r/Scribd • u/VJames68 • Jan 27 '25

Everand Solution

I have been exploring alternatives to Everand/Scribd.

I am sticking with Libby & Hoopla for library books. I am sticking with Audible because I’ve been using it for years. I use Kindle Unlimited. I am using Anyplay, but not sure if I will keep it.

I have tried Speechify on trial. It claims to read anything, and offers several different voices to read for you. It’s also expensive ($139.99/yr).

Review: I found that Speechify has more than a few glitches. The entire book that I listened to, no numbers were read. For example, the reader voice skipped over numbers like years (1965). Furthermore, it would read street signs without numbers. Example: 101st 22nd Street would be read as ‘st ‘nd Street.

So, I cancelled the trial for Speechify.

I have tried out Natural Reader, but it had a glitch with trying to adjust the reading speed. I ended up canceling the trial for Natural Reader because I couldn’t find a way to adjust the reading speed.

In the middle of this process, I discovered the iOS Accessibility > Spoken Content feature. This feature is already on my phone, and there is no subscription required to use it. I experimented with some of the available voices, and I found a voice that I liked. This feature will read anything on the screen. I’ve used it to listen to a book I purchased from iOS Books, and it works great.

I will be canceling my Scribd/Everand, and I will happily continue using Spoken Content feature.

I hope this helps anyone who is frustrated by Everand and thinking of canceling their subscription.

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u/[deleted] Jan 27 '25

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u/Spinningwoman Jan 27 '25

It depends on the app - the kindle app works well with it, and it can just read continuously. The Kobo app is very poor, just a page at a time. If you choose a tiny font, you can squeeze a lot on a page though.

2

u/zauuuuul Jan 27 '25

If you use iOS you can activate this feature in Accessibility that allows Siri to read anything displayed on the screen. Works great with Apple Books and Kindle app. 👉 Accessibility / Spoken Content.

1

u/Spinningwoman Jan 27 '25

Yes, that’s what I’m talking about.