Mobile devices have become a primary mode of accessing information, and the ability to consume content on-the-go has become increasingly important. There are several apps available on both Android and iOS platforms that can read articles aloud to the user. This feature can be particularly beneficial for those with visual impairments or for individuals who prefer to multitask while listening to articles. In this article, we will explore some of the best apps that offer this functionality and discuss their features and capabilities.
We have compiled a list of 7 Best Apps That Read Articles For You For Android & iOS for your consideration, which have undergone rigorous testing and evaluation by our team of experts.
Table of Contents
7 Best Apps That Read Articles For You For Android & iOS
1. TTSReader Pro
TTSReader is a Text To Speech (TTS) Reader that allows users to listen to any text, including PDFs and websites. Users can write their own text or upload a text file and choose from a variety of natural-sounding voices and languages. TTSReader also allows users to send audio messages in different voices and accents to friends via messaging, Whatsapp, or any other social media.
The app includes features such as pinch-zoom to enlarge font, the ability to read in the background, and export to mp3 audio files. TTSReader remembers the article and last position even if the app is exited, allowing users to return to listening where they last left off. The premium version includes additional features such as dark mode and font types.
TTSReader is ideal for listening to articles while driving, traveling, exercising, working, and more. Users can share websites directly from their browser to be read out loud by TTSReader. Once the language is downloaded, TTSReader works completely offline, saving data roaming charges.
Additional features of TTSReader include the ability to control speech rate, different accents, and auto-scroll to show current text on the screen. TTSReader is also educational for kids and can be a helpful aid for people with difficulties in reading. Users can also use TTSReader to narrate and dub movies, presentations, and more.
TTSReader values user privacy and does not store any data about the user. To learn more or provide feedback, users can contact admin@speechlogger.com. TTSReader is also available for PCs, iOS on Safari, desktops, and laptops at ttsreader.com.
2. My Voice – Text To Speech
My Voice is a Text To Speech (TTS) app that enables users to input text and have it spoken aloud using their chosen TTS engine. The app supports over 30 languages, depending on the device settings. My Voice has been recommended by the MNDA (Motor Neurone Disease Association) as a communication aid and has won a BIMA100 award in the Tech For Good category. Users can access additional information on the app’s website.
The Speech & Voices feature of My Voice provides users with several options including pause and resume speech, highlighted words or sentences, over 30 voice languages, regional dialects, male and female voices, and the ability to download phrases as Audio files in MP3 format. Users can also access personal banked voices, such as a Model Talker voice. The Phrases feature enables users to save frequently used phrases to their favorites and create categories to group common phrases. The app offers a variety of settings including pitch and speed adjustment, maximum volume, and text size and opacity.
The app has been designed with accessibility in mind, prioritizing simplicity and ease of use. It adheres to minimum touch target size guidelines and other accessible design guidelines. The My Voice Text To Speech (TTS) app was developed as a labor of love and passion, with someone close to the developer suffering from a terminal illness that causes speech difficulties. Users can provide feedback or ask questions by emailing support@myvoiceapp.org.
The app supports numerous voice languages when using the Google Text To Speech Engine (TTS) as default.
3. T2S: Text to Voice – Read Aloud
The T2S app offers several features for users looking to convert text into audio format. Users can open text, ePub, and PDF files and have them read aloud, or convert text files into audio files. Additionally, the app includes a built-in browser that allows users to access their favorite websites and have the content read aloud.
Other features include the “Type speak” mode, which allows users to easily speak text they have typed, and the ability to use T2S across other apps. This can be done through the share feature, where users can send text or URLs to T2S to have them spoken aloud. On Android 6+ devices, users can select text from other apps and tap the “Speak” option from the text selection menu to have the selected text spoken aloud.
Another option is the “Copy-to-speak” feature, where users can copy text or URLs from other apps and tap T2S’s Floating speak button to have the content spoken aloud. It is important to note that users are highly recommended to install and use the Google Text-to-speech engine, as it has the best compatibility with the app.
If the app frequently stops unexpectedly in the background or displays an error message stating “Speech engine is not responding,” users may need to change their battery saver settings to allow the app and speech engine app to run in the background. More information about this can be found at https://dontkillmyapp.com/.
4. Voice Dream Reader
Legere Reader is a reading tool that is easily accessible on mobile and tablet devices. The software includes advanced text-to-speech capabilities and allows for a highly configurable screen layout that can be tailored to meet the needs of various reading styles. Users can choose between completely auditory or completely visual reading, or a combination of both.
Visual impairments can benefit from the ability to have documents read aloud in their preferred voices. Students and others with dyslexia can appreciate the synchronized reading capability that integrates text and voice. Legere Reader is also beneficial for anyone who wants to hear or read their documents in their own way because it is customizable.
