Learn how to use Apple’s new Accessibility Reader feature to show text from any app in raw mode without formatting, images, or the user interface elements.
Apple devices already provide robust text-to-speech features like Speak Screen. And with the iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe 26 updates, the new Accessibility Reader feature on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac can show text in apps in a clutter-free view similar to Safari’s Reader Mode.
Accessibility Reader lets you change font type, size, color, spacing, and more for a fully tailored experience. Furthermore, the Reader app can read text aloud, and you can change the text-to-speech voice and adjust other playback settings.
Whether you have a regular vision or squint at onscreen text, the new Accessibility Reader feature will prove invaluable, and here’s how to set it up and use it.
Set up and use Accessibility Reader on an iPhone or iPad
1) Open the Settings app and navigate to Accessibility > Read & Speak > Accessibility Reader, then turn on the Accessibility Reader switch.
2) Open any app that displays some text, then triple-click the power button to activate Accessibility Reader. If you’ve assigned multiple features to your Accessibility Shortcut, select Accessibility Reader in the Accessibility Shortcut menu.
3) The Accessibility Reader app (also referred to just as the Reader app) will open in full-screen mode and show you in-app text in the raw form, without any menus, images, or other user interface elements, allowing you to comfortably read just the text in a distraction-free environment.
There is also an audio controls panel at the bottom. If you had “Autoplay in Accessibility Reader” enabled in iOS Settings, the Reader app will start reading the text automatically. If not, tap the play button to listen to the on-screen text. You can pause, skip forward or back by 10 seconds, and change the speaking rate.
Customize Accessibility Reader text
Tap the three-dot menu button at the top right corner and select “Customize Reader.” Then, select one of the presets (Dark, Balanced, Loose, Book, Bold, or Light) or personalize one by tapping Edit to tweak the following settings:
- Text and background color
- Text size
- Font type
- Bold text
- Line, word, and character spacing
- Link style and color
- Customize the playback by choosing to highlight the text as it’s spoken (kind of like Apple Music lyrics), select the highlight style (gradient, background, or underline), and the highlight color
- Rename the preset
- Reset everything to the default setting
Audio controls in Accessibility Reader
Tap the play button in Accessibility Reader’s audio controls to hear the text spoken aloud. To have the app default to spoken text, turn on the “Autoplay in Accessibility Reader” switch in the settings. Accessibility Reader continues reading the text aloud in the background even if you exit it or lock your iPhone.
The audio controls appear at the bottom of the screen, but you can hide them by tapping the three-dotted icon in the top-right corner and choosing Hide Audio Controls. This will also hide the audio controls and make more room for the text.
Hiding the audio controls doesn’t stop text-to-speech if it was running. You can also access these controls on the Dynamic Island and the Lock Screen.
Enable and use Accessibility Reader on a Mac
1) Click the Apple menu and choose System Settings, then select Accessibility in the sidebar. On the right, click Read & Speak and turn on Accessibility Reader.
2) Open any app on your Mac that shows some text, then press the Command + esc keys to activate Accessibility Reader. The built-in Reader app will automatically show text from the app in raw format. If not, select the text under the “Suggestions” heading. To hear it spoken aloud, use the playback controls at the top. To customize your reading experience, click the AA icon.
3) After done, close the Reader window or quit the app from the menu bar.
Changing the Accessibility Reader voice
Accessibility Reader uses the same voice as Speak Screen, Speak Selection, and other accessibility features. If you don’t like the current text-to-speech voice, you can change it in Settings > Accessibility > Read & Speak > Voices, then select your language. Next, choose the Voice option and tap a voice. If you’ve created your personal text-to-speech voice, you can select that as well.
To change the text-to-speech voice used for Accessibility Reader and other features, open System Settings and select Accessibility in the sidebar. Then, click Read & Speak, followed by System Voice.
Accessibility for the rest of us
Apple is the leader in terms of accessibility features on digital devices. Its platforms provide an Accessibility section within the settings, filled with many features that people often overlook, thinking they’re only for those with disabilities.
For example, the full-screen zoom and the Magnifier feature are one of my favorite accessibility features, and I’m also a fan of Vehicle Motion Cues, which helps prevent motion sickness when I’m staring at my iPhone as a passenger in a moving vehicle.
There are more than 40 cool accessibility features that every iPhone owner should at least try once.
What do you think about the new Accessibility Reader feature in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe 26? Is it something that you may find valuable, do you think? Chime in with your thoughts in the commenting section down below.