You probably have a list of websites, news feeds and online magazines that you just never get to. You’d love to read them — if you only had the time. Well, there might be a way for you to catch up on your reading while you’re eyes and hands are busy making your morning cup of coffee. (Or folding your laundry, or etc.)
There’s a speak button on your iPhone or iPad, that will read out-loud anything that you have open on your browser. But seriously. Who wants to listen to Siri that long? So, before I show you how to activate this feature, let me show you how to customize the voice on your iPhone so that it sounds less like a computer, and more like an English butler.
First, go to Settings, General and Accessibility. (The images here are from my iPad, but they are the same for a iPhone.
Then, Speak Selection.
You will want to slow it down a bit, a little closer to the turtle. As you get more familiar to the reader’s voice, you may want to speed up the tempo.
Next hit voices.
Voila! Just look at all the selections! I must say that my favorite is English, South African, but play around with all the options to see what you like.
Now, to hit your reading list. Open up an email or blog post you’d like to read — if you only had the time. When it’s open, hold your finger on the text until the little bubble appears.
Next the blue dots will appear, and you can drag them down to highlight the entire article.
Next, hit Speak and let it talk, in your preferred dialect! Give it a try, it’s a great way to let your iPhone or iPad make you more efficient.
Now, want to know something even better? There’s also a way to get your iPhone or iPad to read to you from your Kindle — also in that South African dialect. This is a bit trickier — but just as simple, as Kindle does not allow you to highlight text. I’ll show you later this week, if you haven’t already figured that one out.