SpeakCoveTo read hands-free on an iPhone, have it read the text aloud: import the document into a text-to-speech app such as SpeakCove, press play once, and from then on pause, resume and skip with your AirPods, iOS Voice Control, the lock screen or CarPlay. In SpeakCove, the skip controls move one sentence at a time, so a double press on an AirPod takes you to the next sentence instead of jumping 15 or 30 seconds.
What works depends on the version (as of October 2026). The free app reads while it is open on screen, with 2 voices, and your earbuds and Voice Control work during that time. Premium, a one-time $14.99 purchase in the US, keeps reading with the phone locked or in your pocket and adds CarPlay and 8 more voices. The steps below cover both.
Prerequisites
- An iPhone or iPad running iOS 26 or later
- SpeakCove from the App Store (free)
- AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones, or a car with CarPlay or Bluetooth audio
- SpeakCove Premium ($14.99 once) if the phone will be locked or in your pocket
How to Listen with SpeakCove
1Import what you want to hear
Open SpeakCove and tap + > Import File to add a PDF, EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, DOCX, FB2, CBZ, RTF, TXT or HTML file, or share a file to SpeakCove from Files or Mail. Printed pages can go in through the built-in scanner, and scanned PDFs are read with on-device text recognition.
2Press play once, with a free hand
Open the document, pick a voice and a speed (0.75x, 1x, 1.25x, 1.5x or 1.75x) and press play. SpeakCove saves your place in every document, so next time you only press play again.
3Pause and skip from your AirPods
On AirPods Pro (all generations) and AirPods 3, 4 and 5, press the stem once to pause or resume, twice to go to the next sentence and three times to go back one sentence. On AirPods 1 and 2, choose in the AirPods settings what a double-tap does: play/pause, next track or previous track. The track buttons on other Bluetooth headphones do the same: SpeakCove maps next and previous track to one sentence, not to a jump of seconds.
4Or control it by voice with Voice Control
Turn on Voice Control in Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control. With a document open in SpeakCove's reader, say "Tap Pause", "Tap Play", "Tap Next sentence" or "Tap Previous sentence". The reader's buttons carry those names, so the commands work in the free version too. After the first setup, Voice Control works without an internet connection.
5Keep the screen on (free) or lock the phone (Premium)
In the free version, reading pauses when the screen locks, and playing audio doesn't stop iOS from auto-locking. For a long hands-free session, set Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock to Never and turn it back afterwards. With Premium, lock the phone instead: the lock screen and Control Center show the cover, the words being read, and back, play and forward buttons that also move one sentence.
6In the car, use CarPlay or the steering wheel
With Premium, SpeakCove appears in CarPlay with your library, so you can start a document from the car's screen. The next and previous track buttons on the steering wheel move one sentence, the same as on headphones. If CarPlay, Bluetooth or your headphones disconnect, SpeakCove pauses instead of switching to the phone's speaker.
7Set a sleep timer for a fixed stretch
Choose 5, 10, 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes. Playback stops by itself at the end of your commute, workout or chore, and your place is saved for next time. The sleep timer is free.
Alternative Methods
iPhone Speak Screen
Turn on Speak Screen in Settings > Accessibility > Read & Speak, then swipe down with two fingers from the top of the screen, or ask Siri to "Speak screen". It reads Safari, Books and most reading apps aloud, and it is free.
SpeakCove's free web reader
On a computer, an Android phone or a borrowed device, the free web reader at speakcove.com/text-to-speech reads pasted text or a file aloud in the browser with all 10 voices. No sign-up, no length limit, and the file never leaves your browser.
Audiobook apps (Audible, Libby)
Audiobook apps are built for hands-free listening, with headphone controls and sleep timers.
Free Text to Speech, Right in Your Browser
Paste text or open any file (PDF, EPUB, Word, scans and more) and press Play. SpeakCove reads it aloud with natural voices in 31 languages. It's free, with no sign-up and no length limit, and your text never leaves your browser.
Open the reader →Try SpeakCove Free. Start a document once and keep your hands free. SpeakCove reads PDFs, ebooks and notes aloud with voices that run on your iPhone, and every control, from AirPods to CarPlay, moves one sentence at a time. Free with 2 voices; Premium is $14.99 once. Download SpeakCove from the App Store.
One-time purchase, no subscription
Free to start with 2 voices and every format. $14.99 once unlocks all 10 voices, background playback and CarPlay. No subscription, ever.
Listen in the car with CarPlay
Your documents on your car's screen and speakers, with CarPlay in Premium.
Works offline, fully on-device
Your documents never leave your device. The app has no analytics and no ads, and reading and voices work in airplane mode.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can my iPhone read documents to me hands-free?
- Yes. Import the document into a text-to-speech app such as SpeakCove and press play once. After that you can pause, resume and skip with AirPods, with iOS Voice Control ("Tap Pause"), from the lock screen with Premium, or from CarPlay with Premium, without touching the screen.
- How do I pause or skip with AirPods while SpeakCove reads?
- On AirPods Pro and AirPods 3, 4 and 5, press the stem once to pause or resume, twice for the next sentence and three times for the previous sentence. SpeakCove maps the headphones' next and previous track controls to one sentence, not to a jump of a fixed number of seconds.
- Can I control SpeakCove with my voice?
- Yes, with iOS Voice Control (Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control). With a document open in SpeakCove's reader, say "Tap Pause", "Tap Play", "Tap Next sentence" or "Tap Previous sentence". This works in the free version and, after the first setup, without internet.
- Why does reading stop when my iPhone screen turns off?
- In SpeakCove's free version, playback pauses when the phone locks or you leave the app, and iOS still auto-locks while audio plays. Set Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock to Never while you listen, or unlock Premium ($14.99 once), which keeps reading with the screen locked.
- What happens if my headphones disconnect or a call comes in?
- SpeakCove pauses. When headphones, Bluetooth or CarPlay disconnect, it stops instead of playing through the phone's speaker. A phone call or Siri pauses it too, and it resumes after the call when iOS allows it.
- Is hands-free listening safe while driving?
- Listening is like listening to a podcast or audiobook. Set up playback before you drive, use the car's own controls (or CarPlay with Premium) for changes, and never handle your phone while driving.