How to Make Your iPhone Read a Text Message Out Loud to You

Have you ever held a text message at arm's length, trying to find the right pair of glasses, while the phone sits there waiting? Wouldn't it be nice if the phone could just read it to you — the way a friend might read aloud from the newspaper across the breakfast table?

It can. Your iPhone has a feature that will read whatever is on the screen out loud, in a clear voice. Once you turn it on, it takes just a swipe of two fingers to use. Here's how to set it up.

Turning on the "Speak Screen" feature

This is a one-time setup. You won't have to do it again.

1. Open the Settings app — the gray icon with the gears on it.
2. Scroll down and tap Accessibility.
3. Tap Spoken Content.
4. Find Speak Screen and tap the switch beside it so it turns green.

That's it. Your phone is now ready to read aloud any time you ask it to.

How to have a text message read to you

Now for the part you'll actually use day to day. Open the Messages app and tap on a conversation so the message is on the screen in front of you.

Then, with two fingers together, swipe down from the very top of the screen. Start at the top edge and brush your two fingers downward an inch or two. A small gray panel will appear, and the phone will begin reading the message aloud.

If the voice is too fast or too slow, you can adjust it. There's a turtle icon to slow it down and a rabbit icon to speed it up. To stop the reading, tap the X on that little gray panel.

A few tips that help

The two-finger swipe is the trickiest part. Keep your fingers close together and start right at the top edge of the screen — the same edge where the time is shown. If nothing happens the first time, try again a little slower.

This trick isn't just for text messages. It works almost anywhere on your phone. Try it on an email, a news article, or a recipe a grandchild sent you. Anything the phone can show, it can read.

And if you wear hearing aids that connect to your iPhone, the voice will come through them just like a phone call would. If not, the phone's own speaker works fine in a quiet room.

One thing to try today

Ask someone to send you a text message — or open one already sitting in your inbox. Then do the two-finger swipe from the top. The first time you hear your phone read a message aloud in that calm, even voice, you may decide you don't always need to reach for your glasses after all.

Need a hand with your technology? We're here to help. Give PorchSwing a call or book an appointment, and we'll walk you through it at your own pace — no rush, no jargon.