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If you ever start reading an article on your iPhone but suddenly need to drive, walk, bike, do chores, or simply take your eyes off the screen, ElevenLabs has a solution for you. The AI audio creation company, started by former Palantir engineers, has released its first iOS app called “ElevenLabs Reader: AI Audio.”
The new app allows you to listen to any article, book, or document using AI-generated voices. Unlike the comprehensive ElevenLabs website that offers various AI models and features like text-to-speech, voice conversion, AI dubbing, and sound effects, this iOS app focuses specifically on converting text files or web links into audio narration. This feature is perfect for when you’re multitasking, like cooking, cleaning, or engaging in other hands-on activities.
Currently, the text-to-speech function on the app is only available in English, but there are plans to support the 29+ languages available on the ElevenLabs website soon. You can download the app for free from the Apple App Store, but it requires iOS 15 or later. To get started, you need to sign in with an existing ElevenLabs account or create a new one using your email, Google, or Apple account.
Upon logging in, you’ll see a list of pre-loaded text files with accompanying audio narrations, mainly consisting of public domain fairy tales and classic stories like “Cinderella,” “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” and Sherlock Holmes adventures. When you select a story, the text appears, and AI narration begins, with a green highlighter following each word spoken.
For those who need to catch up on other types of reading, the app has a plus button where you can add your own content. You can write your text, import a URL, or add a file from the iOS files app. Additionally, the app integrates with the iOS Share Sheet, letting you share links directly from Safari to the ElevenLabs Reader app without needing to copy and paste.
You can adjust the narration speed by tapping the speed indicator, which ranges from 0.8x to 2x. However, you need to cycle through the speeds one at a time, which could be slightly inconvenient. You can also choose from 11 different voices and accents by tapping the soundwave icon.
In testing, the app took a few seconds to upload PDF files from the iOS Files app and stripped out all visuals, displaying only the text. There were some formatting issues that caused awkward pauses in the narration. A few random error messages and conversion failures were also noted during brief testing, but since the app is new, these issues are likely to be resolved with updates.
The overall AI voiceover narration worked smoothly and was impressively accurate, handling even lengthy manuscripts and VentureBeat articles. A critical question remains about ElevenLabs’ handling of user-submitted text data and files, including whether they are stored securely and used for training purposes. We have reached out to ElevenLabs for clarification and will update accordingly.