TikTok’s text-to-speech feature allows you to convert text into a computer-generated voiceover for your videos. It’s a popular way to create content without recording your own voice.
However, many TikTok users have reported issues with text-to-speech not working properly on their Android or iPhone devices.
If TikTok isn’t letting you use text-to-speech, don’t panic. The good news is that in most cases, it’s an easy fix. This guide will walk you through the top reasons why TikTok text-to-speech fails and show you step-by-step instructions to troubleshoot and resolve the problem.
Why Your TikTok Text-to-Speech Is Not Working
Before diving into solutions, let’s look at some of the common causes behind why the TikTok app won’t convert text to speech as expected:
Internet Connectivity Issues
Text-to-speech requires an internet connection to function. If your Wi-Fi or cellular data drops out, goes slow, or becomes unstable, it can disrupt the text-to-speech feature. Always ensure you have a solid internet connection when trying to use TikTok text-to-speech.
Server Problems at TikTok
Like all apps, TikTok sometimes experiences downtime or glitchy servers. Issues on TikTok’s end can prevent text-to-speech and other features from working properly. Check sites like Down Detector to see if others are reporting TikTok problems.
Outdated App Version
Apps need regular updates to fix bugs and add new options. Using an outdated version of the TikTok app could be the reason text-to-speech is not available or malfunctioning.
Software Bugs and Glitches
Even if your app is updated, occasional bugs and glitches still happen. Closing and reopening TikTok or rebooting your device usually clears out temporary software issues.
Incorrect Text-to-Speech Settings
TikTok gives you multiple text-to-speech options to tweak. Sometimes settings like voice, language, speed, etc. can become changed or disabled without you realizing it.
App Cache and Data Problems
Corrupted app cache and data files can interfere with TikTok’s text-to-speech feature running smoothly. Clearing the TikTok app’s cache and data might help get text-to-speech back working properly.
Android Permission Problems
On Android gadgets, each app needs your permission to access certain features like your camera, contacts list, or in this case – text-to-speech. If you haven’t enabled the necessary permissions, TikTok can’t convert text.
Conflicts with Battery Saver Apps
Some battery-saving apps excessively restrict background app processes like text-to-speech. Adding TikTok to your battery saver’s ‘Ignore’ list can prevent limiting its text-to-speech capabilities.
How to Fix TikTok Not Allowing Text-to-Speech on Android and iPhone
Now let’s dive into each specific method to troubleshoot and fix TikTok when text-to-speech is not working on Android or iPhone. Follow these solutions step-by-step until your issue is resolved.
1. Check Your Internet Connection
As mentioned above, using text-to-speech without an internet connection is impossible since it needs to connect to servers to function.
To confirm you have a solid connection on your Android or iPhone:
- Turn off Wi-Fi and 5G/4G LTE and turn them back on to refresh the connection
- Run a speed test app to verify your actual upload/download speeds.
- Switch from Wi-Fi to cellular data or vice versa
- If speeds are still slow, try moving closer to your Wi-Fi router or in range of a cellular tower
Make sure that other apps can access the internet normally without any connectivity problems. Close and reopen TikTok to have it reconnect fresh to apply any network changes you made.
If you have no internet issues but TikTok’s text-to-speech still fails, proceed to the next steps regarding alternate problems.
2. Check If TikTok Servers Are Down or Experiencing Issues
Sometimes functioning internet alone isn’t enough – TikTok’s servers must also be running smoothly. Apps will often show connection errors if their server backend has outages.
To check for any TikTok server problems:
- Visit DownDetector and search for TikTok.
- Scan the trend graph to see if any recent spike indicates current widespread issues
- Read the latest user reports and comments to determine if they align with the text-to-speech problem rather than just loading feeds or videos
- Check TikTok’s status page for any notifications regarding interruptions
If there are indeed server or API issues with TikTok’s infrastructure, unfortunately, all you can do is wait until TikTok engineers resolve the problem on their end. Keep checking back during the day to see when functionality returns to normal across the app.
Once TikTok services stabilize without incident for a few hours, give text-to-speech another try on your device.
