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Android: Turn Select to Speak On or Off

If tapping items on your screen suddenly triggers a spoken readout, or the Select to Speak shortcut is missing from your accessibility menu, the toggle for this feature is easy to miss. Select to Speak reads aloud whatever you tap, and an active shortcut can make normal taps feel unpredictable. Turning it on or off correctly avoids accidental screen readouts while keeping the option available when you actually need it.

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Step 1 of 5: Tap on **Settings**

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Android 14 · Android 14
Turn Select to Speak On or Off – Android 14: step 1 – Tap on Settings
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Android

Turn Select to Speak On or Off auf Android

Select to Speak is an accessibility function that reads screen content aloud when you tap an item or element. Once enabled, it adds a shortcut you can trigger with the accessibility button or by holding the volume keys, which is why taps sometimes start behaving differently than expected.

To turn the feature on or off, go to Tap on SettingsTap on AccessibilityTap on Select to Speak. From there, use Enable or disable Select to Speak shortcut to switch the function.

The first time you enable it, Android asks for extra permission. Confirm with Tap on Allow so the shortcut can read on-screen text and take control of tap gestures when active.

If you only wanted quick text-to-speech for one item and not a permanent shortcut, disabling Select to Speak right after use avoids interference with normal typing and tapping. If your phone relies heavily on TalkBack for full screen reading, check that both features are not fighting for the same gestures, since running both at once can cause taps to be swallowed or misread.

Frequently asked questions

This happens when the Select to Speak shortcut is active in the background. Go to Tap on SettingsTap on AccessibilityTap on Select to Speak and turn the shortcut off if you did not enable it on purpose.