Can The Kindle App Read To Me?

The Kindle iPad app doesn't have text-to-speech built in, but you can use the iPad's own Speak Screen feature as a replacement.
Once you enable Speak Screen on your iPad, you just need to open a Kindle book and then swipe downward with two fingers to have the book read aloud.
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The Kindle app for the iPad gives you access to a vast library of free and purchased books which you can read or have read aloud to you with text-to-speech (TTS) technology.

The Kindle app no longer has TTS built in, but that's okay; you can use a text-to-speech feature built into iPadOS itself.

This iPadOS feature, called , in any app, including the Kindle app.

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iPad (From $329.99 at Apple)

How to use text-to-speech on the iPad Kindle app with Speak Screen

1. Start the iPad's Settings app and then tap "Accessibility."

2. Tap "Spoken Content."

3. On the Spoken Content page, tap "Speak Screen."

Enable Speak Screen in the Accessibility settings menu.

4. Now that Speak Screen is enabled, start the Kindle app and open a book to the page you want to read.

5. Using two fingers, swipe downward from the top of the screen.

6. The Speak Screen control should appear, and the Kindle page should start to be read aloud.

You can use the Speak Screen controls to change the speed at which text is read aloud.

After a moment, the Speak Screen controls will minimize, but you can tap the minimized Speak Screen arrow at any time to change the settings (you can also drag the arrow around the screen if you need to move it).

You can use the Speak Screen controls to skip ahead to the next page or rewind to the previous page. If you don't like the rate at which the Kindle is reading, you can also change the reading speed from half-speed to double speed.

The Kindle app will automatically advance to the next page when Speak Screen is done on the current page, so you never need to change pages manually.

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

5 ways to get free books on your Kindle, from classics to new releases
How to buy books on Kindle through your computer or mobile device
How to share your Kindle books in 2 different ways
How to return a Kindle book and receive a full refund in 2 steps
How to sign out of the Kindle app on your mobile device

Dave Johnson

Freelance Writer

Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.