How to read PDFs aloud on iPhone for free

You can read a PDF aloud on iPhone for free with the built-in Speak Screen feature. If the PDF is scanned, or you want background listening and a playlist for multiple documents, SayTXT is another option.

Read a PDF aloud without installing an app

1. Open Settings → Accessibility → Read & Speak. On older iOS versions, this is named Spoken Content.
2. Enable Speak Screen. Enable Speak Selection too if you want to hear individual paragraphs.
3. Open your PDF in Files or your preferred PDF reader, then swipe down with two fingers from the top of the screen.
4. Use the speech controls to pause or adjust the speed. For a short passage, select the text and tap Speak.

This works when the PDF viewer exposes readable text. Speak Screen does not guarantee continuous reading of an entire multi-page PDF, so test the first page transition.

If your iPhone skips the text or reads only interface controls, try selecting and copying a sentence from the document. An image-only PDF needs OCR, which recognizes text in scanned pages. A selectable PDF can still have reading-order problems, especially with columns or tables.

Use a free PDF read-aloud app with playlist playback

SayTXT for iPhone is free, with no subscription or any limits. It supports scanned PDFs through built-in OCR and can continue playing while you switch apps or lock the screen. 

For multiple documents, its playlist and Play All control let you start listening from the file list. Each item displays its listening progress, making it easier to keep track of chapters, research papers, or other reading material. Word-by-word highlighting, paragraph navigation, and a sleep timer also help with longer listening sessions.

1. Import your PDFs from Files or iCloud, or share them to SayTXT from another app. You can use File on the home screen to import a document.
2. Allow text recognition to finish if a PDF contains scanned pages.
3. Open a document, choose a voice and reading speed, and check a short sample for reading order and pronunciation.
4. Return to the file list and tap Play All to start playlist playback, or select an individual document to listen to it.
5. Continue listening while using another app or with the screen locked. Set a sleep timer if you want playback to stop automatically.

If you need to save the narration, SayTXT supports downloading the audio for free.

For a quick, free way to read a PDF aloud on iPhone, start with Speak Screen. If you need OCR for scanned PDFs, playlist playback, or listening with the screen locked, SayTXT offers those features in one app.