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How to read text aloud with Siri on iPhone

TTS adds two Shortcuts actions, Read Text and Read Clipboard. Say a Siri phrase or run them from the Shortcuts app and the app opens and reads with whichever voice you last picked, which is a smaller thing than it sounds: it is not Siri's own voice speaking.

2 min read · Updated 2026-09-16

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What Siri actually does here

Siri here is a trigger, not a narrator. It hands off to one of TTS's two Shortcuts actions, which opens the app and reads with whatever voice is currently selected in Voice. Handy from the car; less handy if you forgot to set an English voice and your French notes come out oddly.

Steps: read text aloud by voice

  1. No setup is needed inside TTS: the actions are available as soon as the app is installed.
  2. Say a phrase such as "Hey Siri, read my text with TTS" or "Hey Siri, read aloud with TTS".
  3. TTS opens and reads the text you gave Siri (Read Text Aloud); if you didn't say any text, it asks for Text to Read.
  4. To hear whatever you last copied instead, say "Hey Siri, read my clipboard with TTS" or "read clipboard aloud with TTS".

Steps: run it from the Shortcuts app

  1. Open the Shortcuts app, tap the add button and search for TTS.
  2. Add Read Text (asks for Text to Read) or Read Clipboard to a new shortcut.
  3. Run it directly, or add it to your Home Screen or an automation for one tap.
The two Shortcuts actions TTS adds
ActionWhat it needsWhat happens
Read TextText to Read (typed, dictated or a Siri phrase)Opens TTS and reads it aloud with the selected voice
Read ClipboardText already copied on the deviceOpens TTS and reads the clipboard, or shows an empty-clipboard message

What it can't do

  • Doesn't read with Siri's own voice: it opens TTS and reads with the voice selected in Voice.
  • Doesn't keep reading with the screen locked or the app in the background, same as the main app: no background audio.
  • Counts toward the same free daily characters as Speak and saving audio.
  • Isn't iOS's own "Siri read my messages" feature: TTS doesn't read text messages or notifications, only the text or clipboard you give it.

Questions and answers

Does this use Siri's voice?
No. Siri only starts the shortcut; TTS reads with the voice currently selected in Voice, not with Siri's system voice.
Can Siri read my clipboard automatically?
Only when you ask for it: say "read my clipboard with TTS" or run Read Clipboard. If nothing is copied, TTS shows The clipboard is empty. Copy some text first.
Does it work with the screen locked?
Siri opens TTS to start reading, but the app needs to stay open with the screen on to keep reading, since it does not support background audio.
Do these actions count against the free character limit?
Yes, the same daily allowance as Speak and saving audio: 1,000 characters a day for free users, plus 500 more per finished rewarded ad.

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