Text-to-Speech on Smartphones: Setup and Usage for iPhone, iPad, and Android

Text-to-speech software refers to software or services that convert characters, text, or documents into audio and read them aloud.

Since it reads text on your behalf, it can be used more conveniently than you might think.

While there are many types of text-to-speech software for the PC version, it is often difficult to find good text-to-speech software for smartphones even when searching.

However, in reality, smartphones come equipped with a text-to-speech feature as standard.

In other words, you can use text-to-speech directly on devices like iPhone, iPad, and Android smartphones without having to look for software or apps.

I don't have a particular preference for sound or voice quality.

I just want to use the read-aloud feature.

The setup method for using the smartphone's standard read-aloud feature is very simple.

In this article, we will introduce how to use the text-to-speech features available as standard on smartphones and recommended text-to-speech websites.

Using Text-to-Speech with Smartphone Standard Features

• iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, etc.)
• Android devices (Google Pixel, Xperia, OPPO, Xiaomi, AQUOS, etc.)

The setup methods differ for these. Please check your own device and configure the settings accordingly.

For iPhone and iPad

Setting up iPhone and iPad is very easy.

1. Open "Settings" app -> "General"
2. Select "Accessibility"
3. Select "Speech" from the list

When you tap Speech, there are three options.

• Speak Selection
• Speak Screen
• Auto-text to speech

Please turn on the settings of your preference.

This time, we will turn "Speak Screen" to "On".

Then,

• "Voices" selection
• "Speaking Rate" etc.

The screen will switch to one where you can make detailed settings. Please adjust them according to your preference.

Among the voice types, Siri is also available. It is a convenient feature that allows you to have Siri read aloud for you.

How to Use

To use it, simply swipe down from the top of the screen with two fingers on the screen where the text you want to read is displayed.

This will start the reading.

On the playback panel that appears, you can adjust the speed or fast-forward.

The reading will not stop even if you view other apps or screens while it is reading. This is very convenient for multitasking!

For Android Devices

This is the method for those using Android OS smartphones such as Xperia, OPPO, Xiaomi, and AQUOS.

There are three ways to read text using the standard features of Android devices.

1. Tell Google Assistant to "Read this"
2. Select the part you want read and tap "Read aloud" from the menu bar
3. Go to Settings -> Accessibility -> Turn "On" the shortcut for "Select to Speak"

If you just want to select and have text from notes or web pages read to you, methods "1" or "2" are easy and can be used immediately without any setup.

We will explain each method.

Tell Google Assistant to "Read this"

If you want to select and have text from notes or web pages read to you, this method is the easiest.

However, it cannot read text from Gmail emails.

[Setup Method]

1. Open the page you want read.
2. Start Google Assistant.
   Say "OK Google."
   It starts by swiping from the bottom right corner upwards.
3. Tell Google Assistant to "Read this."

Then, the reading will begin.

It will read the entire page for you.

• Marker display for the part being read
• Speed change (0.5 to 3.0x)

These features are also available.

It is very useful when you want to have the whole thing read aloud quickly.

Select the part you want read and tap "Read aloud" from the menu bar

I don't want the whole page, just a specific part read to me.

In such cases, we recommend the method of tapping "Read aloud" from the menu bar.

[Setup Method]

1. Open the page you want read.
2. Select the part you want read.
3. Tap the "︙" in the menu bar.
4. Tap the "Read aloud" menu.

It can be done very easily just by pressing read aloud from the menu bar of the selected part.

However, it cannot read text from Gmail emails.

Settings -> Accessibility -> Turn "On" the shortcut for "Select to Speak"

If you have many opportunities to use the read-aloud feature on a daily basis, use Accessibility.

Setup Method

1. Launch the "Settings" app.
2. Tap "Accessibility."
3. Tap "Select to Speak."
4. Turn on the "Select to Speak" shortcut.

How to Use

Click the shortcut key on the screen you want read.

This will perform the reading while marking the part being read.

This feature can also read text from LINE messages, emails, or note apps.

The shortcut key is always displayed.

It is a very convenient feature for those who use it often.

However, for those who do not use read-aloud very much, the shortcut may get in the way and feel inconvenient.

Please choose the best method and use the read-aloud feature meaningfully.

Text-to-Speech Websites Available on Smartphones

Text-to-speech features can also be easily used from websites!

Among them, we will introduce "Ondoku", which is simple, easy to use, and has a reputation for high text-to-speech performance.

"Ondoku" also has a feature to download audio as an MP3, which is not available in the standard read-aloud functions of iPhone or Android.

It is used for various text-to-speech purposes, not only by individuals but also by many corporations.

How to Use Ondoku

The way to use Ondoku for free is very simple.

There is no need to download apps or software. The fact that it can be used just with a web browser is also its charm.

The usage is

1. Access the Ondoku site
2. Enter the characters you want to read in the text box (copy and paste is okay)
3. Adjust settings to your preference, such as voice type and speed
4. Click read aloud

That's all there is to it.

The audio can also be downloaded in MP3 format.

Textbooks and Printouts Can Also Be Read Aloud

Ondoku also has a convenient feature called "Upload an image to read aloud."

This is a feature that allows you to read text from images taken with a smartphone, etc.

You can have picture books, books, textbooks, and more read aloud by Ondoku just by taking a photo of them.

It is very convenient as there is no hassle of entering characters one by one.

[How to Use the Image -> Text-to-Speech Feature]

1. Access the Ondoku homepage.
2. There are "Text" and "Image" tabs above the text box.
3. Click the "Image" tab.
4. Click upload image and choose your preferred image.
   *On a smartphone, you can also launch the camera and take a photo directly.
5. Once the image is selected, adjust the reading speed and pitch.
6. Click the read aloud button.

Then, in just a few seconds, the image will be analyzed and can be read aloud as audio.

After the image is loaded, the recognized characters will be displayed in the text box.

If there are recognition errors and the read content is incorrect, you can edit it here.

Detailed usage of the image reading feature is introduced even more thoroughly in this article.

How to Use Image Reading | How to perform free OCR on text in photos to turn it into audio

Explaining Ondoku's feature that can read text from images and photos (OCR) and read it aloud as audio. It can be used for free. On both PC and smartphone, reading is completed in just a few seconds simply by uploading an image.