Help & Troubleshooting

Read‑Aloud uses the text‑to‑speech voices already available on your device. Most issues come down to audio settings (mute/volume/Bluetooth) or missing system voices. Start with the quick checks below, then open the FAQs for platform‑specific steps.

Start here (quick fixes)

Turn up your media volume (not just ringer volume) and confirm your device isn’t muted.
Check your audio output (Bluetooth headphones, car audio, or speakers can route sound away).
Reload the page and press Start again (some browsers load voices after the first attempt).
Try another voice if one voice is silent or unclear.
On desktop, try a different browser (Chrome or Edge on Windows; Safari or Chrome on Mac).

How Read‑Aloud works

Read‑Aloud speaks text using your browser’s speech feature (the Web Speech API). The available voices are provided by your operating system (or your device’s text‑to‑speech engine). That means:

If your voice list is empty, your device may not have any voices downloaded/enabled, or your browser hasn’t exposed them yet.
If you hear nothing, it’s usually volume/output routing — or the browser is waiting for a click/tap before starting audio.

FAQs

I clicked “Start” but I hear nothing

Turn up your media volume (not just ringer volume).
Check if audio is routed to Bluetooth (headphones, car, speaker).
On iPhone, make sure Silent Mode is off (Ring/Silent switch is not orange). On iPad, check Silent Mode in Control Center. Then press Start again.
Reload the page and try again.
If you’re on desktop, try another browser (Chrome, Edge, or Safari).

Safari says the voice list is empty

Some Safari/iOS versions only populate the voice list after the first attempt to speak. Try:

Press Start once.
If the voice list still looks empty, reload the page and press Start again.
If it still doesn’t appear, update iOS (or quit and reopen Safari on Mac). If the list stays empty, see “My voice list is empty” below.

My voice list is empty (no voices available)

The voices shown in Read‑Aloud come from your device, not from Read‑Aloud itself. If the list is empty, you likely need to enable or download system voices.

After installing a new voice, reload this page. On some devices you may also need to fully close and reopen your browser.

iPhone / iPad

Open Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content → Voices.
If you use VoiceOver: Settings → Accessibility → VoiceOver → Speech.
Download a voice for your language, then reload this page.

Mac

Open System Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content.
Choose a system voice and use “Manage voices” (if available) to download more, then restart your browser.

Windows

Open Settings → Time & language → Speech.
Install voices (or add a language pack that includes speech), then restart your browser.

Android

Open Settings → Accessibility → Text‑to‑speech output (may vary by device).
Select a TTS engine (often Google) and install voice data, then reload.
If you don’t see these menus, use Settings search for “text‑to‑speech”.

Note: Voice availability is controlled by your device and browser. If the list is still empty, restart your browser or try another desktop browser.

Why do some voices sound robotic or mispronounce names?

System voices vary in quality. Try a different voice on your device.
Names, acronyms, and URLs often need tweaks (add spaces or expand acronyms).
Example: replace “WHO” with “World Health Organization.”

Can I use Read‑Aloud offline?

Usually yes: once the page is loaded, your device’s system voices can often speak without a connection. If your device has no system voices available, you may need to download a voice first.

Privacy: does pasted text leave my device?

Read‑Aloud does not upload or store the text you paste on our servers. Speech is generated using your browser/device’s built‑in speech engine. For more details, see the Privacy Policy.

Still need help?

Email admin@read-aloud.com. To help us fix it faster, include:

Device + OS version (e.g., iPhone iOS 17 / Windows 11)
Browser + version
Whether the voice list is empty or you get silence
A screenshot of the voice list (if possible)

Please don’t include sensitive text in your email.