YouTube has expanded its popular text-to-speech feature for Shorts, making it available to iOS users for the first time.
Originally launched on Android in 2024, the update provides creators with a powerful tool to add narration to their short-form videos. This latest rollout underscores YouTube's commitment to enhancing the creative flexibility and accessibility of its platform, offering more ways for creators to engage with their audiences.
Key Features of the Text-to-Speech Update
YouTube’s weekly Creator Insider update introduced users to two new updates - Text-to-speech on iOS and a profile card redesign.
Additionally, users can control when the text appears and disappears within the clip, providing greater precision over the video's pacing and presentation. This technical enhancement represents a significant step forward for creators, allowing them to produce more dynamic, accessible content with minimal effort.
The update also integrates seamlessly with YouTube’s existing short-form video creation tools, ensuring that creators’ workflows remain uninterrupted while gaining access to new creative possibilities.
To summarize, key features of the text-to-speech update include:
- Full iOS compatibility rollout
- Four available AI narration voices
- Ability to customize text display timing
- Additional Android integrations
What Does This Mean for the Creator Community
The expansion of the text-to-speech feature to iOS presents a wealth of opportunities for YouTube’s vibrant creator community.
By incorporating automated voiceovers, creators can make their content more accessible and engaging, allowing them to reach a broader audience. Whether it’s adding commentary, summarizing key points, or simply enhancing the viewer's experience, the feature enables creators to elevate their content without requiring professional voiceover work.
This update is likely to increase engagement on the platform, as viewers often appreciate the ability to consume information quickly and clearly. This update likely mirrors
With text-to-speech, creators have a tool that helps convey messages more effectively, whether they’re explaining a concept or providing additional context for their audience.
YouTube’s feature expansion also places the platform in closer competition with other short-form video giants like TikTok and Instagram, both of which have implemented similar features.
However, YouTube's added customization options, like control over text timing and voice choices, may set the platform apart in terms of creative freedom.
YouTube Also Updates Its Profile Card Redesign on Mobile
In addition to the text-to-speech expansion, YouTube is also rolling out a redesigned profile card in the Studio Mobile app. This aesthetic update enhances the mobile experience by providing a more modern, cohesive look while maintaining all the previous functionalities that creators rely on.
The profile card redesign is part of YouTube’s ongoing efforts to refine the mobile user experience, making it easier for creators to manage their content and engage with their audiences from their phones.
The Future of Text-to-Speech on YouTube
As YouTube continues to develop its suite of tools for short-form video creation, the text-to-speech feature is expected to evolve. Future updates may introduce more voice options, additional customization features, and possibly even language support for non-English speaking creators.
There is also potential for the feature to be expanded beyond Shorts, allowing creators to use text-to-speech across other video formats on the platform.
In the coming months, YouTube will likely monitor user feedback and usage data to refine the tool and ensure it meets the diverse needs of its global creator base. Whether creators are looking to add narration to a tutorial, provide commentary on a trending topic, or simply make their videos more engaging, the feature is set to become an integral part of the content creation process on YouTube.