Legere Reader supports reading PDF, DRM-free EPUB, and DAISY eBooks and more. It allows users to load files from file sharing apps such as DropBox, Box, and OneDrive, or directly from their local device. There is also direct integration with the Bookshare book-sharing service.
The features of Legere Reader are divided into three categories: Voice Reading, Visual Reading, and Getting Content. Voice Reading allows users to listen to documents with a play-pause button, gestures, or remote control. The software continues reading even when the screen is locked. Users can change the voice and reading speed on the fly and Legere Reader remembers the voice and speech rate used for each document. Visual Reading allows users to switch between original layout and text-only view for PDF documents. The software has synchronized word and line highlighting and offers customizable font options. The user can choose from three fully customizable color themes. Lastly, Getting Content allows users to import and convert various file types, such as Word .doc files, Word .docx, RTF, and .mobi, to ePub. Text can be extracted from PDF, Plain text, HTML files, and DRM-free ePub and DAISY books.
5. TTS Reader
TTS Reader is a mobile application that allows users to have any text read out to them. This can be done by marking and copying the text to the clipboard or by sharing text or a webpage with the app. The app offers a range of main features, including text-to-voice spoken out loud, highlighting of text in the text box as it is being spoken, and a pop-up player bar that appears when text is copied to the clipboard, even when the app is closed. Users can also pause and continue the reading from the beginning of the last spoken sentence.
In addition to these features, TTS Reader offers users the ability to choose their preferred TTS engine and language, customize the speed and pitch of the voice, and set their preferred volume and theme color. The app also enables users to export text to WAV audio files and text files, rename and delete files, and share audio and text with other apps.
A new feature of TTS Reader is OCR technology, which can read text in images or on paper. The app uses Google’s new vision API Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, which currently only reads Latin character text. For best results, users should crop images to eliminate background “junk.”
It is important to note that users must have a Text to Speech engine installed on their device for the app to work, and some languages will only work with specific engines. However, users can easily find and download a TTS engine on Google Play.
6. Voice Aloud Reader
The @Voice Aloud Reader app allows users to listen to text from a variety of sources, including web pages, news articles, emails, and ebooks. It supports multiple file formats, including TXT, PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, EPUB, MOBI, PRC, AZW, and FB2. The app functions as an HTML reader, document reader, and ebook reader. It can be used for on-screen reading or listening to text.
The app features OCR (Optical Character Recognition) for extracting text from PDF files where traditional text extraction methods are not effective. Users can share text from other apps to @Voice Aloud Reader for reading aloud through speakers or a headset. When sharing web pages, the app removes menus, navigation, ads, and other extraneous content to provide clean text for reading or listening. Users can also export WhatsApp chats to @Voice for listening.
If “Share” is not available, users can copy text from another app and paste it into @Voice for reading aloud. Users can save articles opened in @Voice to files for later listening and create listening lists of multiple articles for uninterrupted listening. The app can read ebooks on-screen with original formatting, images, and page-turning capabilities or can be used for listening with headphones and the screen turned off.
The app supports vertical text in Chinese and Japanese languages and allows users to easily add saved Pocket articles to @Voice reading list. Users can also record spoken articles to sound files in uncompressed WAV or compressed OGG formats.
The app provides various options for controlling speech generator volume, pitch, and rate of speech. Users can pause and resume speech as needed with wired or Bluetooth headset buttons and navigate by sentence, or to the next/previous article on the list. The app can auto-recognize language preferences or allow users to manually set their preferred voices.
7. Talk FREE – Text to Voice – Read aloud
Talk is a mobile application that allows users to convert their text into speech. This application is equipped with multiple languages for voice output, enabling users to make their phone speak in their preferred language. Additionally, Talk supports importing webpages from the browser, allowing users to listen to web content. It also has the capability to import text from various applications.
The features of Talk include text to voice, reading webpages, play/pause/stop functions, and the ability to export audio as a WAV file. Many languages are available in the app, although an internet connection may be necessary for some. Talk can be used to read news or books, and is particularly helpful for people with visual or speech impairments. It is also useful for individuals who have recently undergone wisdom tooth extraction. Additionally, it can be a fun tool for anyone who wants to experiment with speech technology.
For users who prefer an ad-free version of the app, a paid version is available. It can be downloaded from the Google Play store. It is worth noting that Talk requires a Text-to-Speech engine to run on users’ phones. If this engine is not present, it can be downloaded from the Google Play store. Additionally, some languages supported by the app may not work depending on the TTS engine being used.
The Talk community is active on Google+.