Twinkl Symbols for AAC App uses a text-to-speech engine, available natively on your device, to turn the letters/words of a symbol label, or the custom letters/words you enter, into spoken audio.
The quality of this audio directly relates to the quality of the audio engine available on the device and the settings your device is configured to use.
For the best possible spoken audio experience, we recommend using a recent Apple iOS (iPhone / iPad) device, with an enhanced voice (enhanced voices must be downloaded as an additional step. Without this, you'll only have a standard voice available to you).
Once you've downloaded an enhanced voice for your device, you also need to make sure that Twinkl Symbols for AAC App is set up to use this voice.
Step 1 - Checking your device and Twinkl Symbols for AAC App version.
To complete this guide, please make sure your device is an Apple iPhone or iPad, and that you have downloaded the latest version of the Twinkl Symbols for AAC app. In general, keeping up to date with the latest version of the Twinkl Symbols for AAC app is a good idea, as this will make sure you have access to the latest Symbols (typically updated once a week!) and app features/functionality.
Because enhanced voices require additional downloads, we'd recommend you follow the guide when on WiFi or using an unlimited 3/4/5G connection.
Step 2 - Choose and download an enhanced voice
On your Apple device:
- Open Settings and go to "Accessibility" on the left menu, then "Spoken Content" on the right menu and tap the "Voices" setting.
- You'll be shown a list of Languages on the screen, choose the Language you want to download an enhanced version of, to use in Twinkl Symbols for AAC App. E.G: English.
- You'll then be shown a list of regional dialects on the screen, for example: English (US), English (Australia), English (UK) etc. Locate the correct dialect for you.
- You'll see a number of options (Male / Female), for example, for US English: Allison, Bruce, Junior, Samantha.
- Each voice has a slightly different base sound, you can try the sounds out by downloading them and later deleting them. Not every English (US) voice has an enhanced version.
- If you choose to download a new voice, for example, Allison, Evan, or Tom, normally the enhanced version will be downloaded by default.
- To download an enhanced voice version of a voice you already have, tap on the voice name and press the download button next to the enhance voice name.
- Once your enhanced voice download has finished, you can leave this settings area and launch the Twinkl Symbols for AAC App.
- Later, you can return to this area if you wish to: delete voices, add new voices, listen and compare voices.
Step 3 - Change the Twinkl Symbols for AAC app settings to use the Enhanced Voice
- Load the Twinkl Symbols for AAC App
- Open the Settings menu from the main menu by tapping the cog icon in the upper right corner.
- Scroll to the Voice settings section. In this area of the settings page you can adjust the voice settings which control the spoken text in the app, for example when a symbol is pressed on a board, and the symbol label is read out loud.
- You can hear the active voice settings reading a simple sentence whilst you configure your voice settings by pressing the play button.
Voice Settings Line 1: First choose whether voice is enabled or disabled. Next choose whether you would like an Adult or Child voice type.
Voice Settings Line 2: Choose the culture of voice you would like, for example: en-US for American, and en-AU for Australian. Then choose a voice name, each voice name sounds different.
This is where you activate your newly downloaded enhanced voice - it should appear in this list with (Enhanced) next to it.
Voice Settings Line 3: If you want to fine tune the rate (speed) and pitch of your chosen voice, you can amend this with these setting controls.