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How to change the text to speech voice and speed on iPhone

Open the Voice menu next to Speak and pick any voice installed on your device. Speed goes from 0.50x to 2.00x, Pitch from 0.10x to 2.00x. If the voice list looks thin, that is an iOS Settings problem, not a TTS one, and the fix is below.

3 min read · Updated 2026-09-16

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How to change the text to speech voice

  1. Open TTS and tap the Voice menu next to Speak.
  2. Scroll the list. Each voice shows its name, language code and gender, for example Name (en-GB) · Female.
  3. Pick a voice in the language of your text.
  4. Tap Speak. From then on the app remembers this voice between launches.

The list holds every speech voice installed on the device, in every language, sorted highest quality first: [Premium], then [HD] (the app's label for iOS Enhanced voices), then the standard ones, alphabetically. All of them, Premium included, are free to use here.

Enhanced vs Premium: which one actually sounds better?

Three levels of the same voice exist on iOS. Standard is small and usually already there. Enhanced is a bigger download and sounds smoother. Premium, where the language has it, is the biggest and the most natural, in my experience worth the wait on Wi-Fi. What you can actually get depends on the language and your iOS version, not on anything in the app.

How do I get more voices for text to speech?

Voices are downloaded in the iOS Settings app, not inside TTS, and the app shows no instructions for it. On recent iOS versions the path is usually Settings, Accessibility, Spoken Content, Voices, then your language; tap a voice to download it. Once it is on the device, open TTS again and it appears in Voice.

iOS often installs only one voice per language at first, sometimes only a male or only a female one. If you want the other gender or a different accent, such as British, Australian or Indian English, download it there.

How to slow down text to speech on iPhone

Drag Speed to the left. It moves in steps of 0.05, from 0.50x to 2.00x, which gives 31 positions. 1.00x is the normal iOS speaking rate and 2.00x is the fastest rate iOS allows.

Speed label and the iOS speech rate the app sends (rate = 0.5 x multiplier)
Speed labeliOS rate (0 to 1)Good for
0.50x0.25Dictation, new vocabulary
0.75x0.375Following along with highlighting
1.00x0.5Normal listening
1.25x0.625Familiar material
1.50x0.75Skimming long articles
2.00x1.0Maximum iOS speed

Pitch: higher or deeper voice

Pitch changes how high or low the voice sounds without changing its speed, from 0.10x to 2.00x. Small changes around 1.00x sound most natural; extremes are fun but tiring for long texts.

Both Speed and Pitch go back to 1.00x each time you open the app. They apply to Speak, saved audio files, Podcast and Batch. Study has its own speed controls and a fixed pitch.

What the voices are, and are not

  • They are Apple's own iOS voices, running on your device. The app adds no AI or cloud voices.
  • Siri's voice is not available to apps, so it does not appear in the list.
  • The number of languages depends on what your device has installed, not on the app.

Common mistakes

  • Reading French with an English voice: the words are there, the accent is wrong. Match the voice to the text.
  • Expecting the speed to stay at 1.50x next time: it resets at each launch, so set it again.
  • Looking for a download button in the app: voices are managed only in the iOS Settings app.

Questions and answers

Are Premium voices a paid feature in TTS?
No. Premium and Enhanced voices are free iOS downloads, and the app lets free users choose them.
Why is only one voice listed for my language?
iOS usually installs one voice per language. Download more in the iOS Settings app and they appear in Voice.
Can I use Siri's voice?
No. Apple does not make Siri's voice available to other apps.
Does the app remember my speed?
It remembers the voice, but Speed and Pitch return to 1.00x every time the app opens.

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