Voice Dream can now recognize multi-column documents and order the text correctly. Also, Chinese is now supported. To recognize Chinese, set it explicitly in settings rather than using “Auto-Detect”.
Minor enhancements and bug fixes.
Updated to Bookshare V2, which features curated collections, reading lists and assignments.
Brand new Bookshare user interface that includes sorting, filtering, and improvements for iPads.
Improved Google Drive, Dropbox, and Evernote access.
Added context menu for the library. To access context menu, tap the document and hold.
Added a new font: Atkinson Hyperlegible developed by Braille Institute. The bold version of this font has proved to be highly effective for people with low vision.
Scanning from camera and OCR are now available without having to purchase Scanner separately. Note that only languages using Latin alphabets are currently supported. It does not support Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean and Russian.
Bold font selection shows the correct current setting.
Fixed a few issues with Watch app.
We rewrote all the code for accessing remote sources such as Bookshare and Dropbox. While much of user interface looks the same, you'll see a lot small, subtle improvements. For example:
Bookshare organization accounts can designate a student on a device.
Added GoodReads integration with Bookshare.
Downloading Bookshare books directly from Book Detail view.
Downloading from CELA, Éole and other Web destinations directly to Library.
Instapaper now has the options to delete articles in Voice Dream when they are archived on the server.
There're also improvements in other areas:
Rename document directly in the Library.
Hide built-in iOS voices. The control is in the setting for the voice.
Directly perform full-text search from selected text.
Sentence pause now in 0.1 second increments.
Stay safe and healthy. Happy reading!
We improved text extraction for PDF documents in this update:
Better hyphen handling. Most line-break hyphens are automatically detected and removed, improving pronunciation.
Presence of third party fonts in iOS no longer causes crashes.
Some PDF files that produced gibberish text previously can now be processed successfully.
PDF documents in original layout are now accessible using VoiceOver.
If you’re using iCloud Sync across multiple devices, please update all your devices to this release. Otherwise PDF documents in original layout will not work correctly.
Finally, Apple fixed several problems with built-in iOS voices in iOS 13.3. It is good time to update if you haven’t done it already.
Enjoy!
Voice Dream Reader now has Light and Dark mode for the user interface. In iOS 13, the user interface will change automatically based on system setting. Document colors also changes automatically, although that can be disabled.
iOS 13 brings the much anticipated Voice Control. This update optimized Voice Dream Reader for Voice Control. For example, many buttons have synonyms, and labels are shorter than VoiceOver labels.
There're also many small refinements and bug fixes in this update.
Enjoy!
VOICE DREAM DOES OCR!
OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition, which is the ability to detect and recognize text in an image. With the purchase of a new app, Voice Dream Scanner, OCR features become available in Voice Dream Reader on the same device:
Scan paper documents using the camera and save as PDF in your library. The PDF will work as if it contains text. Tap on "+" and "Scanner".
Load existing PDF files with scanned images and recognize text in those images. After opening the file, go to "Document Menu" and tap on "Perform OCR".
Voice Dream Scanner is also a standalone app, which is useful for making a quick scan and listen using text-to-speech without saving, or saving to other locations.
The technology is state-of-the-art. It's fast and accurate, even in poor lighting conditions. It works entirely on device: No need for internet and your data stays private.
Voice Dream Scanner is $5.99 in the US and equivalent in other countries. It gives you unlimited OCR: No subscriptions and no additional charges.
Only languages using Latin alphabets are currently supported. It works all supported languages except: Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean and Russian.
Enjoy!
Voice Dream Reader is now available on Apple Watch! You can now go for a walk and read, and leave your phone at home. There're some limitations and known issues, however:
WatchOS 5.0 is required. (WatchOS 4.0 or earlier do not allow background audio from 3rd party apps.)
Only documents in Reading List are synchronized with Apple Watch.
On Apple Watch, only built-in iOS voices are available.
Audiobooks are not supported. These files are huge and transfers are very unreliable.
Even if you enabled Cloud Sync, the Watch stills needs to be connected to the phone to synchronize. But you can listen without being connected to the phone.
Occasionally, Apple Watch pauses long running audio. But you just have to raise your wrist to resume.
In this update, we also added a few other features and other minor enhancements and bug fixes:
Newly downloaded Bookshare books now starts reading at the beginning of book, skipping the legal notice.
Document counts are shown for folders and other filters.
Happy Reading!
Version 4.6 adds a brand new feature: Reading List, and adds supports for Siri Shortcuts in iOS 12.
