Troubleshoot Guide speech

First distinguish speech narration from an Audio or Video Media block. Media blocks have their own playback controls.

No speech plays

1. Use Speak page or Speak block. Automatic reading can be off while manual speech remains available.
2. Check device volume, mute, and the selected speaker or headphones.
3. Confirm that the source has speakable words or ready recorded audio.
4. Read the speech status. While loading, wait or use Stop before retrying.
5. Reconnect if expected audio is not prepared on this device.

If Cloud speech is still preparing asks you to try Speak again shortly, allow time and retry. That state does not always trigger immediate device fallback. Browser/device speech can also be unsupported or fail; test another supported device or browser if the error identifies that transport.

If speech stalls, use Stop, check the connection, then Speak again. Pause/Resume is for an intentional pause, not a missing source.

Automatic speech is missing or interrupted

Check your Accessibility preferences for page, option, or submitted-answer reading. Then ask the author to inspect Automatic speech at Guide, Page, and Block levels. Follow player setting cannot override your opt-out.

Navigation, changing the focused block, manual Speak, Stop, or answering can interrupt automatic narration. In Simplified, automatic reading follows the focused block. Use Speak page when you want the full page.

The wrong words or voice play

• A ready recording takes priority for a block. Editing its text does not change the audio.
• Review Spoken text override, Current speech source, and any imported speech metadata.
• Clear spoken override restores normal wording. A blank saved override is not a mute setting and can produce an empty-override warning.
• Check Speech on page visit: it normally replaces combined block narration. Manual block speech can differ.
• Check Cloud voice at Block, Page, Sequence, and Guide levels, then the learner's default profile. Missing authored audio can use learner/device fallback.
• After editing a Voice Profile, select it again in the Guide if needed. Authored choices are independent copies.
• Device speech rate does not change cloud profile speed or a recording.

For the recording/communication-adaptation interaction, see speech playback.

Recording or upload fails

For denied microphone access, allow it in browser/app settings. Connect an input device if none is found, or close other recording apps if it is busy. Upload a supported file when capture is unavailable.

After a failed automatic recording upload, use Retry upload or Discard and retry. An unresolved local clip can keep Save block unavailable. See recording limits and recovery.

Preparation needs attention

Open Guide settings > Cloud voice and read the detail. Restore AI credits or storage in the Guide workspace, select an available voice, or shorten a speech item exceeding 5,000 characters.

After correcting the cause, leave editing to request another attempt. Reopen Cloud voice to see updated status. The selector's Try again reloads its configuration; it does not regenerate every clip.

Personalized or offline speech is unavailable

If communication adaptation is enabled but its profile or accepted wording is unavailable, speech may stop instead of reading original wording. Restore the connection and review communication preferences.

Reconnect, allow preparation, then Refresh offline on the Guide. Refresh after default-voice or speech changes. Speech ready alone does not guarantee that all audio is saved on this device. Missing offline recordings can remain unavailable without text fallback.

If problems continue, give the Guide owner or support the page/block name, platform, status, voice level, online/offline state, and which Speak control failed. Use an approved channel for private content.