Android · Accessibility
Choose and configure the engine that reads text aloud
Text-to-Speech Output controls which speech synthesis engine, language, voice, and speaking rate the system uses for every feature that reads text aloud, including TalkBack, Select to Speak, and navigation prompts.
How to open Text-to-Speech Output
- Open Settings
- Tap Accessibility, then Text-to-speech output
- Choose a preferred engine
- Select a language and voice
- Adjust speech rate and pitch, then tap Play to preview
What you should know
- Lets you pick between Google's speech engine or a third-party alternative if installed
- Adjusts speech rate and pitch independently
- Supports downloading additional language voice packs
- Includes a 'Play' test button to preview changes instantly
Why it matters
Every read-aloud feature on Android, from screen readers to navigation apps, relies on this single underlying engine, so tuning it once improves consistency everywhere rather than configuring speech separately per app. Getting the rate and pitch right is especially important for TalkBack users, since speech that is too slow becomes tedious over long sessions while speech that is too fast can be hard to parse. Installing additional language voices also lets multilingual users hear content correctly pronounced instead of defaulting to an accented fallback voice.
Best practices
- Download the voice pack for each language you regularly read in to avoid robotic fallback pronunciation
- Increase speech rate gradually rather than jumping to maximum, since comprehension usually needs an adjustment period
- Use the test button after every change instead of guessing how it will sound
- Keep the default Google engine unless a third-party engine offers a clearly better voice
Common problems and fixes
- Voice sounds robotic or wrong language
- Download the correct language data pack from the engine's settings menu
- No sound plays during the test
- Check media volume is not muted and that the correct engine is selected
- Speech is too fast for TalkBack users to follow
- Lower the speech rate slider and retest with the Play button
Tips and tricks
- Set a slightly faster rate for casual reading and a slower rate reserved for TalkBack navigation if your device allows per-feature overrides
- Preview a paragraph of real text rather than the short default sample for a more accurate sense of the voice
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a different app's voices, like a navigation app's voice pack?
Only if that app registers itself as a compatible text-to-speech engine in this menu.
Does changing the rate here affect Google Assistant's voice?
No, Assistant has its own separate voice settings.
Related settings
- Select to SpeakSelect to Speak lets you tap or draw a box around text, images, or entire screens to have Android read the content aloud using text-to-speech. It works inside apps, on the web, and even on images with detectable text.
- Live CaptionLive Caption automatically generates real-time captions for videos, podcasts, voice messages, and calls playing on the device — entirely on-device, without needing an internet connection or the media having built-in subtitles.
- Languages & Input / KeyboardLanguages & input settings control your device's system language, additional keyboard languages, and features like autocorrect, voice typing, and text-to-speech. You can add multiple keyboard languages and switch between them without changing your phone's overall display language.
More Accessibility guides for Android
- Accessibility SettingsAndroid's Accessibility settings include TalkBack screen reading, magnification, color and contrast adjustments, and Switch Access for people who use adaptive hardware.
- TalkBackTalkBack is Android's built-in screen reader, describing what's on screen out loud and letting you navigate the entire phone using gestures and audio feedback instead of relying on sight.
- MagnificationMagnification lets low-vision users zoom into any part of the screen using a shortcut gesture or button, temporarily or persistently enlarging content system-wide, independent of any single app's own zoom controls.
- Color Correction & InversionColor Correction shifts the device's color palette to compensate for common types of color blindness (deuteranomaly, protanomaly, tritanomaly), while the related Color Inversion setting flips light and dark values for users who prefer high-contrast or low-glare screens.
- Accessibility ShortcutThe Accessibility Shortcut lets you trigger a chosen accessibility feature, such as TalkBack, Magnification, or Select to Speak, from anywhere using a button combination, gesture, or on-screen icon, without navigating through Settings.
- Interaction Controls (Touch & Hold Timeout)Interaction Controls let you lengthen the time the screen waits before registering a touch-and-hold as a long press, and enable settings that ignore repeated or accidental touches, helping users with limited dexterity or tremors interact more reliably.