Samsung Text-to-Speech: How to Have Texts Read Aloud Easily

Your Samsung smartphone or tablet can do more than just display text – it can also read it aloud to you! The so-called Text-to-Speech (TTS) function is a powerful tool that not only improves accessibility but can also be practical in everyday life, for example, to have messages, emails, or e-books read aloud while on the go. Here you'll learn how to set up and use Samsung Text-to-Speech.

What is Text-to-Speech (TTS) anyway?

Text-to-Speech is a technology that converts written text into spoken language. Your device reads digital texts aloud with a computer-generated voice. Samsung devices offer their own solutions for this as well as the ability to use Google's TTS engine.

Activating and Setting Up Samsung Text-to-Speech – Step-by-Step

You'll find the settings for Text-to-Speech in your Samsung device's system settings. The exact path may vary slightly depending on the Android version and One UI interface, but is fundamentally similar:

  1. Open Settings: Tap the gear icon on your home screen or in the notification bar.
  2. Navigate to "General management": Scroll down a bit and select this menu item.
  3. Select "Text-to-speech" (or "Language and input" and then "Text-to-speech output"): Here you'll find all relevant options.
  • Open Settings: Tap the gear icon on your home screen or in the notification bar.
  • Navigate to "General management": Scroll down a bit and select this menu item.
  • Select "Text-to-speech" (or "Language and input" and then "Text-to-speech output"): Here you'll find all relevant options.
  • Within the "Text-to-speech" settings, you can make various adjustments:

    • Preferred Engine:
      • Samsung text-to-speech engine: Samsung's own TTS solution.
      • Google text-to-speech engine: Google's widely used TTS solution.
      • You can switch between these engines. Tap the gear icon next to the selected engine for further settings.
    • Language: Choose the language in which texts should be read aloud (e.g., German, English). Make sure the appropriate language data is installed.
    • Speech rate: Adjust how fast the text is read. A slower speed is often more understandable.
    • Pitch: Change the pitch of the voice.
    • Play sample: With this option, you can test your current settings.
  • Preferred Engine:
    • Samsung text-to-speech engine: Samsung's own TTS solution.
    • Google text-to-speech engine: Google's widely used TTS solution.
    • You can switch between these engines. Tap the gear icon next to the selected engine for further settings.
    • Samsung text-to-speech engine: Samsung's own TTS solution.
    • Google text-to-speech engine: Google's widely used TTS solution.
    • You can switch between these engines. Tap the gear icon next to the selected engine for further settings.
  • Samsung text-to-speech engine: Samsung's own TTS solution.
  • Google text-to-speech engine: Google's widely used TTS solution.
  • You can switch between these engines. Tap the gear icon next to the selected engine for further settings.
  • Language: Choose the language in which texts should be read aloud (e.g., German, English). Make sure the appropriate language data is installed.
  • Speech rate: Adjust how fast the text is read. A slower speed is often more understandable.
  • Pitch: Change the pitch of the voice.
  • Play sample: With this option, you can test your current settings.
  • Installing or updating language data:
    Sometimes the corresponding data must first be downloaded for a specific language or voice. You can usually do this via the gear icon for the respective TTS engine under "Install voice data".

    Choosing the Right TTS Engine

    • Samsung text-to-speech engine: Is often well integrated into the Samsung ecosystem and offers solid performance. The quality of the voices has steadily improved over the years.
    • Google text-to-speech engine: Offers a wide selection of languages and voices and is considered very mature. Many users find the Google voices more natural.
  • Samsung text-to-speech engine: Is often well integrated into the Samsung ecosystem and offers solid performance. The quality of the voices has steadily improved over the years.
  • Google text-to-speech engine: Offers a wide selection of languages and voices and is considered very mature. Many users find the Google voices more natural.
  • It's worth trying both engines and choosing the one whose voice and settings options you like best.

    Practical Use Cases for Samsung TTS

    Once set up, the text-to-speech function can be used in many apps:

    • Having news and articles read aloud: Many news apps or browsers support the read-aloud function (often via the accessibility settings of the respective app).
    • E-books and documents: E-book reader apps like Google Play Books or special reading apps often offer a read-aloud function.
    • Emails and messages: Have long emails or chat messages read aloud while you do something else.
    • Navigation: Navigation apps like Google Maps use TTS for voice directions.
    • Accessibility: For people with visual impairments or reading difficulties, TTS is an indispensable tool. Samsung also offers the "Voice Assistant" (TalkBack on Google) for this, which accompanies the entire screen interaction with voice.
  • Having news and articles read aloud: Many news apps or browsers support the read-aloud function (often via the accessibility settings of the respective app).
  • E-books and documents: E-book reader apps like Google Play Books or special reading apps often offer a read-aloud function.
  • Emails and messages: Have long emails or chat messages read aloud while you do something else.
  • Navigation: Navigation apps like Google Maps use TTS for voice directions.
  • Accessibility: For people with visual impairments or reading difficulties, TTS is an indispensable tool. Samsung also offers the "Voice Assistant" (TalkBack on Google) for this, which accompanies the entire screen interaction with voice.
  • Tips for Optimal Use

    • Good audio quality: Make sure your device's audio output is clear. Headphones can improve the listening experience.
    • Current software: Keep your operating system and apps up to date to benefit from the latest improvements to TTS engines.
    • Experiment with settings: Find the speech rate and pitch that are most pleasant and understandable for you.
  • Good audio quality: Make sure your device's audio output is clear. Headphones can improve the listening experience.
  • Current software: Keep your operating system and apps up to date to benefit from the latest improvements to TTS engines.
  • Experiment with settings: Find the speech rate and pitch that are most pleasant and understandable for you.
  • Conclusion

    The text-to-speech function on Samsung devices is a versatile and useful feature. Whether you want to improve accessibility, make multitasking more efficient, or simply have content read aloud conveniently – setup is straightforward and the possibilities are diverse. Try it out and discover how your Samsung device can make your everyday life easier!

    And if you ever want to go the opposite way – that is, convert spoken content into text – then services like Diktat AI are just right for saving you tedious typing work and boosting your productivity.

    Want to convert audio to text? Try Diktat AI free – accurate, fast, and GDPR-compliant!