Live Speech: An Integrated Text-to-Speech Option on iOS 17

Written By Janice Reese

The release of iOS 17 back in September of 2023 brought with it some exciting new features in the world of accessibility. One of these new features is called Live Speech.

Live Speech is a new, built in text-to-speech feature that is very simple to turn on and use. Live Speech lets you turn your typed text into spoken words. It is perfect for those who have a speech disability, are nonverbal, or just prefer to communicate through text. In addition, Live Speech works seamlessly during phone calls and FaceTime. With Live Speech, your typed words will be audibly sent over the phone to the individual you are talking to. Live Speech also lets you save commonly used phrases to make it easier to respond during your day to day interactions.

Live Speech is available on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. You need to update your Apple devices to iOS 17 to be able to use Live Speech.

To turn on Live Speech on your Phone or Tablet, go to Settings - Accessibility - Live Speech. Tap Live Speech to turn it on. Once Live Speech is on, you simply need to tap the the side button three times to bring up the message box. After that, you simply type your message and press send.

If you would like more information about Live Speech, click here.

Janice Reese

My name is Janice Reese and I LOVE assistive technology! I worked as an Occupational Therapist for more than 15 years, earned a Master’s degree in Education Technology, and I’m RESNA certified as an Assistive Technology Profession (ATP). I have worked in the school system for many years now and I love using technology to enhance the lives of children with disabilities. Since my first love is teaching, I’ve spent just as much time training wonderful teachers everywhere to use these tools in their classrooms. AT4Kids, llc was founded in 2008 in an effort to provide quality instruction and resources for teachers, therapists, student users and parents who wanted to know more about using AT.

I currently serve as Director of the Center for Assistive Technology, a state-supported program of the Little TN Valley Educational Cooperative. LTVEC is a non-profit agency whose goal is to provide rehabilitation services and accessibility supports for students with special needs in east Tennessee. My AT4Kids blog is designed to be as a one-stop resource for ideas and information for those wanting to learn more about the use of AT with children in the special education setting.

I hope to offer helpful hints, program and product reviews, AT recommendations, links to great new finds on the web, and lists of resources for “all things AT”.

Previous

Communication Rich Classroom Environment
Next

Audible Sight - An AI Powered Tool for the Visually Impaired and Blind