Hear books read out loud on Google Play Books

Hear text in ebooks read out loud with Read Aloud, VoiceOver, or text-to-speech.

Read Aloud is available in the Play Books mobile app.

Turn on Read Aloud for ebooks

Important: To use Read Aloud, view the ebook in flowing text mode. Learn about viewing options in Play Books.

1. Open the Play Books app .
2. Open a book.
3. To enter skim mode, tap the page.
4. At the top right, tap Menu .
5. Tap Read aloud.

Turn on Read Aloud automatically

1. Open the Play Books app .
2. At the top right, tap your Profile picture.
3. Tap Play Books Settings  Automatically read aloud.
4. When you open a book, Read Aloud turns on.

Tip: Not all books have this option. Publishers choose whether Read Aloud is available for their books.

Use a more natural reading voice

Important: You can only use this mode when your device is connected to the internet. To use Read Aloud when your device is offline, turn off the natural reading voice.

1. Open the Play Books app .
2. At the top right, tap your Profile picture.
3. Tap Play Books Settings.
4. Turn on More natural reading voice.

Change default Text-to-speech voice & language

Important: The available options may vary based on your location. In some countries or regions, you may only be able to download a single, high-quality voice for offline use.

How to change default Text-to-speech voice & language

1. On your device, open the Settings app.
2. Scroll and select Accessibility.
3. At the bottom, tap Text-to-speech output.
4. Next to “Preferred engine,” tap Settings .
5. To find the available languages and locales, tap Install voice data.
6. Choose the language or locale you want to use.
7. If you're in a country or region where the voice selection is available, you can choose the voice that best suits your preferences. This includes the ability to preview different voices and select the one you prefer the most.

Voice selection

If you find a list of voices like "Voice I" or "Voice II," tap each one to hear a sample. Select the voice you prefer. Keep it selected as your default for the chosen language or locale.

Change the speech speed

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Accessibility.
3. At the bottom, tap Text-to-speech output.
4. Under “Speech rate,” set your desired speed.

Tips:

• If you have a text-to-speech app, you can set it as the default. 
• The Play Books app uses your default text-to-speech app.

Turn on text-to-speech with TalkBack

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Accessibility  TalkBack.
3. Turn on TalkBack.
4. Scroll and tap Settings.
5. Scroll and turn off Explore by touch.

Tips:

• In the Play Books app, you hear book titles first, then menu options. 
• To hear menu options first, swipe left.