Hi there! I'm Sarah, a tech enthusiast with a particular passion for all things Apple. I've been using iPhones since their early days, and I've helped countless friends and family navigate the ins and outs of their devices. I'm happy to share my knowledge and experience with you today.
Let's unravel the mystery of why your iPhone speaks your text messages aloud. It sounds like you've stumbled upon a helpful accessibility feature designed to make using your iPhone easier and more intuitive.
Here's a breakdown of the most likely reasons and how to adjust them:
**1. Speak Selection or Speak Screen is Activated**
These two features are incredibly useful if you prefer to listen to content rather than read it, or if you have visual impairments. Here's how they differ:
*
Speak Selection: This feature reads aloud any text you select. If you've accidentally enabled it, your iPhone might be reading aloud the text you're typing in messages.
*
Speak Screen: This feature reads the entire content of your screen when you swipe down with two fingers from the top. If active, it will read everything, including your text messages, as you navigate through them.
How to Check and Disable:1. Go to
Settings on your iPhone.
2. Tap on
Accessibility.
3. Select
Spoken Content.
4. Here, you'll find both
Speak Selection and
Speak Screen.
5. Ensure both toggles are turned
off (white).
2. Voice Control is Turned OnVoice Control is a powerful feature that lets you control your iPhone entirely with your voice. If it's enabled, it might be interpreting your actions within the Messages app as commands to read the text aloud.
How to Check and Disable:1. Open
Settings on your iPhone.
2. Go to
Accessibility.
3. Select
Voice Control.
4. Toggle
Voice Control to the
off position (white).
**3. Announce Messages with Siri is Enabled**
This handy feature, introduced with iOS 15, allows Siri to announce your incoming messages through your AirPods or other connected audio devices. It's super convenient for hands-free communication but can be startling if you're not expecting it.
How to Check and Disable:1. Open
Settings on your iPhone.
2. Tap on
Notifications.
3. Select
Announce Notifications.
4. Ensure that
Announce Notifications is turned
off (white).
5. If you only want to disable this for Messages, tap on
Messages and make sure
Announce Notifications is
off.
4. A Third-Party App is InterferingThough less likely, it's possible that an app with accessibility permissions might be causing this behavior. If you've recently installed an app that requests access to speak text, try temporarily disabling its permissions or uninstalling the app to see if the issue resolves.
To Check App Permissions:1. Go to
Settings.
2. Scroll down and select
Privacy & Security.
3. Tap on
Speech Recognition.
4. Review the list of apps with access and disable any that seem suspicious or unnecessary.
I hope this helps clear things up! If the issue persists, don't hesitate to reach out for further assistance.
read more >>