It is possible to read text messages out loud on your Android phone and we will show you how to do this. This can be useful when you are driving and will not want to risk getting into trouble with the law. It also helps people with bad eyesight reduce the amount of time they spend staring on their screen.
Luckily, Android phones have some inbuilt features that allow it to read text messages out loud. There are also numerous third-party applications that would allow you to do this. Stick around with us and let us get right into how to read text messages out loud on Android.
How to Read Text Message Out Loud On Android
We discussed different approaches to read text messages out loud on Android using the default Google Assistant and 3rd-part apps.
Using Google Assistant
You first need to activate the Google Assistant on your device to read text messages aloud on your Android phone.
Activate Google Assistant
You need to have Google Assistant on your Android phone to be able to read messages out loud. To install Google Assistant on your device, you can download it here.
After installing the app, you would need to activate it. To do so, you can simply say “OK, Google,” or “Hey, Google.” You can also click on the microphone icon in the Google Assistant app. For some phones, you can activate Google Assistant by holding down your home button for some seconds.
Use Google Assistant to Read Text Notifications
- Once you have activated your Google Assistant, just say “Read my text messages.” If you are doing this for the first time, you would get a prompt asking you to grant permission. Just click on OK.
- Once the Notification Access menu appears, click on the toggle which you would see next to Google.
- Afterward, select Allow in the next window that will appear.
- You can now go back to your Google Assistant or simply say “OK Google,” and repeat the read my text instruction.
- Google Assistant will then start to read out your text messages notifications. This also includes text notifications from other sources like Whatsapp. Google Assistant will read out the name of the sender and the content of the message. It would then ask you if you would like to respond.
- To respond to the message, just reply ‘’Yes’’ and dictate your response to your Google Assistant which would transcribe and send your response.
Enable Text-to-Speech to Read Messages
Google Assistant is good but Text-to-Speech is another inbuilt feature in Android devices that can read out your text messages. Unlike Google Assistant, Text-to-Speech requires using your hands which makes it less comfortable.
To make this work well, you would need to download Select to Speak, you would need to download Select to Speak which is an extra Module in Google’s Android Accessibility Suite. To make this work, follow the steps below.
- After downloading Select to Speak, open your notifications shade, and select the gear icon and select Accessibility.
- Then, click on Installed Services. You would then see the list of the options then click on the toggle next to it.
- Then select OK to confirm.
- After this, at the bottom menu bar, you will then see a person-shaped icon. Once you click on it, it will bring out the Select to Speak playback options.
- Then, select any text on your phone that you would want the text-to-speech transcriber read out for you. The selected text would be highlighted in blue while the text-to-speech would read it out.
However, you should note that this would not sound as refined as Google Assistant but it is really helpful for those with eye defects. You can also use this feature on apps like Whatsapp, Email, your web browser, and other messaging applications.
Using Third-Party Apps to Read Text Messages
There are numerous third-party applications that you can download to help you read out your text messages. ReadItToMe is one of such applications and it can read out all of your message notifications which includes those from your default message inbox and those from other messaging applications like Whatsapp.
Out Loud is another application with similar features. The particular app has features that can set up a separate profile which will allow you to either enable or disable this feature automatically. This means that the app would be automatically disenabled in certain situations like when you are connected to a Bluetooth speaker.
Unfortunately, there are currently no third-party applications that can help you to read previous messages without having to rely on Google Assistant. If you would like to enjoy this feature, then you can use the Select to Speak feature explained above.
You should also read on how to turn off the music on Android automatically here.
Conclusion
Now you know that you don’t need to strain your eyes to read your messages again when your Android phone can read text messages out for you. You can use any of the methods explained to begin to enjoy this feature. If you have any challenges following our guide, let us know in the comments section below.