It’s easier than ever to use an iPhone to read text aloud. Whether you’re driving, cooking, or need to let your eyes have a break, the iPhone’s built-in text-to-speech (TTS) function can bring you great convenience. With Siri and the system’s built-in reading options, you can easily let your device read the screen content for you, making your digital experience more flexible and comfortable. Now, without further ado, let’s learn how it works and quickly set it up with three steps.

Text-to-Voice on iPhone

Text-to-Voice, also known as Text to Speech (TTS), is a tool that turns written words into spoken words. On the iPhone, it’s built right into the system under Accessibility settings. It’s brilliant for people with vision problems, reading difficulties like dyslexia, or those who want to listen instead of reading. Additionally, with tools like MiniMax and other third-party apps, the TTS experience is getting even better.

With iPhone’s TTS, you can have messages, emails, books, and even full web pages read out loud. It’s like carrying a personal reader everywhere you go!

How to Turn on Text-to-Voice Features

Setting up text-to-voice on your iPhone is quick and straightforward. Here’s what you need to do:

Step 1: Open Accessibility Settings

First, go to your Settings app.
Go to Accessibility, scroll down, and tap Spoken Content. This is where all the magic happens.

Step 2: Turn on Speak Selection and Speak Screen

You’ll see two main features: Speak Selection and Speak Screen.

• Speak Selection lets you select text and tap “Speak” to have it read aloud.
  
• Speak Screen reads everything on your screen. Just swipe down from the top with two fingers to start.
  

Both are super handy, depending on what you need at the moment.

Step 3: Customise Your Voice and Speed

Want the voice to be slower or faster? Prefer a male voice over the default female one?
No problem. Within the Spoken Content menu, you can customise:

• Speaking rate (make it slower or faster)
• Voice (choose different accents or styles)

Apple even offers “Enhanced” voices you can download for better quality.

Extra Features That Make a Difference

iPhone doesn’t stop at just reading text. Here are some bonus features you might love:

Safari Reader Mode

Safari’s Reader Mode is a must-try if you often read articles online.
It cleans up the page by removing ads and clutter, making it easier for the TTS to read clearly. Tap the Reader icon in the address bar!

Typing Feedback

Need help while typing?
Turn on Typing Feedback in Spoken Content. Your iPhone can read aloud each letter, word, or sentence as you type. This is especially great for people learning to write or anyone needing extra help catching mistakes.

“Hey Siri” and Text Reading

Don’t forget Siri!
In addition to setting alarms and sending messages, Siri can read your latest message or email aloud. Just say, “Hey Siri, read my last message.” It’s that easy.

Siri leverages Apple’s TTS technology to deliver a natural, human-like voice. Some newer services are working to make voices even more real in the future.

Exploring More Voices with Third-Party Apps

While Apple’s built-in voices are great, others want even more variety.
Good news: with ios 16 and newer, you can now add third-party Text-to-Speech voices through the App Store.

Companies like CereProc and eSpeak NG offer new voices across your apps and settings. This means more accents, more styles, and more choices.

However, not all famous TTS providers like IVONA or Acapella are active anymore. So, while there are more options, some users still hope for even better selections.

Creating Your Voice with ios 17

Apple took a big step forward with ios 17 by introducing Personal Voice.
This lets you record phrases and create a TTS voice that sounds like you—or someone you love.

It’s super helpful for people who might lose their ability to speak later due to illness.
While primarily for personal use and not ideal for background reading, it remains a meaningful and powerful tool.

Setting it up takes a little time—you’ll need to record about 15 minutes of phrases—but it’s worth it if you want a more personal experience.

Conclusion

Text-to-Voice on the iPhone is not just a cool feature—it’s a life-changing tool for many people.
It offers convenience, improves accessibility, and opens new ways to interact with your device.

With new updates like Personal Voice and support for more third-party voices, the future of TTS on iPhone looks bright.
Maybe one day, with technology’s help, we’ll have voices that are so real that we won’t be able to tell them apart from human speech.

So, try the iPhone’s text-to-voice next time you’re tired of reading tiny text or want to listen while walking. It might just change the way you use your phone every day.