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How to take a picture of text and have it read aloud

In TTS, tap Scan, then Camera to photograph the text or Photos for a picture you already have. Read the recognised text before you trust it, tap Use This Text, then Speak.

3 min read · Updated 2026-09-16

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When is scanning the fastest way?

A letter from the council, a page of a book, a medicine leaflet, a menu, a sign, a slide in a screenshot, a scanned PDF page: anything where the text is trapped in an image rather than sitting there as real text. TTS reads the photo with Apple's own text recognition, then an iOS voice reads the result.

It runs on the device, the photo is never uploaded, and it works with no internet. Language detection can misjudge things occasionally, for example on a menu with two languages printed side by side.

Steps: scan text and read it aloud

  1. Open TTS and tap Scan. The Scan Text (OCR) sheet opens.
  2. Tap Camera and take the photo, or tap Photos and choose an existing picture or screenshot. The camera permission is asked only the first time you use Camera.
  3. Wait while Recognizing text… is shown. A preview of the text appears, one recognised line per line.
  4. Read the preview. If it is poor, tap Retake and try again with a better photo.
  5. Tap Use This Text. The text goes into the box on the main screen, where you can fix a wrong word by hand.
  6. Pick a voice in Voice in the language of the text, then tap Speak.

If you see No text found in image, the picture was too dark, blurred or too far away, or it contains handwriting the recogniser cannot read.

How to take a photo that reads well

  • Lay the page flat and shoot straight down, not at an angle.
  • Use good, even light and avoid your own shadow over the page.
  • Fill the frame with the text, but keep the edges of the lines inside it.
  • Shoot one column at a time. Newspapers and multi-column leaflets can come out in the wrong order.
  • Printed text works much better than handwriting.

Several pages

Scan takes one image at a time, and Use This Text replaces what is in the box. For a letter of several pages, scan and read page one, then scan the next. If you want everything in one block, copy the text of each scan from the box to the Notes app and paste the whole thing back at the end.

The free plan allows 1,000 characters a day shared between Speak and saved audio, with 500 more for each rewarded ad you watch to the end. A dense printed page can pass that limit, so a free account may need to read long pages in parts.

Screenshots and scanned PDFs

Photos accepts screenshots, so this is also the way to hear a scanned PDF, which File cannot read: open the PDF, screenshot each page, and scan the screenshots one by one.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving an English voice selected for a German letter: the words will be recognised correctly but pronounced badly.
  • Tapping Use This Text without reading the preview: a stray headline or page number may sit in the middle.
  • Photographing a glossy page under a lamp: reflections hide letters.

Questions and answers

Can I take a picture of text and have it read to me for free?
Yes. Scan is free; reading counts toward the 1,000 free characters a day, plus 500 per rewarded ad.
Does it read handwriting?
It is built for printed text. Neat handwriting sometimes works, but expect mistakes and check the preview.
Is my photo uploaded?
No. Text recognition runs on the device, and the picture is not sent anywhere.
Why does it ask for camera access?
Only to take the photo when you tap Scan and Camera. Using Photos hands the app just the one picture you pick.

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