Frequently Asked Questions

No, all the user needs is a device with a web browser that has the ability to play back MP3 audio. The user simply clicks and listens to hear what you have to say.

Learn more: Do my users have to download anything to get ReadSpeaker to work?

webReader is licensed by the website owner, who purchases licenses for one or more languages and voices. Once its code is on the website, webReader is accessible to all users of those pages. Visitors do not need to download or install any software.

Learn more: Is ReadSpeaker free for the visitors of a website?

Yes, our web-reading solution ReadSpeaker webReader is implemented exactly in the same way on your website as on your mobile website if you have one. There is no difference.

Learn more: Can I have my mobile website speech-enabled as well?

Yes, ReadSpeaker can be set up to speech-enable secure sites and password-protected sites.

Learn more: Does ReadSpeaker work on HTTPS sites and password-protected sites?

ReadSpeaker webReader provides maximum access not only from PCs but also from iPhones and other smartphones, including BlackBerry and Android powered phones, iPads, MP3 playing devices, PDAs, video game consoles, interactive internet TVs, and internet booths and kiosks.

Learn more: Does ReadSpeaker work on my mobile device?

TextAid browser extensions are added from your browser’s web store. Anyone can add one, but the text-to-speech only works for licensed users, which means users logged in to their ReadSpeaker TextAid account.

Learn more: How do I get the TextAid browser extension, and do I need a licence?

Some pages are listed in the extension as not supported, so its toolbox does not appear there. They include Google Drive pages, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Word Online preview pages and special browser tabs. PDFs opened in the browser can be read, except PDFs open in Google Drive.

Learn more: Why doesn’t the TextAid extension appear on Google Drive, Sheets or Slides?

Download the extension from the Chrome Web Store, then enter the activation code provided by ReadSpeaker in the window that opens the first time you launch it. Codes expire after a certain period, and a new one must then be requested. The device needs an Internet connection during activation.

Learn more: How do I activate the ReadSpeaker Offline Chrome Extension?

Yes, ReadSpeaker webReader can automatically switch between different languages when reading text. This can be useful when the text contains sections or paragraphs in a different language.

Learn more: I have text in multiple languages in my pages. Can ReadSpeaker cope with that?

It comes pre-installed with a limited number of voices. Several versions are available on the Chrome Web Store, each with a different set of voices, so the reading languages depend on the version you download.

Learn more: Which voices does the Offline Chrome Extension include?

We recommend that you place the Listen button close to the heading of the content that you want read so that there is an immediate mental link between the content and the Listen button.

Learn more: Where do you suggest we put the Listen button?

For usability and awareness, we’ve introduced a unified icon to identify that a website is equipped with ReadSpeaker’s web-reading service. When website visitors see this icon, they learn what happens if the icon is clicked; the page will be read out loud to them. We propose a variety of buttons in the different languages we support and with many color and size options. Of course, you can also design and use your own button if ours doesn’t fit in with the look and feel of your site.

Learn more: Do we have to use the ReadSpeaker Listen button?

Click the Listen button. It expands into a player and the page is read out loud. The player buttons let you stop, pause and resume, skip forward or back, adjust the volume and reading speed, and close the player, which stops the reading.

Learn more: How do I start, pause and stop reading with the Listen button?

On a touch screen, you tap the Listen button to start reading, and a combined toolbar and player appears in the lower right corner of the screen. Some features are not available on mobile: enlarged text, Text Mode, the pop-up menu for selected text, Help, the skip buttons and volume control.

Learn more: How does webReader work on a phone or tablet?

The download is for personal use. When you download a page, or the text you selected, as an MP3 from the webReader menu, you are asked to confirm that the audio file will be used for personal use only. The website owner can also turn this option off.

Learn more: Can I share or reuse an MP3 downloaded with webReader?

Click the ReadSpeaker icon in your browser’s toolbar to show the toolbox on the current page. While the extension is active, the toolbox appears automatically on every supported page. Click the Close button in the toolbox to turn it off.

Learn more: How do I turn the TextAid extension on and off?

Click the docReader button next to the document link. The document opens in docReader in a new browser window or tab. Click the Listen button in the toolbar to hear the current page, or select some text and choose Listen from the menu that appears.

Learn more: How do I listen to a PDF on a website that uses docReader?