3. Update TikTok to Latest Version
Using an outdated version of the TikTok app can also lead to text-to-speech no longer working properly. New app versions include bug fixes, performance improvements, and access to the latest features from TikTok.
Updating TikTok is quick and easy on both iPhone and Android:
On iPhone
- Open the App Store
- Tap your profile icon in the top right
- Scroll down to see a pending update for TikTok if available
- Tap Update to install the newest version.
On Android
- Open the Google Play Store
- Tap your profile icon in the top right
- Tap Manage apps & devices
- Under Updates available, check if TikTok shows up
- Tap Update next to TikTok to install the latest version.
If TikTok was already updated to the latest available, then an outdated app is likely not causing your text-to-speech problem. Proceed to the additional troubleshooting methods next to resolve the issues.
4. Restart Your Mobile Device
Before diving deeper into software and app settings, try the classic step of turning your phone completely off and on again. A simple restart will clear out any stuck processes or glitches occurring in the operating system.
To properly restart an iPhone:
- Hold down the Side button and either Volume button at once until you see the power off slider appears
- Drag the slider to turn off your device.
- After 30 seconds, hold down the Side button again until you see the Apple logo to boot your iPhone back up.
To properly restart an Android device:
- Hold down the Power button for a few seconds until a prompt pops up asking if you want to Power off or Restart
- Tap Restart to reboot your Android gadget.
- Let your device fully load back up and load the home screen once restarted.
Relaunch TikTok to see if your text-to-speech capabilities have resolved after the reboot.
5. Clear TikTok’s Cache
Over time, cached files and data stored by the TikTok app can become corrupted or bloated, causing operational issues like text-to-speech failing.
Wiping this data completely erases any of these damaged files for a clean slate. TikTok will rebuild fresh cached and temp content that could prevent previous text-to-speech problems.
Clear cache & data in iPhone TikTok
- Go to your iPhone Settings then tap General
- Select iPhone Storage
- Wait for a list of your apps to populate your screen
- Tap TikTok app
- Tap Offload App to temporarily uninstall (Don’t worry – nothing is lost)
- Reinstall TikTok from the App Store.
This will completely wipe TikTok’s cache and data before reinstalling a clean version of the app.
Or manually clear cache & data in Android TikTok
- Open your Android Settings
- Tap Apps & Notifications (or Apps)
- Select See all ### apps
- Find and tap TikTok.
- Tap Storage & Cache.
- Tap Clear Cache and then Clear Storage buttons.
Give TikTok some minutes after clearing cache/data to restore its files. Text-to-speech should now have any corruptions removed preventing it from functioning.
8. Reinstall the TikTok App
If all else fails, completely uninstalling TikTok and redownloading the app is an alternate troubleshooting tactic. This wipes all old TikTok files before replacing it with a freshly installed version.
- Back up any important TikTok draft videos you want to save! They will be deleted.
- On iPhone, hold finger down on the TikTok icon until it jiggles
- Tap the X icon displayed on it
- Confirm deletion then head to App Store to reinstall
- On Android, go to Settings > Apps > TikTok and tap Uninstall
- Open Google Play Store and reinstall TikTok
Provide all the requested permissions and sign back into your TikTok account after installation finishes. Test out text-to-speech again in the freshly deployed app version.
9. Double Check Your Device’s Text-to-Speech Settings
Ensure that text-to-speech capability outside of TikTok itself functions normally across your operating system’s interface and other apps.
On Android
- Enter Settings > System > Languages & input > Text-to-speech output.
- Check Preferences to confirm your language, speech rate and audio toggle are set correctly.
On iPhone
- Go into Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content
- Activate Speak Selection toggle
- Under Voices, choose your preferred readout speed & language.
Adjusting this can reset your phone’s entire text-to-speech engine to apply changes across all apps. Return to TikTok afterwards to observe if it resolved text conversion not working specifically in that app alone.
10. Use a Voice Recorder App Instead
If TikTok still refuses to add a voice track from text even after trying everything, voice recorder apps are another easy workaround.
