As a visually impaired user, I rely heavily on Spoken Content to read
news and books. Since upgrading to iOS 15, the speed limit of Speak
Screen has been lowered to a maximum of 2x, which reduces my efficiency
when reading Chinese content.
Is this a bug, or is it that only the iPhone 14 Pro can run at 4x speed like before?
iPhone 13 Pro Max
The maximum speaking rate depends on the voice you are using. By default, Speak Screen uses Siri voices which often offer a maximum speaking rate of 2x, while other voices, like Samantha, offer a maximum speaking rate of 4x. A few voices, such as Alex and Fred, can go even higher than 4x as well.
While the speak screen controls let you toggle between 1/2, 1, 1 1/2, and 2x speaking rates, you can choose a higher rate by moving the speaking rate slider in Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content. The slider will move between the voice's minimum and maximum rate, so make sure to choose a non-Siri voice if you need a rate higher than 2x.
The maximum speaking rate depends on the voice you are using. By default, Speak Screen uses Siri voices which often offer a maximum speaking rate of 2x, while other voices, like Samantha, offer a maximum speaking rate of 4x. A few voices, such as Alex and Fred, can go even higher than 4x as well.
While the speak screen controls let you toggle between 1/2, 1, 1 1/2, and 2x speaking rates, you can choose a higher rate by moving the speaking rate slider in Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content. The slider will move between the voice's minimum and maximum rate, so make sure to choose a non-Siri voice if you need a rate higher than 2x.
Thank you very much for your reply. However, all of your descriptions are correct for iOS versions lower than 15. I am not sure for what purpose, Apple changed this design starting from iOS 15. In the current iOS 16's accessibility features, the upper limit of the Turtle and Rabbit control bar is only 2X, and it will always be 2X. Other parts of the system, including the controllers, support higher settings, but this control bar is locked.
On an old device that I upgraded to iOS 16, I still have support for 4X, and it displays normally. However, if I accidentally tap the speed button, then it will forever be limited to 2X.
Hm, if I select Samantha and drag the bar all the way to the end, I get 4x in speak screen.
You can email accessibility@apple.com and they might be able to help you capture logging and screen recordings that can help Apple engineers look into this for you.
Hi there, I'm sorry to hear that the lower speed limit of Speak Screen in iOS 15 has been affecting your experience as a visually impaired user. It's possible that this is a bug that Apple may need to address, or it could be a deliberate change in the software. As far as I know, the lower speed limit of 2x is not limited to the iPhone 14 Pro, and it applies to other devices running iOS 15 as well.
Additionally, it's possible that future software updates may address this issue and allow for higher speed limits in Speak Screen.
Thank you, thank you for your perseverance.
After trying again, I found that as you said, in my current iOS 16, only the Siri voices are limited to 2x, and switching to other voices brings back the 4x. I can now happily use Speak Screen to read books and ignore the AI voice that comes with the app. I am so grateful to you, as I have been enduring it for a year and a half, and you, my friend, are a true hero.
So now, I have a question, why Siri? I mean, why can't Siri voices be set to 4x after iOS 15? I have multiple devices at hand, one of which is an iPad that has been upgraded from iOS 14 to the current iOS 16 year by year, and I have carefully avoided clicking on the speed options, and it has always been able to use 4x Siri voices to read the screen. But my iPhone 13 cannot do the same, as it came with iOS 15.
I will put together a video and provide feedback as per the email you provided.
Once again, thank you for your patient guidance, and thank you so much.
May I ask how to provide feedback to Apple Inc. regarding this issue and let them improve it?
the speed limit of Speak Screen has been lowered to a maximum of 2x
