Text to Speech (TTS)

We're happy to announce our eBooks have a read-aloud feature and is automatically enabled when you open your book in the RedShelf eReader in a web browser, or app.*

The text-to-speech controls will appear in the top right corner of the screen. Use the "play" icon (a right-pointing triangle arrow inside a circle) to start the text-to-speech feature! A "pause" icon (two vertical bars inside a circle) will replace that image - just activate it again to stop the reader.  

In the Main Menu of the eReader, there is a submenu for Text to Speech. Open that submenu and make sure the volume is turned up there.

For more settings and options with text-to-speech, use the triple circle icon labeled "more text to speech controls" to open settings.

What if the Text-to-Speech Tool is on and underlining the text, but I cannot hear the sound?

Try the following if you cannot hear the text being read aloud:

• Double-check your volume - is it turned up?
• Make sure your device is not in "Silent Mode".
• Make sure the sound is not playing in a Bluetooth connected device like wireless headphones (or use the headphones to listen, if they are)
• Check the voice selection in the settings on your device and reset to the default voice.  Some custom voice options are not compatible with all devices and apps. 
• If you are accessing the eReader via an LMS (like Canvas or Blackboard), try logging into your account via redshelf.com/login and open the book from your My Shelf page.  Some learning management systems can block the text-to-speech voice.
• If you have accessibility plug-ins or tools running on your device, temporarily disable them and relaunch the book to try again.
• Open your book with a different web browser or with our iOS app and try again.
• If you are still having issues, submit a Solve ticket at solve.redshelf.com
  
  
  

What if the Text-to-Speech Tool is visible on the screen?

* Attention Andriod Users: If you are using the Android app, the text-to-speech tool is not currently available due to restrictions set by Google.  While we are working to resolve this, please use a web browser or if you have the option of using an iPad or iPhone, text-to-speech is available in the iOS app.

If text-to-speech is unavailable in your book using a web browser, you will not see the option to turn it on.  In this case, we recommend submitting a Solve ticket to our Accessibility Team using the accessibility request form and we will reprocess your book to the text-to-speech feature in the browser.