US Patent 10592095 Instantaneous speaking of content on touch devices

Systems and processes are disclosed for initiating and controlling content speaking on touch-sensitive devices. A gesture can be detected on a touchscreen for causing text to be spoken. Displayed content can be analyzed, and a determination can be made based on size, position, and other attributes as to which portion of displayed text should be spoken. In response to detecting the gesture, the identified portion of text can be spoken using a text-to-speech process. A menu of controls can be displayed for controlling the speaking. The menu can automatically be hidden and a persistent virtual button can be displayed that can remain available on the touchscreen despite the user navigating to another view. Selecting the persistent virtual button can restore the full menu of controls, thereby allowing the user to continue to control the speaking even after navigating away from the content being spoken.