Why is my phone reading my texts out loud?

Why is my phone reading my texts out loud?
I’ve recently noticed that my phone has started reading my text messages out loud, and I’m trying to figure out why this is happening. It’s quite surprising to hear my private messages being read aloud, especially in public places. I haven’t made any significant changes to my phone’s settings, and to my knowledge, I didn’t activate any new features. This behavior is puzzling because I always prioritize having control over my notifications and who can hear them. I can’t help but wonder if there’s some setting I accidentally toggled or if this is due to some software update I was unaware of. The experience is rather intrusive, and it’s become a pressing concern that I want to understand better before I seek ways to manage or stop it.
6 Answers

Voice assistants such as Google Assistant or Siri could be causing your phone to read texts out loud. If they misinterpret sounds as commands, they might start reading messages. Review the settings of these assistants. Ensure they aren’t configured to read messages and modify their activation settings if necessary.

Your phone likely started reading messages aloud due to an accessibility feature. Devices often have screen readers or text-to-speech functions for visually impaired users. You may have turned this on by accident. Check your settings, find the ‘Accessibility’ section, and see if ‘TalkBack’ (Android) or ‘VoiceOver’ (iPhone) is enabled.