Can you change voice on Android?

The ability to change your voice is a useful accessibility feature on Android devices. It allows you to alter the default voice that reads text aloud on your device. So when you use text-to-speech or voice assistant features, you can make the voice sound however you want. This includes changing the gender, language, accent and other qualities of the spoken voice.

Checking Default Voice Settings

To find the default voice settings on Android, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your Android device.

2. Scroll down and tap ‘Accessibility’.

3. Under ‘Screen readers’, tap ‘Text-to-speech output’.

4. This will open the Text-to-speech settings where you can see and change the default voice engine, language, speech rate and pitch.

The default voice engine will likely be Google Text-to-speech. You can tap on this to change it to another installed voice engine like Pico TTS.

Below the voice engine, you’ll see the default language set for the voice. English is the default on most phones.

You can test out the current default voice by tapping the ‘Play’ icon next to ‘Default language status’.

This will speak out a short demonstration of the default voice, so you can hear how it sounds before changing any settings.

Now you know where to find and check the default voice and language settings for text-to-speech on your Android device!

Changing Default Voice

You can change the default voice used by your Android device’s speech services by adjusting the settings in the Voice section of your device. Here are the steps to change the default voice on Android:

Open the Settings app on your Android device. Scroll down and select ‘Accessibility’.

In Accessibility settings, select ‘Text-to-speech output’. This will open voice settings for your device.

Under ‘Preferred engine’ select the text-to-speech engine you want to use. Some options like Google Text-to-speech allow changing voices.

Tap on the settings icon next to the selected engine. Select ‘Language’ to view available voice options for that engine.

Tap on the language and choose the voice you want to set as the default. Some voices are region or accent specific.

Close settings. The chosen voice will now be used for text-to-speech and screen readers. You can repeat these steps to change the voice later.

On Samsung devices, you can also change the default voice by going to Settings > Accessibility > Voice Assistant and selecting the desired voice under ‘Voice assistant voice’.

Downloading New Voices

Android allows you to download new voice packs to expand the options for text-to-speech. Some good places to find additional voices include:

• The Google Play Store – Search for “text to speech voices” to find free and paid voice packs.
• App developer websites – Developers like Voice Aloud Reader offer free voice packs.
• Third-party Android app markets – Markets like Aptoide have free voice packs not in the Play Store.

The benefits of downloading new voice packs include getting access to different languages, accents, and voice styles. It allows you to customize the voice to your needs and preferences.

Potential downsides are that some third-party voices may not sound as natural or high-quality as the built-in options. There are also risks with downloading voices from unknown sources, so stick to reputable sites and developers.

Installing Downloaded Voices

You can install additional voice packs on your Android device to expand the selection of voices available for text-to-speech. Here’s how to install downloaded voice packs:

First, you’ll need to download a voice pack. You can find free and paid voice packs in the Google Play Store by searching for “text to speech voices.” Select a voice pack and download it.

Once downloaded, open the voice pack app and follow the prompts to install it. Typically, you’ll need to grant permissions for the app to modify settings and access storage on your device.

After installation, the new voices will be available to select as your default voice or voices for specific apps. You can check the voices under Settings > Accessibility > Text-to-Speech Output.

Some popular high-quality voice packs include:
– IVONA Karen – British English voice

– IVONA Ivy – American English voice

Installing additional voice packs gives you more options to find a natural-sounding voice for text-to-speech on your Android device.

Selecting Voice for Specific Apps

You can set a different text-to-speech voice on a per-app basis in Android. This allows you to tailor the voice to suit different apps and content types.

To set a voice for a specific app on Android 9 and up:

1. Go to Settings > Accessibility.
2. Tap Text-to-speech output.
3. Tap the gear icon next to Google Text-to-speech Engine.
4. Tap Voice.
5. Tap the drop down next to App and select the app you want to customize.
6. Choose the voice you want to use.

This will set the chosen voice as the default when that app reads text aloud. You can repeat these steps to set different voices for different apps.

Some examples of customizing voices by app include using a mild voice for email, a storytelling voice for eBook apps, or a clear, professional voice for work documents. Tailoring the voice to the content type can optimize the listening experience.

Voice Customization Options

Android offers several options for customizing the default voice and creating your own custom voices. You can record your own voice to use for text-to-speech or modify an existing voice using voice modulation tools.

One way to create a custom voice is to use an app like AutoVoice, which allows you to record your own voice and integrate it into text-to-speech features across Android. You can record individual words and phrases to string together for a personalized voice.

There are also voice editor apps that allow you to take an existing Android voice and modify the pitch, speed, accent and other qualities. This provides more flexibility compared to recording your own voice, as you can tweak an existing voice profile precisely.

Overall, Android offers robust custom voice creation options, from recording your actual voice to finely tuning an existing voice. This allows you to tailor text-to-speech to your preferences.

Creating Custom Voices

You can create a completely custom voice for the Android text-to-speech engine by following these steps:

1. Record a voice talent speaking a wide variety of sounds, words, and sentences. Make sure to capture all the phonemes needed to synthesize natural speech. A tool like Spokestack can help with managing the voice recording process.
2. Process the recordings to create the raw sound files needed for each speech unit.
3. Build a pronunciation dictionary that maps text to the sound units. This is essentially an index that the text-to-speech engine uses to look up the correct sounds to play for any given word.
4. Configure the voice settings like pitch, speaking rate, intonation etc. to craft the final voice quality.
5. Package everything together into a voice resource file that can be installed on Android.
6. Install the voice pack on your Android device using the standard package installer.
7. Go into the text-to-speech settings and select your custom voice as the default.

Now any time you use text-to-speech on your device, it will speak in your custom voice model. Building a natural sounding voice from scratch requires significant effort, but results in an personalized speech experience.

Troubleshooting Voice Issues

If you’re having issues with voice features like text-to-speech or voice typing not working properly on your Android device, there are some troubleshooting steps you can try:

One of the most common problems is the voice features stopping unexpectedly. This can sometimes be fixed by going into your device settings, finding the text-to-speech or voice typing options, and toggling them off and back on again. Restarting your device can also help reset any software issues ^[1].

It’s also worth checking your internet connection. Many voice features rely on a stable internet connection, so troubleshoot any connectivity issues like weak WiFi signal or cellular data problems. Consider trying voice features again when connected to a better internet source ^[2].

Incorrect language or speech settings can also cause voice problems. Go into your device settings and double check that the right languages and voices are selected for text-to-speech and voice typing. Make sure the speech rate and pitch are also set to your preferences ^[3].

As a last resort, you can try uninstalling and reinstalling the text-to-speech or voice typing app if available updates and resets haven’t helped. This will remove any corrupted data that could be causing problems.

If you continue experiencing voice issues after troubleshooting, it may require professional technical support to identify and resolve the problem.

Conclusion

Customizing and changing the voice on your Android device can enhance your user experience and allow you to add some personal flair. The default text-to-speech voices may work well enough, but installing high-quality third party voices can make your device’s speech much more natural and lifelike.

Android’s voice capabilities allow you to select different voices for different apps, so you can choose the perfect voice for navigation, reading aloud, or voice assistants. Downloaded voices typically provide more natural cadence and inflection compared to the default options.

While changing voices on Android is relatively straightforward, troubleshooting issues requires some technical knowledge. Overall, with some experimentation and persistence, you should be able to find text-to-speech voices that make your device more useful and enjoyable to interact with.