How do you turn off voiceover on an Android?

Voiceover is a screen reader feature that allows users to navigate their device and hear descriptions of everything happening on screen through synthesized speech. It is an accessibility tool designed primarily for blind and low vision users. However, some users may want to turn voiceover off occasionally for various reasons – to save battery life, avoid constantly hearing descriptions aloud, or simply because they don’t require it at the moment. Turning voiceover on or off is done through the device’s accessibility settings.

Check Accessibility Settings

The first step to turn off voiceover on an Android device is to open the Settings app. Go to the Accessibility or Universal Access section, which contains various accessibility services and options for people with disabilities.

To find Accessibility settings:

Open the Settings app on your Android device.
Scroll down and tap Accessibility or Universal Access. On some devices it may also be called Accessibility Services.
This section allows you to manage accessibility services such as screen readers, display adjustments, audio & on-screen text, and more.

Once in the Accessibility settings, you can locate the specific service responsible for voiceover and turn it off.

Locate Text-to-Speech Output

To locate the Text-to-Speech settings, you will need to access the Accessibility screen in your Android device’s Settings app. Once in Accessibility, look for options related to Text-to-Speech Output, Speech Synthesizer, or Screen Reader (Source).

On many Android devices, including those from Samsung, Motorola, and Google Pixel, there is a setting called “Text-to-speech output” or “Speech synthesis.” This controls the device’s built-in Text-to-Speech engine that reads text aloud. There may also be additional settings to adjust the speech rate, language, etc.

For screen reader capabilities specifically, look for a “Screen Reader” or “Talkback” setting. This enables more advanced voice assistance features to aid accessibility beyond just reading text. On some Android versions, Talkback may be listed under “Accessibility” rather than directly in the Text-to-speech settings.

If you are having trouble finding these settings, try searching for “Text-to-speech,” “Voice Assistant,” or “Accessibility” from the Settings search bar. The exact location varies across manufacturers and Android versions, but these keywords should point you in the right direction.

Disable Voiceover

The easiest way to turn off voiceover on Android is to disable the Voice Assistant or TalkBack feature. This can be done in your device’s Accessibility settings menu:

1. Open the Settings app on your Android device and select Accessibility.

2. Scroll down and locate Voice Assistant, TalkBack or Select to Speak. The name may vary depending on your Android version.

3. Tap on Voice Assistant/TalkBack/Select to Speak to open its settings.

4. Toggle the switch off for Voice Assistant/TalkBack/Select to Speak to disable it.

With Voice Assistant/TalkBack disabled, voiceover accessibility features will be turned off on your device [1]. You can always return to the Accessibility settings and enable it again if needed.

Disable Speech Synthesis

To turn off the text-to-speech function on Android, you need to access the Speech synthesis settings and disable the text-to-speech output option.

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Text-to-speech output. Look for the “Text-to-speech output” option and turn it off or uncheck it. This will disable the Android speech synthesis feature so text is no longer read aloud.

Some devices may have this setting named slightly differently, but look for the option that allows you to toggle text-to-speech capabilities on or off. Disabling it here will stop your device reading text out loud.

You can also adjust the speech rate and pitch in the Text-to-speech output settings if you want to alter how the voice sounds rather than disabling it completely. But turning off the text-to-speech output altogether is the most straightforward way to turn off Android’s built-in screen reader.

Source: https://www.folio3.ai/blog/how-to-turn-off-google-text-to-speech/

Adjust Speech Rate and Pitch

If you don’t want to fully disable voiceover but find the default speech rate and pitch unpleasant, you can adjust these settings instead. Open your device’s Settings app and go to Accessibility > Text-to-speech output. Here you’ll find sliders to control the Speech rate and Pitch ^[1]. Drag the Speech rate slider left to slow down the voice or right to speed it up. For the Pitch slider, move left to lower the pitch or right to increase it. Find levels you find pleasant or appropriate for your needs.

Adjusting these sliders allows you to customize the voiceover to be more tolerable without fully disabling the feature. It’s also useful if you want voiceover enabled but need it slowed down to understand the speech better. Experiment with different slider positions to get the speech rate and pitch just right.

Use Accessibility Shortcut

One quick way to turn Voiceover on or off is using the Accessibility shortcut on your Android device. This allows you to toggle Voiceover by triple tapping the screen.

To enable this shortcut:

Open Settings and go to Accessibility.

Select Accessibility Menu.
Turn on “Accessibility shortcut”.

Once enabled, you can now quickly toggle Voiceover on or off by triple tapping the screen. This provides a handy shortcut without having to go through the Accessibility settings each time.

For more details, see Use accessibility shortcuts from Google’s Accessibility Help.

Disable Read Aloud

One way to turn off voiceovers or screen readers on Android is to disable the Read Aloud feature under Display settings. The Read Aloud option uses speech synthesis to read screen content out loud.

To turn this off:

Go to Settings > Accessibility.
Tap Read Aloud.
Toggle the switch next to Read Aloud to the off position.

This will disable the screen reader voice that reads aloud the content on your Android screen. With Read Aloud turned off, you should no longer hear the voiceover speaking screen content.

Additionally, some Android devices have a shortcut to quickly enable or disable Read Aloud. Check under Accessibility settings to see if there is a Quick Read Aloud shortcut available. Tapping this shortcut when Read Aloud is on will turn it off.

Disabling Read Aloud can stop voiceovers from automatically reading screen text. However, it will not disable TalkBack or other accessibility services. To fully mute voice feedback, you will also need to turn off Text-to-Speech Output and Speech Synthesis.

Avoid Force Enabling

Some apps may force enable voiceover, which you’ll want to disable if it is unwanted. This typically occurs after an app update, and can be frustrating if you don’t want the voiceover functionality.
Apps like Facebook, Spotify, and Chrome have been known to enable TalkBack without permission. If you suddenly hear your device speaking out loud, an app is likely behind it.

To disable a force-enabled voiceover:

Go to Settings > Accessibility.

Tap Text-to-speech output.
Turn off “Use service.”

This will fully disable any voiceover functionality activated by an app update. You can also try uninstalling app updates to revert back to a previous version without voiceover enabled.

Additionally, be sure to leave a review for the app detailing the unwanted voiceover triggering. This feedback will alert the developer that users do not appreciate forced accessibility changes without consent.

Additional Support

If you are still having issues with turning off voiceover after trying all of the troubleshooting steps, you may need to contact Samsung directly for additional support. You can reach out to Samsung customer support through the following methods:

Call the Samsung Customer Care line at 1-800-726-7864. Representatives are available 8am – 12am EST, 7 days a week (1).

Schedule a callback from a Samsung Care Pro agent on the Samsung Remote Support website (1). They can help troubleshoot over the phone.

Visit a local Samsung Support Center to get in-person assistance. Use the Support Center locator on Samsung’s website to find one near you (2).

Send an email or contact form to Samsung Support using the Contact Us page on their site (3). Describe the issue in detail.

The Samsung customer service team can help investigate why voiceover keeps enabling on your device and assist with any warranty or repair needs. Contact them if you are unable to resolve the issue through the device settings.