How to Get Galaxy S6 to Read Text Aloud

If you have a Samsung Galaxy S6 and want it to read text aloud—whether it’s a webpage, an email, or a book—this guide will show you exactly how to enable and use the built-in text-to-speech features. You don’t need any extra apps or technical skills; the phone already has everything you need. We’ll cover the two main methods: using the screen reader (TalkBack) for entire screens, and using the Select to Speak feature to read specific text. By the end, you’ll have your phone reading to you in no time.

What You’ll Need

• A Samsung Galaxy S6 running Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or later (most devices are on 6.0 or 7.0).
• Your phone’s text-to-speech engine (Google Text-to-Speech or Samsung’s) should be installed. They usually come pre-installed.
• An internet connection is only needed if you want to download additional voices or languages.

Step-by-Step

Method 1: Use TalkBack (Reads Everything on Screen)

1. Open Settings. Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notification panel, then tap the gear icon (Settings).
2. Go to Accessibility. Scroll down and tap “Accessibility.” It’s usually near the bottom of the Settings menu.
3. Tap “Vision.” Under the “Accessibility” menu, you’ll see several categories. Tap “Vision.”
4. Select “TalkBack.” Tap “TalkBack” (it’s the first option under Vision).
5. Turn it on. Tap the switch at the top right to enable TalkBack. A confirmation dialog will appear; tap “OK” to confirm.
6. Learn the gestures. Once TalkBack is on, the phone will start talking. To navigate, swipe with two fingers to scroll. Tap an item once to select it (it will be read aloud), then double-tap anywhere to activate it. You can also swipe right or left with one finger to move between items.
7. Adjust speech rate. If it talks too fast or slow, go back to Settings > Accessibility > Vision > TalkBack > Settings (or “Speech rate”) and adjust the slider.

Method 2: Use Select to Speak (Reads Only What You Choose)

1. Open Settings. Same as above, swipe down and tap the gear icon.
2. Go to Accessibility. Tap “Accessibility.”
3. Tap “Vision.” Under Accessibility, tap “Vision.”
4. Select “Select to Speak.” It’s usually the second option under Vision.
5. Turn it on. Tap the switch to enable it. Confirm when prompted.
6. Activate it. You’ll see a small floating icon (a person with a speech bubble) on the screen. Tap it to start selecting text.
7. Select the text. Tap on the text you want to read, or drag a selection box around a specific area. The phone will immediately read the selected text aloud.
8. Stop reading. Tap anywhere on the screen or use the close button on the floating icon to stop.

Method 3: Use the Reading Mode in Samsung Internet (for Webpages)

1. Open Samsung Internet. This is the default web browser on the Galaxy S6.
2. Go to a webpage. Navigate to any article or text-heavy page.
3. Tap the three-dot menu. In the top right corner, tap the three vertical dots.
4. Select “Reading mode.” From the drop-down menu, tap “Reading mode.” This will reformat the page into a clean, distraction-free view.
5. Tap the speaker icon. At the top of the reading mode view, you’ll see a speaker icon. Tap it to have the page read aloud.
6. Control playback. Use the on-screen controls to pause, play, or skip forward/backward.

Common Mistakes

• Not enabling the text-to-speech engine. If nothing happens when you try to read text, go to Settings > Accessibility > Vision > Text-to-speech and make sure “Google Text-to-speech” or “Samsung Text-to-speech” is selected as the preferred engine.
• Forgetting to adjust speech rate. If the voice is too fast or too slow, you might think it’s broken. Adjust the speed in the same Text-to-speech settings.
• Using TalkBack and Select to Speak at the same time. They can conflict. Turn off TalkBack if you want to use Select to Speak, or vice versa.
• Not giving permission. Some apps may need permission to draw over other apps (for Select to Speak). If the floating icon doesn’t appear, check Settings > Apps > Select to Speak > Permissions and allow “Draw over other apps.”

Tips

• Download offline voices. To avoid using data, download a high-quality voice for offline use. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Vision > Text-to-speech > Google Text-to-speech > Settings > Install voice data.
• Use the volume keys. When TalkBack is on, you can use the volume up/down keys to control the speech volume quickly.
• Customize TalkBack gestures. You can change the gestures in TalkBack settings to better suit your needs, like using a swipe with three fingers to read from the top of the screen.
• Use the accessibility shortcut. In Settings > Accessibility > Direct access, you can enable a shortcut (like pressing and holding the Home button) to quickly turn TalkBack on or off.

Troubleshooting

• No sound at all. Check that the media volume is not muted. Press the volume up button and ensure the media volume (not just ringtone) is turned up. Also, check that the phone is not in silent or Do Not Disturb mode.
• Voice sounds robotic or choppy. This usually means the speech rate is too high or the voice data is corrupted. Go to Text-to-speech settings, lower the speech rate, and try updating or reinstalling the voice data.
• TalkBack is on but nothing is read. Make sure you are tapping items to select them first. With TalkBack, you have to tap an item once to hear it read; double-tap to open it. If you’re new, it can be confusing.
• Select to Speak doesn’t read in some apps. Some apps (like certain PDF readers) may not support text selection. Try copying the text and pasting it into a notes app, then use Select to Speak there.
• Phone becomes unresponsive with TalkBack. If you accidentally turn on TalkBack and can’t navigate, use the accessibility shortcut (press and hold the Home button for 3 seconds) to turn it off. If that doesn’t work, go to Settings via the notification panel and turn it off manually.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use these features to read books or PDFs?

Yes, you can. For PDFs, open the file in a reader that supports text selection (like Adobe Acrobat), then use Select to Speak. For eBooks, apps like Google Play Books have a built-in read-aloud feature that uses the same text-to-speech engine.

Does this work offline?

Yes, once you have downloaded the voice data (Settings > Accessibility > Vision > Text-to-speech > Install voice data), the phone can read text aloud without an internet connection.

Will TalkBack read everything on the screen, including buttons and icons?

Yes, TalkBack reads all on-screen text, including button labels, menu items, and notifications. It’s designed to help visually impaired users navigate the entire interface.

Can I change the voice or accent?

Yes, you can download different voices (like US English, UK English, or other languages) from the text-to-speech settings. Some voices sound more natural than others.

How do I stop TalkBack from reading everything when I just want to read one paragraph?

Turn off TalkBack and use Select to Speak instead. That way, you can choose exactly what you want to hear without the phone reading every element on the screen.

Is there a way to make the phone read text from the camera?

No, the Galaxy S6 does not have a built-in OCR (optical character recognition) feature for reading text from images. You would need to install a third-party app like Google Lens for that.

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