Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, Voice Reader is free to download and use. However, you'll need to provide your own TTS API key. Azure Speech offers a free tier with 500,000 characters per month, which is plenty for most users.

Voice Reader requires iOS 17.0 or later. It works on iPhone and iPad.

We recommend Microsoft Azure Speech for most users:

• HD neural voices with natural expression
• Free tier: 500,000 characters/month
• Support for many languages including English and Chinese

View Azure setup guide →

Follow these steps:

• Create a free Azure account at azure.microsoft.com
• Create a Speech resource in the Azure portal
• Copy your API key from Keys and Endpoint
• Enter the key in Voice Reader settings

View detailed guide with screenshots →

Yes, with the Piper TTS option. Piper is a self-hosted TTS service that runs on your local network. You can set up a Piper server on your computer or NAS and use Voice Reader without internet.

View Piper setup guide →

Try these troubleshooting steps:

• Check your device volume and silent mode
• Verify your TTS API credentials in Settings
• Test your API key using the test button in the TTS wizard
• Check your internet connection
• Try a different voice in Settings

Highlighting sync depends on several factors:

• Try adjusting the speech rate in Settings
• Some complex book layouts may affect sync accuracy
• Ensure you're using a stable internet connection

Voice Reader supports background playback. Make sure:

• Background App Refresh is enabled for Voice Reader
• Low Power Mode is disabled (it can interrupt background audio)

While reading:

• Bookmark: Tap the bookmark icon in the toolbar
• Highlight: Long-press on text to select, then tap "Highlight"
• Note: Select text and tap "Add Note"

View all your annotations from the Notes panel.

Yes! Tap the timer icon in the playback controls to set a sleep timer. Options include 5, 15, 30, 60 minutes, or end of chapter.

Yes, Voice Reader supports multiple themes:

• Light: White background
• Sepia: Warm, paper-like background
• Dark: Dark background for night reading

Tap the appearance icon (Aa) in the reader to change themes, font size, and more.

Voice Reader currently supports EPUB format. This is the most common e-book format and is supported by most e-book stores.

PDF support may be added in a future update.

There are several ways to import books:

• Tap the + button in your library and select from Files
• Open an EPUB file from Files app → Share → Voice Reader
• Download an EPUB from Safari → Open in Voice Reader

No, Voice Reader only works with DRM-free EPUB files. Books purchased from most stores include DRM protection. You can find DRM-free books from:

• Project Gutenberg (free public domain books)
• Standard Ebooks (free, beautifully formatted classics)
• Some publishers that sell DRM-free editions