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How to Disable Read Aloud in the Adobe Android App

Ayan Masood Oct 19, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to disable the Read Aloud feature on their Android device to restore normal text copying functionality within a PDF app.

How to Disable Read Aloud in the Adobe Android App

Product: Adobe Android App
Device & OS: Android
Scenario: Attempting to copy text from a PDF document on an Android device, but triggering the system's text-to-speech function instead.
Observed behavior: The Android Read Aloud or Select-to-Speak accessibility feature interferes with standard text selection, preventing the user from copying text from the PDF.

Before you start

Ensure you know the exact model and OS version of your Android device, as the names of system settings menus can vary slightly between manufacturers like Samsung, Google, and Motorola.

Solution 1Recommended

Turn Off Text-to-Speech in Android Settings

Since Read Aloud is an OS-level accessibility feature rather than an app-specific setting, you must disable it directly through your Android system settings.

The Adobe app relies on the Android operating system for accessibility features. Disabling it globally on your device will restore standard touch-and-hold text selection across all your documents.

Open Android Settings

Navigate to your home screen or app drawer and tap the gear icon to open the 'Settings' app.

Navigate to System or Accessibility

Scroll down and tap on 'Accessibility'. On some devices, you may first need to tap 'System' or 'General Management'.

Locate Text-to-Speech settings

Find and tap on 'Text-to-speech output', 'Select to Speak', or 'TalkBack' depending on which feature is currently active.

Disable the feature

Toggle the switch to the 'Off' position to disable the screen reading functionality.

Test PDF text selection

Reopen your PDF in the Adobe app, long-press on a paragraph, and verify that the 'Copy' menu now appears normally.

Turn Off Text-to-Speech in Android Settings

Samsung Device Navigation: On Samsung Galaxy devices, this setting is often found under Settings > Accessibility > Spoken assistance or Installed apps.

Seamless PDF Reading and Editing

Effortlessly Read and Copy PDF Text with WPS Office

If you frequently struggle with accessibility overrides or restricted PDF features in other apps, try WPS Office for Android. It offers a smooth, built-in PDF reader that makes selecting, copying, and editing text highly intuitive without triggering unwanted system features.

1. Download WPS Office: Install WPS Office for free from the Google Play Store on your Android device.
2. Open your PDF: Launch the app, navigate to the 'Files' tab, and tap your PDF document to open it in the WPS PDF Viewer.
3. Select text easily: Long-press any word in the document to bring up the selection handles.
4. Copy the content: Drag the handles to highlight the desired text, then tap 'Copy' from the pop-up toolbar.

Native PDF reader optimized for touch interactions on mobile devicesEasily select, copy, highlight, and annotate text without interferenceFully compatible with standard Adobe PDF formats and Microsoft Office filesBuilt-in PDF editing tools available entirely within a lightweight app

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Read Aloud activate when I try to copy text in a PDF?

This usually happens when an Android accessibility feature like 'Select to Speak' or 'TalkBack' is enabled. It overrides normal touch-and-hold actions to read the text on the screen out loud instead of selecting it for copying.

Can I disable Read Aloud directly inside the Adobe Android app?

No, the Read Aloud function on Android is managed by the device's system-level accessibility settings, not the app's internal preferences. You must turn it off in the Android Settings app.

What if I still cannot copy text after turning off Text-to-Speech?

If text selection still doesn't work, the PDF might be a scanned image rather than a text-based document, or it may be protected with permissions that restrict copying. You may need to use an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) tool or request an unlocked version of the file.

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