Read aloud keeps playing while you scroll, open Display Settings or read the chapter's comments. It stops when you leave the chapter: opening another page or another chapter yourself closes the player. (With Auto-advance on, reaching the end of a chapter carries on into the next one.) If playback has stopped unexpectedly, see Troubleshooting instead of this page.
Voice engines#
Read aloud has three engines, chosen under Voice engine in Display Settings → Speech:
- Browser: your device's built-in text-to-speech, free for every reader.
- AI Device: the same natural voices as AI Cloud, running on your own computer after a one-time download. Free for every reader, no account needed, and it works offline. Computers only: on phones and tablets it's listed but greyed out.
- AI Cloud: narration generated by RandomTranslator, available to Reader members and higher (and staff accounts).
If you're not on a qualifying tier, read aloud uses browser voices by default. You can still select AI Cloud in Display Settings, but playing it prompts you to upgrade rather than playing back.
AI Device#
Choose AI Device and select Download. The download is about 350 MB. After downloading, your device runs a short speed check and tells you whether it keeps up.
It needs Chrome or Edge on a computer with a graphics chip the browser can use (WebGPU). It isn't offered on phones and tablets: it's too heavy for them and slows the whole phone down.
- It uses the same voices as AI Cloud, picked the same way (accent, then voice).
- It works in the offline reader with no connection.
- Remove in the same place deletes everything it downloaded.
- It is not available in Safari on a Mac; use Chrome or Edge.
- On a slow device, paragraphs can pause while the next one is made. Browser voices are smoother there.
- If the voice can't start (for example, your browser cleared its storage), read aloud switches to browser voices for the rest of your visit and tells you.
Starting and stopping#
Select the read-aloud icon in the chapter's top bar or bottom bar to open the player and start reading from where you are. You can also open the paragraph menu on any paragraph (see Reading a Chapter) and choose Read from here to start from that specific paragraph.
To stop, select the close button on the player.
Playback controls#
Voice and speed controls live in Display Settings, under the Speech tab.
| Control | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Speech Speed | 0.5x–4.0x (Browser voices: up to 2.5x) | Browser voices garble speech faster than 2.5x, so their slider stops there. A faster speed you set for AI voices comes back when you switch to them |
| Speech Pitch | 0.5–1.5 | Browser voices only |
| Paragraph pause | None to 3x (Natural by default; the seconds shown are at your current speed) | AI Cloud and AI Device only. Sets how long the pause is between paragraphs; pauses between sentences stay natural. Browser voices pause on their own |
| Voice (browser) | Your device's installed voices, plus "System default" | Comes from your OS/browser. "System default" uses an English voice even when your device is set to another language |
| Voice (AI Cloud and AI Device) | Accent (US Female, US Male, UK Female, UK Male), then a specific voice within it | Selecting a voice plays a short preview |
Sleep timer#
Set a sleep timer from the player to stop narration automatically:
| Option |
|---|
| Off |
| 15 minutes |
| 30 minutes |
| 45 minutes |
| 1 hour |
| End of chapter |
When the timer expires, playback pauses in place. The player stays open, so you can resume from where it stopped.
Back to narration#
If you scroll away from the paragraph currently being read, a Narration pill appears. Selecting it scrolls you back to that paragraph; it doesn't change playback, so if narration has moved on, the pill takes you to the paragraph currently being read, not where you left off.
Auto-advance#
Auto-advance chapters (on by default, in Display Settings → Speech) controls what happens when read aloud reaches the end of a chapter. With it on, and a next chapter available, read aloud moves on and keeps reading automatically. With it off, or with no next chapter, playback stops at the end of the chapter.
When a paragraph fails#
If a paragraph fails to play, read aloud retries briefly. If it still can't play, reading pauses with a Retry notice; if the same paragraph fails again, it's skipped and reading continues with the next one.
If AI Device can't run (for example after your computer sleeps), read aloud switches to browser voices and stays on them for the rest of your visit, until you pick AI Device again in Speech settings.
Known limits#
- AI Cloud voices are limited to Reader members and higher.
- Previewing a voice while choosing one in Display Settings is capped at 100 previews per day.
- On mobile, timers can run slower while your screen is locked, and closing the browser or app can interrupt playback.
- Browser voices stop when your screen turns off. Turn on Keep screen on while reading aloud in Speech settings to hold the screen awake while they read; it uses more battery, and pressing your phone's power button still stops them.
- AI Cloud and AI Device playback show the novel and chapter title on your device's lock screen; browser voices don't support this.
- AI Device's licences and sources are listed here.