iPadOS Read Aloud: no audio output or highlighting when using local voices (fixed in 2.0.9 (492))

foss-

iPadOS 26.7.1
Zotero 2.0.8 (489) TestFlight

Read Aloud is not behaving as expected. Since https://www.zotero.org/blog/read-aloud-on-ios/ did not mention language restrictions, which previously were a thing, assuming german language also should be supported.

First tested an english epub file and automatic language detection seems to work as local selected language showed as "automatic - english" and an english voice was selected which indeed indeed is downloaded as (local macos) premium voice as indicated on the device. Tapping play sadly does nothing though. The play icon doesn't even switch to pause, so no playback seems to be initiated. Force quitting and reopening zotero and that epub then resulted in the read aloud feature indeed being in playback state as the button did show the pause icon, but no highlighting appeared and no playback started. Tapping the button now does switch between play / pause as expected but playback or highlighting never starts.

Switching to a german epub does indeed also switch detected language to "Automatic - German". But here as well audio or highlighting won't start. Tested both (local macOS) premium and normal (non premium) local voices.

The non-local premium voices (zotero premium tier) do work in both languages. The standard voices also work. Although during testing while using english premium (zotero tier) voice and leaving app, playback immediately stopped and got stuck. Returning to the app could not recover its state. In an attempt to reproduce the issue, switching apps did then work as expected and playback continued.

Are there plans to add german language to standard voices?

michalrentka

Hi, all voices that you have installed on your iOS device should work in Zotero, no restrictions on languages. In title you mention "local voices" but then you also mention premium, so read aloud doesn't work at all for you?

I just tried some random german PDF and it detected and played both local and premium voices properly.

There may be a specific issue in your document. Can you share the document that doesn't work for you with us? Send it to support@zotero.org as well as reproduction steps for your issue (or video if that's simpler for you). Ideally also mention this thread. We'll try to reproduce and fix it.

Thanks!

dstillman

(I assume the local "premium" here is just the versions that Apple calls "(Premium)", like "Ava (Premium)". Just to be clear, that has nothing to do with the Premium tier of Zotero voices — anything under Local is just a local Apple voice.)

dstillman

all voices that you have installed on your iOS device should work in Zotero

(Except for Siri voices, which, as on macOS, aren't exposed to third-party apps)

foss-

Sorry for the confusion. As dstillman correctly interpreted my report, I was indeed referring to local premium voices as per the premium variant of that specific local voice (Apple calls them that and not the zotero permium voices. Made some edits to the original report to make it less confusing.

What I was trying to ask: are there plans to add german to the zotero standard tier?

I sent an email with the epub file along with a screen recording reproducing the issue. No audio output ever happened. Minutes after stopping the screencast and stopping read aloud the ipad blasts out a single word and instantly stops again. No further audio output then happens.

Hope the screen recording is useful - sadly Apple failed to implement showing taps in screen recordings so it is a bit hard understanding where taps are happening.

michalrentka

Thanks for sending the email and providing all the info. I was not able to reproduce your issue directly, but when testing it, I found another issue which lead me to changing some things and I think it could have solved your issue as well.

Can you please try downloading beta build 2.0.9 492 and let me know if you have audio now?

foss-

Your changes in 2.0.9 (492) do resolved the issues I had with using local voices. Thanks for investigating and resolving this so swiftly.

michalrentka

Great! You can keep using that build for now, there are not too many changes, so it should act as the released app. Once it appears in app store (should be soon), you can get rid of TestFlight and beta testing (unless you want to keep testing of course).