Browser Compatibility & Voice Availability (Read‑Aloud)

Last updated: December 2025

Read‑Aloud uses the Web Speech API in your browser (plus a small offline fallback voice). The most important thing to understand is this:

Voices come from your browser/OS, not from Read‑Aloud.

Different browsers can expose different voice lists on the same device.
Different operating systems ship with different voices.
Installing additional system voices (in your OS settings) can change what you see in the Voice dropdown.

Quick recommendations

Windows: Chrome or Edge are usually the most reliable for voice availability.
Mac: Safari and Chrome both work well; if a voice is missing in one, try the other.
iPhone/iPad: Safari works, but iOS is strict about audio playback. If you hear nothing, use the troubleshooting below.
Android: Chrome works well; voice availability depends on the system TTS voices installed.

Compatibility & voice availability matrix

Web Speech speech synthesis is supported broadly in modern browsers (for example: Chrome 33+, Edge 14+, Safari 7+, Firefox 49+). The table below focuses on the real-world issues you’ll actually run into on Read‑Aloud.

Browser / device	TTS support	What you’ll typically see	Most common issue & fix
Chrome (Windows/Mac)	Supported	Usually a solid voice list; quality depends on OS voices installed.	Issue: voice list loads late. Fix: wait a moment, or refresh once.
Edge (Windows)	Supported	Often similar to Chrome; can surface different voice names depending on Windows.	Issue: voice sounds “off.” Fix: try a different voice; reduce speed to 0.9×.
Safari (Mac)	Supported	Uses macOS system voices; often very natural if you have voices installed.	Issue: fewer voices than expected. Fix: install more macOS voices, or try Chrome.
Safari (iPhone/iPad)	Supported	Uses iOS voices; audio requires a user action (tap Start).	Issue: “Start” but no sound / voices empty. Fix: check Ring/Silent switch, disable Lockdown Mode, refresh, then tap Start again. See Help.
Firefox (desktop)	Supported	Voice list depends on platform; may differ from Chrome/Safari.	Issue: voices differ from what you expected. Fix: that’s normal—try another browser to compare.
Chrome (Android)	Supported	Voices come from Android’s system TTS engine; you may be able to download additional voices.	Issue: language voice missing. Fix: install/download voices in Android settings, then reload Read‑Aloud.
In‑app browsers (Instagram, Reddit, etc.)	Sometimes	May behave differently from the full browser; voice lists can be limited.	Fix: open Read‑Aloud in your main browser (Safari/Chrome) instead of the in‑app view.

“No voices” or “no sound” troubleshooting

Refresh once. Voice lists can load late.
Tap Start. On mobile, audio often requires a direct user action.
iPhone/iPad: check Ring/Silent switch (not orange), disable Lockdown Mode, refresh, then tap Start again. (Full checklist: Help.)
Try another browser. Chrome/Edge/Safari can expose different voice lists.
Try another voice. Some voices sound robotic or handle punctuation differently.

Offline use

Once the page loads, system voices often work without a connection. If your browser has no voices available, Read‑Aloud can fall back to a built‑in robotic voice after its first download.