Reader
What's new
Reader isn't on the App Store yet, but it's being built in the open. Here's what's changed while we get it ready.
Better voices, easier to find
- Reader now points you at Apple's free Enhanced and Premium voices, and ranks them ahead of the generic regional ones.
- The onboarding voice card has a slot for a premium voice, and the voice list refreshes when you come back to the app.
- Retired the Shorter Comma Pauses setting.
Onboarding, autoscroll, and a new name
- The app is now called Reader.
- First launch opens a bundled Welcome book that teaches the app by having it read itself to you.
- The page scrolls itself to follow the voice, and you can tap any paragraph to start reading from there.
- Rebuilt the voice picker to put your device's own voices first.
Reading text the way you'd say it
- Spoken text is normalized so every voice pronounces it the same way.
- Currency, measurements, data units, street numbers, and personal titles (Mr./Mrs./Ms./Mx.) all read correctly now.
A library worth looking at
- Library covers now keep their true aspect ratio, shelved like real books.
- Added a mini-player pill and an immersive full-screen reader.
- Chapters come from the ePub's own navigation document, so books organized into Parts keep their structure.
- Added the app icon, an About screen, and a way to reach support.
The first working version
- Import ePub files from Files, or share them in from another app.
- Read any book aloud with on-device narration, following along as it goes.
- Playback keeps going from the Lock Screen, with full Now Playing controls.
- Books stay entirely on your device, no account, no upload.