Google includes its Text-To-Speech engine in its Nexus devices, but a number of manufacturers often opt for their own creations and don’t include Google’s engine in their Android devices. If you’re one of those users who’d rather use Google’s Text-To-Speech, rejoice as the internet search giant has finally released it as a standalone app in the Play Store. The release serves two purposes, it allows people to use Google’s engine even if its not bundled in their device and it enables the company to push out updates easily since the app is no longer linked to its vanilla version of Android.
For those who don’t know where exactly Text-To-Speech is used, the engine powers Google Play Books’ “Read Aloud” feature and it also speaks translation of words in Google Translate. The Text-To-Speech engine is also used in accessibility tools to make it easier for visually impaired users to use the device. The Google Text-To-Speech app is live now and available as a free download from the Google Play Store. If you’ve been tired of the native voice synthesis technology in your non-Nexus Android device, Google’s offering is perhaps the perfect alternative. So select Google Text-To-Speech as the default engine, select it in the Settings app by going into the Language & Input menu.