Guide speech and cloud voices

Guide speech can use an author's recording, generated cloud audio, or the device's voice. Keep essential instructions available as visible text, captions, and image descriptions too.

Authors need Guide editing access to change wording, recordings, or authored voices. Players can use available Speak controls and their own Accessibility preferences without editing the Guide.

Choose what to configure

Need	Where to start
Change a block's spoken wording	Block Editor > Speech > Spoken text override
Attach a narration recording	Block Editor > Speech > Audio
Replace the page's combined narration	Page settings > Speech > Speech on page visit
Choose an authored voice	Cloud voice in Guide, Sequence, Page, or Block settings
Change your default voice	Settings > Accessibility > Voice profiles
Control automatic reading	Your Accessibility speech preferences, subject to author restrictions

An Audio Media block is separate from speech audio: its recording plays through its own visible media controls.

Set the wording

By default, CareMap derives speech from the block's content. An explicit Spoken text override changes generated wording without changing visible content. Clear spoken override returns to the normal source; an empty override is not a mute setting.

Speech on page visit normally replaces block-by-block page narration. Manual Speak block and focused-block narration still address individual blocks. Communication adaptation can preserve block recordings instead of using the page override.

See spoken text and accessibility for content sources, imported wording, labels, and hints.

Add recorded speech

In Speech > Audio, upload, reuse, or record audio. Stop and attach ends microphone capture and uploads automatically; Save block keeps the selection. A ready recording takes priority for that block's speech.

Keep useful spoken text as a fallback, but check the complete playback path: offline or personalized speech can have additional restrictions. See recorded speech.

Choose and prepare a cloud voice

Create a Voice Profile, then select it at the appropriate Guide level. Selections save independently and copy the profile's voice and speed; later profile edits do not update them.

Review preparation in Guide settings > Cloud voice. Saved changes can prepare in the background. Reopen the section to read an updated status.

Cloud voice selection and preparation explains inheritance, credits, storage, length limits, publishing, and what Speech ready does and does not guarantee.

Test the experience

1. Save the affected wording or recording.
2. Preview and use Speak block and Speak page.
3. Test automatic reading with the intended player's preferences.
4. Check any page override, recording, video, and communication adaptation together.
5. For offline use, refresh the Guide package on that device and test it without a connection.

Use speech playback controls for Pause, Resume, Stop, and automatic reading. Follow speech troubleshooting for silence, unexpected voices, processing, or unavailable personalized speech.