Both iPhone and Android can read text aloud for free, with no internet, using voices built into the phone. On iPhone, turn on Speak Selection or Speak Screen in the accessibility settings. On Android, turn on Select to Speak. Once a voice is downloaded, reading happens on the phone, so it works in airplane mode and the text isn’t sent anywhere.
Here’s how to set each one up, how to get better-sounding voices, and how to have AI answers read to you offline.
How to make an iPhone read text aloud #
iPhone has two features, both under Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content.
Speak Selection #
Turn on Speak Selection. Then, in almost any app, select some text and tap Speak in the menu that pops up. It’s ideal for a paragraph, an email or a message.
Speak Screen #
Turn on Speak Screen. Then swipe down from the top of the screen with two fingers, and the iPhone reads everything on the screen. A small controller appears so you can pause, skip and change speed. It’s the one to use for long articles and books.
Better voices #
In the same Spoken Content menu, open Voices to pick a voice for each language. Many languages offer Enhanced or Premium versions, which sound more natural and are downloaded to the phone. Download the ones you want on Wi-Fi before you need them offline. You can also adjust the speaking rate here.
How to make an Android phone read text aloud #
According to Google’s accessibility help:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Accessibility, then Select to Speak.
- Turn on the Select to Speak shortcut.
To use it, swipe up with two fingers (three if TalkBack is on), or tap the Accessibility button, then tap items or drag across the screen to hear them. On supported apps and web pages you can also select text, tap More, then Read aloud. There’s an option under Select to Speak settings to keep reading in the background.
Offline voices on Android #
The voice comes from the phone’s text-to-speech engine, usually Google’s Speech Services on most phones, which you’ll find in the accessibility settings under text-to-speech output. Menu names vary by manufacturer. Install the voice data for your languages there so reading works without a connection, then test it in airplane mode. Some higher-quality voices may rely on a network connection, so a quick airplane-mode test is the surest way to know.
Built-in options compared #
| iPhone | Android | |
|---|---|---|
| Read selected text | Speak Selection | Select to Speak, or Read aloud |
| Read the whole screen | Speak Screen (two-finger swipe down) | Select to Speak, drag across the screen |
| Downloadable voices | Yes, Enhanced and Premium | Yes, through the TTS engine’s voice data |
| Works offline | Yes, with downloaded voices | Yes, with installed voice data |
| Adjust speed | Yes | Yes |
For a wider look at what phones do on-device for accessibility, see offline AI accessibility features.
How good do offline voices sound? #
Better than they used to. The downloadable Enhanced and Premium voices on iPhone, and Google’s voices on Android, are clear and pleasant for long listening. They still stumble on unusual names, abbreviations and mixed-language text, and they read tables and code awkwardly. Cloud voice services can sound more expressive, but they send your text to a server to generate the audio.
Having AI answers read aloud offline #
If you’d like to ask an AI a question and hear the answer without a connection, you need two things on the phone: the AI model and the voice.
Personal LLM has both. It runs open models such as Qwen 3.5 and Gemma 4 on your iPhone or Android phone, and every answer has a read-aloud button that uses the phone’s own text-to-speech, with no voice service and no upload. With the model downloaded and your system voice installed, the whole thing works in airplane mode. The app doesn’t take voice input, so you type your question, or use your keyboard’s dictation if you prefer to speak it; whether iPhone dictation works offline covers that side.
The voice it reads with is the one you chose in your phone’s settings, so upgrading to an Enhanced or Premium voice improves it too.
Good uses for offline text to speech #
- Proofreading by ear. Hearing your writing catches mistakes your eyes skip.
- Long articles on a commute. Speak Screen or Select to Speak turns a saved page into audio.
- Resting your eyes. Listen to long answers or documents instead of reading.
- Accessibility. Low vision, dyslexia and reading fatigue.
- Language learning. Hear how a phrase sounds in a voice for that language. We cover practice routines in practicing a language with offline AI.
Frequently asked questions #
Does text to speech work offline on iPhone? #
Yes. iPhone voices run on the device. Download the voices you want under Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content > Voices, and Speak Selection and Speak Screen will work in airplane mode.
How do I make my Android phone read text aloud? #
Turn on Select to Speak in Settings > Accessibility, then swipe up with two fingers or tap the Accessibility button and tap the text you want read. You can also select text and choose Read aloud from the menu in supported apps.
What’s the best free offline text-to-speech app? #
The built-in features are free, work offline and are good enough for most people. Dedicated reading apps add features like saving articles, but check whether they use cloud voices, which send your text to a server.
Is text to speech private? #
Built-in voices that run on the phone don’t send your text anywhere. Cloud voice services do, because the audio is generated on their servers.
Can I have an AI chatbot read its answers aloud offline? #
Yes, if both the AI and the voice run on the phone. An app like Personal LLM runs the model locally and reads answers with the phone’s own text-to-speech, so it works with no connection.