Xiaomi: Turn On or Off Read Text on Images in Select to Speak

Read text on images is a sub-function of Select to Speak in MIUI. Once active, it scans whatever the camera viewfinder sees or any photo you open and reads detected text out loud.

Because the feature is experimental, recognition quality varies. Small fonts, low contrast, motion blur, or unusual layouts can make the readout skip words, mix up lines, or stall completely. If you rely on Select to Speak mainly to read regular app content and messages, this option adds little value and can even slow down the response.

To reach the toggle, open Settings ➔ Additional settings ➔ Accessibility ➔ Vision ➔ Select to Speak ➔ Settings. From there you can enable or disable Read text on images.

If Select to Speak already works reliably for on-screen text and buttons, leaving Read text on images off avoids unnecessary misreads when you point the camera at a document or a sign. Turn it back on only when you specifically need spoken feedback from photos.