Help & Guide

Learn how to get the most out of Speak the Web

Getting Started

Speak the Web transforms web articles into audio so you can listen while doing other things. There are two ways to use the app:

Option 1: Paste a URL

  1. Open Speak the Web and tap the URL input field
  2. Paste or type the article URL
  3. Tap "Fetch Article" to load the content
  4. Press play to start listening

Option 2: Use the Safari Extension

  1. Open any article in Safari
  2. Tap the Share button (square with arrow)
  3. Scroll down and tap "Speak the Web"
  4. The app opens and starts loading the article
Tip: The Safari extension is the fastest way to start listening. Add it to your favorites in the Share menu for quick access.

Playback Controls

Control your listening experience with these features:

Basic Controls

  • Play/Pause: Tap the main button to start or pause reading
  • Skip Forward: Jump ahead 15 seconds
  • Skip Back: Go back 15 seconds
  • Progress Bar: Drag to jump to any position in the article

Speed Control

Adjust reading speed from 0.5x (slow) to 2x (fast).

Background Playback

Keep listening when you leave the app:

  • Switch to another app - audio continues
  • Lock your device - audio continues
  • Control playback from Lock Screen and Control Center

Voice Selection

Speak the Web offers two voice options:

System Voices (AVSpeech)

Apple's built-in voices that come with your device. These are reliable and work instantly.

  • No download required
  • Playback is instant

Neural Voices (Sherpa/Piper)

High-quality voices that may sound more natural. These require a one-time download.

  • More natural-sounding speech
  • Models range from 20MB to 100MB
  • Playback requires speech to be generated on the fly, which can take a few minutes. Generated audio is cached
Tip: Download voice models on Wi-Fi. Once downloaded, they work offline.

Changing Voices

  1. Tap the gear icon in the top right while reading
  2. Select "Voice Engine" (System or Sherpa)
  3. Choose your preferred voice from the list
  4. For Sherpa/Piper voices, tap Download if needed. It may take a few minutes for one-time processing of new a voice after download
Note: Switching between engines resets progress on the current article. System voices synthesize in real time, while Sherpa/Piper generates audio files under the hood. Therefore, progress is tied to the engine.

Table of Contents

For longer articles with headings, use the Table of Contents to navigate:

  1. Tap the list icon in the top right while reading
  2. See all sections/headings in the article
  3. Tap any heading to jump directly to that section
  4. Reading continues from that point
Note: The Table of Contents icon only appears if the article parsable has headings. When missing, it may be helpful to switch from Text to the Safari render mode

Recent Articles

Your recently read articles are saved on the home screen:

  • Progress Tracking: See how much you've listened to
  • Resume Playback: Tap to continue where you left off
  • Offline Access: Articles are cached for offline listening
  • Delete: Swipe left on any article to remove it

Tap "Clear" to remove all recent articles and their cached data.

Troubleshooting

  • Progress inaccurately at 100%: Elapsed time and percent are estimates and can be off. If an article shows 100% while audio is still playing, scrubbing forward may not be available, but playback will continue. Selecting text and using "Start Read From Here" may also be helpful.
  • Garbled voices after changing speed: Switch to another playback speed, then switch back to the desired speed to reset the voice output.