Reading List is a special folder for queuing up the documents you want to read. When you play the Reading List, Reader starts from the top of the list. When finished, it removes the document from the Reading List and continues to the next document. The completed document is still in the library.
You can add to the Reading List from the Library, either tap and hold in the grid view, or swipe left in the list view. You can also add multiple documents in Edit mode. To remove a document from the Reading List, use the Reading List icon, not the trash command, which removes the document from the Library entirely.
In addition, you can now Play and Pause directly in the Library.
A Siri Shortcut is now available for playing the Reading List. To add the Siri Shortcut, go to iOS Settings, Siri & Search, All Shorcuts, and you'll find "Play Reading List" under "Voice Dream". Tap on "+" and follow instructions. Siri Shortcuts require iOS 12.
Reading List combined with Siri Shortcuts is perfect for doing your reading handsfree. Enjoy!
Version 4.5.0 is a major update, focusing on how Voice Dream Reader presents documents visually. It includes huge improvements in handling PDF documents.
The following new features require iOS 11.3:
Export PDF documents with highlights and notes.
Free vertical scrolling for PDF documents and maintaining the same zoom scale.
Automatic scrolling, zooming and panning while reading PDF documents.
Support for password-locked PDF Documents.
The following new features are available to all:
Automatic detection and skipping of margin text for PDF documents. This feature is enabled by default for new documents, but you can disable it for an individual document. For documents already loaded in the library, you can enable it from the Documents menu.
Support for table of content in PDF Documents.
Improved Rich Text presentation of eBooks and HTML files.
Improved VoiceOver support for Plain Text.
Automatic detection and skipping of citations in academic papers.
Automatic detection and simplication of URLs. For example, a long URL in New York Times would simplified as "nytimes.com"
Many other minor bug fixes and refinements.
We work hard to continuously improve Voice Dream Reader, and we'll never bother you with popups asking for a review. But if you like Voice Dream Reader, please give us a 5-star review in the App Store. We'll be grateful. Just to go Settings in the Library, tap on Contact Us and Write a Review.
If you run into a problem, there might be an easy fix or explanation. Please email us by tapping on Contact Us and Email Support. We can't help if it's posted in a review.
Thanks and enjoy!
Updated for iOS 11. We now support iOS 9, 10, and 11. iOS 8 is no longer supported.
Added support for loading documents using iOS 11 File Browser, which replaces the previous "Cloud Storage (iOS)" option. However, third party cloud storage providers such as Dropbox and Google Drive will not work smoothly from File Browser until they fully support iOS 11.
Added support for iOS 11 Drag and Drop for files and URLs.
Minor bug fixes and enhancements.
We don't bother you with popups asking for a review. But if you like Voice Dream Reader, please give us a 5-star review in the App Store. We'll be grateful. Just to go Settings in the Library, tap on Contact US and Write a Review.
If you run into a problem, there might be an easy fix or explanation. Please email us by tapping on Contact Us and Email Support. We can't help if it's posted in a review.
Retired Legacy Web Browser.
More than one year ago, we added "Save To Voice Dream" Safari Extension for adding Web content to Voice Dream Reader. It is meant to replace the built-in Web Browser, because Safari is superior to our Web Browser in many, many ways. But we understood that it was hard to change habits, and did not remove built-in Web Browser.
Recently, Apple has become very strict in applying the rule that any app with a built-in Web Browser must be age rated at 17+. This caused Voice Dream Reader to suddenly disappear from devices of tens of thousands of children who paid for and rely on Voice Dream Reader for school. Unfortunately, and agonizingly, we have no choice but the remove the built-in Web Browser.
To be sure, it is very easy to save Web content from Safari. To save a Web page, use Safari's share menu and select "Save To Voice Dream". To save a file, such as a PDF file or a DAISY file loaded Safari, tap on "More..." and select "Import with Voice Dream".
Users who had already enabled the browser will continue to have access to it until the next update. If you have bookmarks that you wish to save, please re-create them in Safari so as soon as possible.
We sincerely apologize. But we think you'll like the new way more.
Improved accuracy of estimated reading duration.
Improved accuracy of reading speed (words per minute).
Added feature to make TTS pause longer at the end of sentences. (This feature unfortunately does not work for iOS voices.)
Added option to disable edge swipe to switch between layouts.
Moved some settings from Reading Settings to Audio Settings - Advanced Audio Settings.
Changed Action/Export button to Document button.
Improved performance of file loading.
