How to Make Your Phone Read Everything On Screen Out Loud

It ’s not always convenient or potential to peek at your smartphone ’s screen as you normally would , but with a few tweak to your phone ’s options , you may get the most important information without having to await down at the display . Here ’s how to get your speech sound to translate the information you need aloud to you through the speaker or your headphones .

Android

Google Assistant is n’t all that open at understand material to you beyond driving guidance and answer to trivia questions , but it can easily handle incoming SMS messages . Make certain hands - free admittance is enable ( Apps and notifications , Assistant , then Say “ Hey Google ” in preferences ) , then say , “ Read out my text messages , ” to hear them read out loud .

Unfortunately , this only works for new messages that come in and have n’t been translate yet ( maybe while you ’ve been driving ) , though you get the option to reply , too . The Assistant used to be able to read out older textual matter , but that functionality is no longer available for some strange reason . To get anything else read out , you could use the textbook - to - manner of speaking locomotive engine built into the mobile OS .

From preferences , tap Accessibility then Text - to - address output and configure your option for reading speed and lurch as you prefer . Back on the Accessibility screen , tap Select to Speak and rick it on . you’re able to then swipe up with two fingers from the bottom of the screen whenever you need something take out .

Photo: Gizmodo

Just hit the shimmer picture and you ’re up and work . The text - to - speech engine does have a few quirks , and does n’t apply the most natural - fathom phonation we ’ve ever heard , but it does the job of stimulate everything from emails to websites say out for you if you ca n’t look at the screen .

Android being Android , several other apps can impart a hand — the freemiumPingcovers texts , emails , and messages from WhatsApp and Facebook , and has modes for driving , exercise , and working . Then there ’s the free , advertizing - supported@Voice Aloud Reader , which works on top of Android ’s textual matter - to - speech engine and can read out just about any kind of document or webpage you want , as long as the Android Share choice is available .

That should be enough of a selection to keep you run , but bear in mind that several apps come with a read - aloud feature built in . If you ’re saving World Wide Web clause toPocketorInstapaperto taking into custody up on later , for deterrent example , both apps have options to read out deliver articles if you do n’t want to see at them on screen . In Pocket , tap the Headphones ikon at the bottom , and in Instapaper , rap the three dot ( top rightfield ) , and then verbalise .

Screenshot: Gizmodo

Screenshot: Gizmodo

iOS

Over on iOS , you may say , “ Hey Siri , read out my text edition messages ” to see ( and reply to ) unread school text messages . Just place up hands - free operation under Siri & Search in options , if it is n’t already . Unlike Android , you could have older messages read out , too : “ Hey Siri , read out my older subject matter . ”

Siri used to be capable to read out emails , but now it only display them on screen — to go further , you need to activate some accessibility options . Choose Accessibility in preferences , then select Spoken Content , and Speak Screen ( to pick up everything on screen ) or Speak Selection ( to hear only currently pick out text ) . you’re able to configure the iOS text - to - lecture engine here as well , from the upper of the speech to the pronunciation it uses .

With Speak Screen enable , swipe down from the top of the screen with two fingers to have the text on screen read out loud ( Io shows playback and speed control as well ) . With Speak Selection , take any text on screen , and you get a new Speak option — it works everywhere from Safari to Mail , and the reading will even contain on as you switch to and habituate other apps on your earphone .

Screenshot: Gizmodo

Screenshot: Gizmodo

Once you ’ve enabled the handiness options through the iOS configurations app , you’re able to launch them through Siri , too , if you need to stay hand - free ( though you have to get the right app and foliate up on blind first ) . Just say , “ Hey Siri , speak screen , ” and you get the same destruction consequence as you do with a two - finger downward swipe .

Apple being Apple , you do n’t get the same pick of third - party reading material apps as you do on Android , because they just do n’t have the same kind of low - stratum OS access . One exclusion isSpeaking Email(basic feature for free or $ 5 a calendar month ) , which can exploit into your Google , Microsoft , or Yahoo inboxes and read them out for you .

As on Android , if you ’re usingInstapaperorPocketto keep articles from the web that you ca n’t get around to directly , you’re able to use the text - to - speech feature work up into those apps to listen to pages you ’ve spare as well . The choice is behind the Share bill of fare in Instapaper and the Headphones picture in Pocket .

Screenshot: Gizmodo