Speak Screen Problem

It’s not update related. I started having this problem tonight and decided it was because my iPhone wasn’t updated. So I’m here after having updated my phone in frustration that it’s still happening. I’ve deleted then re-downloaded the kindle app but to no avail.

I contacted kindle this morning about this issue and this was their response "I can definitely assist you with any issues you might be having with the kindle application. However, the "Speak Screen" is a functionality that Apple provides in their IOS operating system. The issue you're experiencing is related to the compatibility with the Speak Screen and 3rd party applications. We have had customer contact us about this. We have notified Apple about their compatibility and they've notified us that Speak Screen is fully compatible with their IBooks (Owned by Apple) and they do not plan on making it compatible with the kindle application (Owned by Amazon). I'm sorry about this"

The App store shows there is a Kindle update that specifically addresses the speak screen issue.

I am having the same issue. It may have to do with the update from Kindle. I have seen in other areas, mainly the reviews from Kindle on the App Store, that this is happening due to a Page Flip function, of some sort.

To me, it seems that the game is up. I thought it was only a matter of time until both sides of the aisle realized that they were losing out on Audible downloads for visually impaired reading of Amazon material and iBooks in order to have the speak screen function for Apple material. I don't want to buy iBooks when I have my entire library in Kindle, but if allows me to listen to books, then oh, well - Amazon is losing out.

Seems like a turf war/money battle to me which is SO WRONG for people that actually need the "speak the screen" function for listening to books. Highly unethical, in my opinion. Perhaps they can work it out?

A fix would be needed where the speak function, which works fine in other apps, to work properly in Kindle. May be a bug, but part of me thinks the above mentioned shoe has dropped. It seemed too good, all along, to be able to have the ability to read my book and listen, rather than buy both the book and the audible book.

Any fixes from anyone?

Personally I have not seen the issue with iBooks - I was able to use speak screen with iBooks with no issues this morning. My issue is with using speak screen with the Kindle app on my phone - it turns the page & instead of continuing, goes to the next paragraph - in most cases - i have noticed where it flips the page then says 2 words then turns the page then stats somewhere besides the first word on that page

Here's a post I found from Amazon posted 12 hours ago. It looks like Amazon is working on a fix, at least I hope so. I turned off automatic updates on my iPad so I still have the old kindle app and it works. Though lugging that around for walks might be a bit odd.

https://www.amazonforum.com/forums/digital-content/appstore/474459-kindle-app-st opped-working-with-speak-screen#c2

Hopefully Amazon can fix it. I too have this problem. Speak Screen reads the first page completely and after that the last paragraph on all other pages. I have low vision problems and as it stands now, I no longer can access my library of 100+ Amazon Kindle books via Speak Screen.

From reading the news Apple is revamping iBooks very soon (IOS 11.3) and to have Speak Screen work in the Kindle app would be to Apple's disadvantage. So now if you want books read to you via Speak Screen then you must use iBooks or PDF but not Kindle.

However you should be warned that Apple or Amazon could disable speak screen because they could not solve the problem. They could also stop supporting Kindle completely as well too. We are very lucky that the Kindle app still works on the iPad.

I am not surprised about the Speak Screen issue. In IOS 11 Apple also took away the ability to stream Apple iTunes m4a files stored locally on the ipad to DNLA media players that were fully supported in IOS 10. There were about 5 app developers who were effected and they had to remove that feature from their app. Apple and the app developers blame each other.

Me too! I’m an avid kindle lover and was married to speak screen. Suddenly at the gym, voice screen stops speaking at end of every page and speak screen icon closes. Hate to overreact but this is almost devastating for a reader!

Hi lambanla,

it almost looks as if Apple did cripple it for amazon because other apps that use speak screen still work for now.

Who knows what will happen after update 11.3. Before screen speak there were apps that could read PDF files And I am sure that amazon can fix the problem, if they want to, in light of what the other app developers have done in the past.

I too have many amazon books and I will not buy any iBook it is just out of principle. At his point I am done with Apple, I will do workarounds to make things work, however when this device breaks or if I need music I will just try and get them elsewhere first just out of principle.

In retrospect maybe apple will come up with something better or a third party app developer will come up with a fix or a new product. For example you used to be able to get gmail client on the Windows store and now you can't but you get third party apps that will do the same thing as gmail app.

Maybe Apple has been having problems with Speak Screen so it is now time for something else, Apple likes to be innovative (shake up the apple cart) and has the right to do what they want.

Having read all of the posts, I certainly hope that the notion that Apple did this on purpose is false. I am a 'sticky' Apple customer. I have most of the products. Same problem here. If Apple did this on purpose is like... like... ...I don't know... disappointing at best ... unethical at worst. I'm one who tells 17 people when a company lets me down. I have always been one who tells people how Apple is 'insanely great.'. Apple...Steve would not be pleased...if you did this on purpose.

Like others, I have had this problem for a few weeks now. It happens in both the Kindlr app and reading PDFs in the iBooks app. (In my case, Speak Screen finishes the page and the skips to the last paragraph on the next page.) Hence, it must be a problem Apple introduced in a recent IOS update. Let us know if there is a work around. For those of us with low vision, this really creates a burden:

I know for a fact that’s this is not an Apple problem because since this happened one of the books I purchased was working with speak screen just fine with speak screen and the book that was working page flip wasn’t enable so my guess is something to do with Kindl

I just pray this gets fixed soon. Im falling behind in my reading BIGTIME and most of the books are helpful for my mind, body and spirit. I wish I could call out to the powers that be.....PLLLLLLLS APPLE or Kindle fix this!