Improved UI responsiveness during iCloud Sync.
Fixed log-in error for Google Drive.
Improved stability of Safari plug-in.
Other minor bug fixes and enhancements.
“Save To Voice Dream” now supports text and URLs.
Title is spoken after advancing to the next document.
Enabling and disabling iCloud Sync is more resilient.
Fixed issue of deleted documents reappearing sometimes.
Several improvements for VoiceOver users.
Other minor bug fixes and enhancements.
Updated for iOS 10.
Minor bug fixes and enhancements.
Great news! iOS 10 comes with many free, high quality TTS voices, including Siri voices. Go to iOS Settings, General, Accessibility, Speech, and Voices. Select the language you want to use, and you'll see all the available voices. The enhanced version of a voice is higher in audio quality, but note that it uses a lot more storage. After download is complete, come back to Voice Dream Reader. Go to the voice selection screen and tap on the Refresh button at the bottom. Newly downloaded iOS voices will be available for use.
Fixed issue of words occasionally getting repeated.
Fixed issue loading certain DAISY audiobooks.
Actions on selected text in Rich Text layout now works.
Web Site content source now stores user logins.
Fixed spotlight search.
Author field now available for Bookshare books with images.
Added Finnish localization.
Minor bug fixes and enhancements.
Brought back the Legacy Web Browser for continuity. Still, please try to use the Safari Save Extension instead.
It's now easier and faster to save a Web page using the Safari Save Extension.
Filter now displays the active folder or content source name.
Localized for Hungarian and Bulgarian. We're now localized in 26 languages!
iOS voices no longer freezes after audio is interrupted while the app is in the background and not playing.
Braille no longer skips lines when scrolling.
PDF Original Layout now maintains visual location.
Going to next or previous item plays automatically.
Export original file now works for all formats, not just plain text.
Authors for old documents now will appear after Repair Library.
Allows sort order for "No Folder".
Enable cloud synch will not lose folders. If you got hit by this bug, you’ll have to manually add your folders back. So sorry!
Sakura is now downloadable.
Minor bug fixes and enhancements.
Version 4 is a massive update. Please read this document carefully.
All the new features -- the result of 1 year of development -- come to you for free. We love our customers!
Any massive update will have some bugs that we didn't catch. If you run into one, please accept our advanced apologies and email us at support@voicedream.com. We promise to fix them as fast as possible.
All premium voices have been updated with improvements. Please download them again -- sorry for the inconvenience. You also need to update all Voice Dream apps like Writer, Mail and Voice Pack in order to use the updated voices.
A slew of new voices from Acapela have been added. They include premium child voices in US, UK and Australian English, German, and North American Spanish. Also added are emotive voices like sad and happy voices.
Alex, the male voice in iOS, is now available if you're using iOS 9. You might need to download it first, as well as downloading Enhanced versions of the built-in voices. Go to Settings - General - Accessibility - Speech - Voices - English.
A concept of Filter is introduced. The filter can be changed by tapping on title in the top bar. You can filter your documents by the source or folder, also filter for "Flagged" or "Unread" documents. Flagging is a convenient way to mark documents that you need to read. The Folder filter contains a "No Folder" option which lists documents that have no assigned folder.
Playlist is retired. Now, every folder, as well as "Flagged" filter, allows an additional sort order: "Manual". That means every folder can act as a playlist.
The library now includes a grid view of all your documents. You can tap and hold on a document to perform operations on it. Available commands are Move To Folder, Flag, Rewind, and Delete. The same set of commands are available in the list view when you swipe left on a document. The Edit button lets your perform one of these commands on multiple documents.
Under Library Settings (Gear Icon), you can enable iCloud synchronization for your entire library. All documents, reading locations, bookmarks and annotations will be synchronized across all your iOS devices. Make sure iCloud and iCloud Drive are both enabled first. A word of warning: We don't recommend using iCloud synchronization on a slow or unreliable network. This is especially true if you use listen to large recorded audio files.
If you have a Mac or PC with iCloud Drive enabled, you can Drop files into iCloud Drive for Voice Dream Reader to load directly. Under iCloud Drive in the Finder, open Reader and you'll see a folder called "Loader". Any file or folder of files dropped in there will be moved to the Voice Dream Reader Library automatically. Just make sure that Voice Dream Reader is running in the foreground only on one of your devices.
Hopefully you won't ever have to use the Repair Library button. But if you experience a lot of load failures, it cleans up your library and removes unnecessary files.
