Help & Support

SpeakBook reads your books aloud in a warm, natural voice, lights up the words as it goes, and lets you keep notes just by speaking.

Need a hand? Tap the small feedback button in the app (or Settings → Send feedback…) and tell us what happened. You can also email hello@ashcohq.com. We read every message.

Getting started

How do I add a book?

Tap + in the Library and pick a file. SpeakBook opens ePub books, PDFs, Word documents (.docx), RTF and plain text (.txt, .md). You can also drop files into the SpeakBook folder in the Files app (On My iPhone › SpeakBook › Books).

Can I try it without a book?

Yes. The welcome tour offers a little practice book. Nothing in it can break, so try anything you like. To see the tour again, go to Settings → Show the welcome tour.

Why won’t a book open?

Books bought from stores like Apple Books or Kindle usually have copy protection (DRM), and SpeakBook can’t open those. DRM-free ePubs work, and so do most PDFs and documents.

Listening

How do I start reading aloud?

Open a book and tap any paragraph. The voice starts right there. Use the player at the bottom to pause, change speed, jump between chapters or set a sleep timer.

Which voice should I choose?

Natural: a lifelike voice that runs right on your iPhone or iPad. It needs a one-time download of about 340 MB (Wi‑Fi recommended), then works without internet.
Basic: Apple’s built-in voices, ready straight away.
From your Mac: the free Mac app can make even richer voices and whole audiobooks, which your iPhone and iPad can then play offline.

Does it keep reading when I lock my phone?

Yes. Use the Lock Screen or Control Center to pause and play.

Snap and scanning

How do I hear a printed page?

Tap + in the Library and choose Snap to photograph any words (a letter, a menu, a label) and hear them read aloud. To turn a paper book into one you can listen to, choose Scan Pages: pages are caught automatically, and an open book’s two pages are read in order. The words are recognised on your device. The first time, allow Camera when asked.

Notes

How do I make a voice note?

Hold the microphone button in the player and speak. Let go, and your words become a written note. To cancel, slide left while you’re still holding. The first time, allow Microphone and Speech Recognition when asked.

How do I save a quote?

Press and hold any line and choose to keep it as a quote.

What does the ✨ button do?

It copies the passage you’re on and opens the AI app you picked in Settings, so you can ask about it. Pick which app (or “just copy”) in Settings → Ask-AI button.

Your devices

How do I connect my iPhone and my iPad (or Mac)?

Put both on the same Wi‑Fi.
Open Your Devices in the Library on both.
When both screens show the same 6-digit code, confirm it on each.

After that they keep your books, notes and place in step by themselves whenever they can reach each other.

They can’t find each other.

Check that both are on the same Wi‑Fi network (not a guest network).
On iPhone or iPad: Settings › Privacy & Security › Local Network, and make sure the app is switched on.
Keep the app open on both while connecting.

Is there a Mac app?

Yes. The Mac app, with extra high-quality voices, is a free download from github.com/lman80/speakbook/releases (Apple silicon Mac, macOS 15 or later). It isn’t on the Mac App Store, and it’s optional.

Privacy

Your books and notes stay on your devices. There’s no account, no ads and no tracking. Syncing goes straight from one of your devices to another. Read the full Privacy Policy.

Still stuck?

Send feedback from the app or email hello@ashcohq.com. It helps to include what device you have and what you were doing when it happened.