content.

Enable highlight content with spoken text, showing how to open Settings, tap Accessibility, then tap Spoken Content (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Tap Highlight Content.
  2. Tap the switch to turn it on.
  3. Tap Words, Sentences, or Words and Sentences to decide what kind of highlighted content should be spoken.

Enable highlight content with spoken text, showing how to tap Highlight Content, then tap the Highlight Content switch, then tap Words, Sentences, or Words and Sentences (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Tap Underline or Background Color to designate the style of sentence highlight if you've selected either Sentences or Words and Sentences from the previous menu.
  2. Tap Word Color if it's available.
  3. Tap a color that you want highlighted words to be.

Enable highlight content with spoken text, showing how to tap Underline or Background Color, then tap Word Color, then tap a color (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Tap Back.
  2. Tap Sentence Color if it's available.
  3. Tap a color that you want highlighted sentences to be.

Enable highlight content with spoken text showing how to tap Back, then tap Sentence Color, then tap a color (Image credit: iMore)

How to manage Typing Feedback settings

Typing Feedback allows your iPhone or iPad to give you feedback as you type as well as speak text corrections and word suggestions. Here's how to set it up.

  1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
  2. Tap Accessibility.
  3. Tap Spoken Content.

Manage typing feedback, showing how to open Settings, then tap Accessibility, then tap Spoken Content (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Tap Typing Feedback.
  2. Tap the switches to get voice feedback for Characters and Character Hints.
  3. Tap the + and - buttons to set how long character voice feedback should be delayed after you enter a character.

Manage typing feedback, showing how to tap Typing Feedback, then tap switches for Characters and Character Hints, then tap the + or - buttons to change delay timing (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Tap the switch next to Speak Words to the green 'on' position if you want whole words to be spoken while you're typing.
  2. Tap the switch next to Speak Auto-text to the green 'on' position to have auto-corrections and auto-capitalizations spoken while you're typing.
  3. Tap the switch next to Hold to Speak Pronunciations to the green 'on' position to be able to tap and hold on a typing prediction to have it spoken.

Manage typing feedback, showing how to tap the switches for Speak Words, Speak Auto-text, and Hold to Speak Pronunciations (Image credit: iMore)

How to change the Spoken Content voice

You can change the voice and dialect of your Spoken Content for something more familiar if you prefer.

  1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
  2. Tap Accessibility.
  3. Tap Spoken Content.

Change spoken content voice showing how to open Settings, then tap Accessibility, then tap Spoken Content (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Tap Voices.
  2. Tap the language you want to use.
  3. Tap a voice, or tap the download button to download a voice to your iPhone or iPad.

Change spoken content voice, showing how to tap Voices, then tap a language to use, then tap a voice or download button (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Tap a voice that you've downloaded.
  2. Tap [Voice name] (Enhanced) to use the enhanced version of the downloaded voice, which generally has some volume enhancments so it's easier to hear.

Change spoken content voice, showing how to tap a voice, then tap *Voice Name* (Enhanced) (Image credit: iMore)

How to change the Speaking Rate for spoken text

Spoken Content going a little too fast or a little too slowly for your needs? You can change the Speaking Rate in your settings.

  1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
  2. Tap Accessibility.

Change the speaking rate for spoken text, showing how to open Settings, then tap Accessibility (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Tap Spoken Content.
  2. Tap and drag the slider left and right to decrease and increase the Speaking Rate. Left is slower; right is faster.

Change the speaking rate for spoken text, showing how to tap Spoken Content, then drag the slider to adjust the speaking rate (Image credit: iMore)

How to add Pronunciations

If you use spoken text for your email but it always mispronounces certain names, you can add your preferred pronunciations within the Spoken Content on iPhone settings.

  1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
  2. Tap Accessibility.
  3. Tap Spoken Content.

Add pronunciations, showing how to open Settings, then tap Accessibility, then tap Spoken Content (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Tap Pronunciations.
  2. Tap the + button on the top right of your screen.
  3. Type in the phrase for which you would like to enter a pronunciation.

Add pronunciations, showing how to tap Pronunciations, then tap the + button, then type the phrase (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Type in the pronunciation substitution or tap the dictation button to say it aloud. It's easier to say it aloud.
  2. Tap Languages if you need to choose from the available languages.
  3. Tap Voices to hear how each of the available voices would speak your word.

Add pronunciation, showing how to type or dictate the pronunciation substitution, then tap Languages to pick a language, then tap Voices to choose which voices use this pronunciation (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Tap the switch next to Ignore case to the green 'on' position to have the word pronounced the same way no matter the case being used.
  2. Tap the switch next to Apply to all apps to the green 'on' position to have your pronunciations used across every app.
  3. Tap Play on the top right of your screen to preview the pronunciation.

Add pronunciation, showing how to tap the Ignore Case and Apply to all apps switch, then tap Play (Image credit: iMore)

Text to speech

Even with the very best iPhone or iPad, for those with reduced vision, reading text on an iPhone or iPad can be difficult at best, if not downright impossible. That's why it's awesome that Apple puts so much emphasis on Accessibility features in its software so that even more people can have a good experience.

Updated March 2022: Updated for iOS 15.

Adam Oram
Adam Oram

Adam Oram is a Senior Writer at iMore. He studied Media at Newcastle University and has been writing about technology since 2013. He previously worked as an Apple Genius and as a Deals Editor at Thrifter. His spare time is spent watching football (both kinds), playing Pokémon games, and eating vegan food. Follow him on Twitter at @adamoram.