You can record your own voice narrating the script, export it as an audio clip, then upload to TikTok as the video soundtrack instead.
Some top free voice recording apps include:
- Voice Recorder on iPhone
- Google Voice Recorder on Android
- Otter.ai – includes transcription too!
While slightly more effort than TikTok’s native text-to-speech, it achieves the same end result to explain your on-screen content hands-free.
11. Disable Battery Saver Modes
Some Android devices feature Battery Saver or Ultra Power Saving modes that restrict background processes to conserve energy. Unfortunately, this can severely limit an app’s capabilities in the process.
Toggle off these battery conservation modes temporarily to rule out conflicts with TikTok’s text-to-speech features rendering properly in the background.
Additionally, check that TikTok itself has not been added to any custom battery optimization lists:
- Settings > Apps & notifications > Special app access > Battery optimization
- Ensure TikTok does not show in the Not optimized or All apps list
Give TikTok unrestricted access to resources in the background to prevent battery saving modes from blocking text-to-speech in particular from triggering successfully.
12. Log Out and Back Into TikTok
As a long shot, try wiping your TikTok session and account data by fully logging out and signing back in from scratch.
- On iPhone or Android app, tap Profile icon > Settings > Manage account > Log out.
- Input credentials and complete the login process again.
This syncs everything cleanly with TikTok’s servers, applying any pending account changes that may resolve text-to-speech malfunctions.
13. Attempt TikTok Text-to-Speech on Another Mobile Device
To isolate whether the issue stems specifically from your Android or iPhone rather than your TikTok account itself, attempt accessing TikTok from another device entirely.
Borrow a friend or family member’s smartphone and test if text-to-speech works normally when logged into your TikTok account there.
If the feature converts text on another phone fine, then something is likely misconfigured on your original mobile device causing TikTok conflicts. At least you know your account itself isn’t the root cause preventing text-to-speech from functioning properly site-wide.
14. Submit Ticket to TikTok About Text-to-Speech Not Working
If no amount of user-guided troubleshooting fixes your TikTok text-to-speech dilemmas, notify TikTok support directly so they can log and escalate the issue.
To report text-to-speech problems in TikTok app:
- Tap Profile > Settings & Privacy > Report a Problem.
- Choose Bug from categories
- Pick Voiceover/Text-to-Speech issue
- Fill out further details so TikTok developers can reproduce the error
TikTok staff regularly review submitted support tickets to identify and squash platform bugs affecting user experiences – like text-to-speech failing despite your best efforts on different devices.
Shedding direct light on this problem could help TikTok engineering prioritize a permanent code resolution faster for everyone enduring the same struggle.
15. Wait for a Fix from TikTok
Despite your help ticket, TikTok’s product team may still require days or weeks releasing an official software update that rectifies whatever is hindering text-to-speech from properly activating for some subset of users.
Stay tuned to TikTok’s change logs posted on app store listings, plus their social media channels and status site communicating platforms updates rolling out.
In the meantime, consider embracing the previous tip using alternative voice recorders or potentially switching mobile devices if TikTok text-to-speech continues giving you grief day after frustrating day!
Conclusion
That sums up the top reasons why TikTok text-to-speech fails alongside every method to troubleshoot and restore its functionality when things go sideways.
Certain options like updating the app or restarting your mobile device stand out as easy first steps before going nuclear with data wipes, reinstalls or logging tickets needing to wait for resolutions.
Hopefully the detailed walkthroughs given here let you pinpoint then solve why TikTok refuses speaking text for video voiceovers specifically happening on either your Android or iPhone. Just proceed down the list until that satisfying speech synthesis returns!
But don’t forget to have patience and set proper expectations too. Despite your best self-service efforts, the root cause could still boil down to waiting on TikTok’s engineers themselves identifying then pushing remote fixes from their side to resolve ongoing text-to-speech roadblocks occurring for some subset of users scattered around the world.
At the end of the day, TikTok wants its special vocal effects working seamlessly so you can produce the most entertaining short form videos possible through their platform! So try not to get too frustrated when encountering tech hiccups like this along the way.