All actions and settings for importing reading material are now under the "+" or Add button. You can enable content sources like Dropbox by tapping on "More...". After you enable a Content Source, that source will be available next time you tap on the Add button.
The Web Browser option has been removed. Instead, to read a Web Page, you can "Save to Voice Dream" directly from Safari. Tap on Share, and "Save to Voice Dream" should appear in the bottom row. If not, tap on "More" in the bottom row to enable "Save to Voice Dream" and move it up so it's more easily accessible. You can save the Web Page as a PDF to Voice Dream. Or just the Article with all the extraneous stuff removed. If you created a Bookmarklet in the past to open Voice Dream, it will no longer work.
Some people use the previous built-in Web Browser to download files directly to the Library from a frequently used Web Site. In Version 4, you can add a Web Site as a Content Source.
To synchronize with Pocket or Instapaper, you can tap on the Add button and select Pocket or Instapaper. You can also pull down from the List View, as you would from the eMail app.
To access iCloud Drive, OneDrive, Box, and other cloud storage systems besides Dropbox and Google Drive, you need to select "Cloud Storage" Content Source. Make sure you have their native apps installed. For Dropbox and Google Drive, Voice Dream's built-in access work better, because you can download multiple files without having to open the window again.
The iTunes feature has been simplified, now any documents you put in the Voice Dream folder through File Sharing using iTunes desktop are automatically added to Voice Dream Reader.
The Editor is now under the Export button and available for Plain Text documents only. (Those who use it really should use Voice Dream Writer, which is far superior for editing text.) In its place is a new Reading Settings button.
A new concept is introduced in Version 4: Reading Mode. Think of it as way to customize how Voice Dream Reader handles starts and stops. If you used the previous Playlist feature, make sure you set it to "Keep Going to Next Document". Some people asked for a Repeat feature. Now you can repeat the document. If you want to repeat a section in a document, just copy the section and paste it as a new Document.
A new reading mode, Finger Reading mode, lets the user read one word at a time. To hear a single word, tap under the word and hold, which is useful for advanced readers who need help only with a few hard words. Another way to use Finger Reading mode is to tap under a word until it's pronounced and then slide your finger over to the next word without lifting it. It will continue reading but entirely at your own pace. This is useful for readers who want to read very slowly -- for whom even the slowest reading speed is too fast. Finger reading mode works for plain text layout and PDF original layout only.
When enabled, the speech cursor acts like a Pac-Man that eats the word as it's spoken. This patent-pending technique is the result of a breakthrough research from MIT and Harvard which shows that when using Pac-Man mode and gradually increasing speech rate over a few days, almost everyone can double their reading speed with no loss of comprehension. You can turn on Pac-Man Mode from Visual Settings. Give it a try!
Version 4 experimentally supports rich text, which displays bold, italic text as well as images. Documents from Pocket, Instapaper, Evernote, Google Docs, plus eBooks and Web pages can be displayed as either Rich Text or Plain Text. In addition, Word, PowerPoint, Pages, Keynote and RTF files will also be available for viewing in their Original Layout. Rich Text and Original Layout support double-tap to start reading and 2 finger tap to synchronize with speech. They do not show your bookmarks and annotations. These new layouts are only available only for newly loaded documents, and in iOS 9 and for iPhone 5S or later, iPad 4G or later, and iPod 6G. (Honest, it is most definitely experimental, so expect bugs. But it's usable and we'll improve it over time.)
For Bookshare books with images, please turn on "Prefer Images" switch in Bookshare settings. Note that Bookshare takes about 10 seconds to package a book with image before downloading can begin.
Now you can skip the text in the top and bottom margins in a PDF document. To set the margins, go to Reading Settings and select "Set PDF Margins". You'll be able to move the red line at the top and bottom to cover up the text that you don't want to hear. Margins are applied to all pages. It's useful for excluding text in the header and footer, but not for footnotes. Sorry VoiceOver users -- this is nearly impossible to implement with VoiceOver. In the future we'll research into whether it's possible to detect margins automatically.
You'll find lots of improvements. For example, press hard on the fast forward button to skim: doubling reading speed until you let go. 4x audio playback with stunning clarity. Evernote attachments. Cover images for PDF and book. More accurate language detection. Bold/regular font for all font families. Everything now use your color theme. And much more.
Thank you for your support and encouragement over the years. We promised that "Voice Dream Reader is the only reading tool you ever need to buy," and we hope we're fulfilling that promise.
Happy Reading!