Hey there, Office Insiders! My name is Emily Tran, and I’m a Program Manager on the Office Voice team. I’m excited to share with you that the Read Aloud feature, previously available in Word on desktop and mobile devices, is now available in Word for iPad and Android tablets as well. That means you can now use the feature across all your devices and platforms!
Read Aloud for tablets
Read Aloud takes advantage of the latest text-to-speech technology, enabling you to “proof-listen” to your writing and catch any errors. You can also use Read Aloud for tablets to give your eyes a break while listening to documents created by others.
This feature uses cutting-edge neural voices developed by Azure Cognitive Services, which offer a more natural listening experience. By bringing Read Aloud to tablets, we’ve made the service available no matter where you are or what device you’re using.
How it works
Ready to give Read Aloud for tablets a try?
1. Open a document in Word on your device.
2. Tap Review and then tap Read Aloud on Android, or the Read Aloud icon (
) on iPad. The app will begin reading the text at the beginning of the document.
The Read Aloud feature in Word shown on an Android tablet (left) and an iPad.Tips and tricks
With Read Aloud for tablets, you can use the on-screen controls to:
- Change the reading speed
- Switch between different voices
- Pause at any time and resume when ready
Requirements
To use this feature, you must be connected to the internet.
Privacy
Read Aloud doesn’t store your content or audio data; Microsoft only uses your content to provide you with audio results. For more information about experiences that analyze your content, see Connected Experiences in Office.
Availability
We are rolling out this feature to Office Insiders running:
- Android Build 16.0.14628.10000 or later
- iOS Version 2.36 (Build 20041000) or later
Don’t have it yet? It’s probably us, not you.
Features are released over some time to ensure things are working smoothly. We highlight features that you may not have because they’re slowly releasing to larger numbers of Insiders. Sometimes we remove elements to further improve them based on your feedback. Though this is rare, we also reserve the option to pull a feature entirely out of the product, even if you, as an Insider, have had the opportunity to try it.
Feedback
To provide feedback or suggestions about this feature, in Word for Android tap Settings > Send Feedback, and then tap I like something, I don’t like something, or I have an idea. In Word for iOS tap Settings > Help & Feedback, and then tap Tell Us What You Like or Tell Us What Can Be Better.
Learn what other information you should include in your feedback to ensure it’s actionable and reaches the right people. We’re excited to hear from you!
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