Table of Contents
1. Getting Started
Welcome to Listen2!
Listen2 transforms your documents into personal audiobooks using high-quality, natural-sounding voices. Whether you're reading PDFs, EPUBs, or articles from the web, Listen2 reads them aloud so you can enjoy your content anywhere.
First Steps
- Import your first document - Tap the + button to import a PDF, EPUB, text file, or paste from your clipboard.
- Press play - That's it! Listen2 comes with a voice pre-installed, so you can start listening right away.
- Explore more voices - Want different voices or languages? Browse and download from dozens of options in the Voices section.
First Time Tip
Listen2 comes with sample documents to help you get started. Try them out to see how the app works before importing your own content!
2. Managing Your Library
Importing Documents
There are several ways to add content to your Listen2 library:
From Files
- Tap the button
- Choose "Import from Files"
- Select a PDF, EPUB, text file, or markdown file
- The document will be added to your library
From Clipboard
- Copy any text from another app (Safari, Mail, Notes, etc.)
- Open Listen2 and tap the button
- Choose "Import from Clipboard"
- Give it a title and it will be saved to your library
Clipboard Magic
Clipboard import is perfect for:
- Web articles you want to listen to
- Emails or messages
- Notes and documents from other apps
- Any text you can copy!
Organizing Your Library
Your library shows all imported documents with their progress. You can:
- Search - Use the search bar to find documents by title
- Delete - Swipe left on any document to delete it
- See progress - See how far along you are in each document
- See date added - See how long ago you imported each document
Progress Tracking
Listen2 automatically saves your reading position. When you return to a document, you'll pick up right where you left off. Your progress is shown on each document in the library view.
3. Playback Controls
Basic Controls
- Play/Pause - Start or stop reading
- Speed - Adjust reading speed (0.5x to 2.0x)
- Skip Forward/Back - Jump by paragraph
Navigation
While listening, you can:
- Tap any paragraph to jump to that position
- Use the skip buttons to move by paragraphs
- Use the Table of Contents to navigate to a new chapter or section
- Use the search to navigate to a specific location by search term
Background Playback
Listen2 continues playing when you switch to other apps or lock your screen. Use the lock screen controls or Control Center to pause, play, or skip.
Pro Tip
Adjust the reading speed to match your comprehension. Many users find 1.2x to 1.5x comfortable for casual listening, while 1.0x works better for dense or technical content.
4. Highlighting Options
Visual Tracking
Listen2 highlights text as it reads, helping you follow along visually. You can customize how highlighting works:
Highlighting Levels
- Word - Each word is highlighted as it's spoken (default)
- Sentence - The current sentence is highlighted
- Paragraph - The current paragraph is highlighted
- Off - No visual highlighting (audio only)
Automatic Optimization
On older devices with less available memory, Listen2 automatically uses sentence-level highlighting instead of word-level. This ensures smooth performance while still providing visual tracking.
Choosing a Highlighting Level
To change highlighting:
- Open Settings
- Find "Highlighting Level"
- Choose your preferred option
When to Use Each Level
- Word - Best for language learning or following along closely
- Sentence - Good balance of tracking and readability
- Paragraph - Best for skimming or light reading
- Off - When listening without looking at the screen
5. Voices & Languages
Included Voice
Listen2 comes with one high-quality voice pre-installed, so you can start listening immediately without any setup.
Downloading More Voices
Listen2 uses Piper voices, which are high-quality, natural-sounding text-to-speech voices. To browse and download additional voices:
- Go to the Voices section
- Tap the play button to preview each voice
- Tap Download to add it to your device
Available Languages
Listen2 supports voices in dozens of languages including:
English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hindi, and many more!
Managing Downloaded Voices
- Downloaded voices are stored locally on your device
- You can delete voices you no longer need to save space
- Each voice is typically around 60-75 MB
Switching Voices
To change the voice for reading:
- Open the document you want to read
- Tap the voice selector
- Choose from your downloaded voices
Voice Selection Tip
Try different voices to find one that works best for your content. Some voices work better for fiction, while others are clearer for technical or educational content.
6. Supported Formats
Document Formats
Listen2 can import and read the following formats:
Supported File Types
- PDF - Portable Document Format files
- EPUB - Electronic publication format (common for ebooks)
- TXT - Plain text files
- MD - Markdown files (converted to plain text)
- Clipboard - Any text you can copy
Format Notes
- PDF - Works best with text-based PDFs. Scanned documents may not work well.
- EPUB - Full support for standard EPUB files
- Markdown - Formatting is stripped and converted to readable text
Scanned PDFs
PDFs that are scanned images (rather than text) may not work well with Listen2. For best results, use PDFs with selectable text.
7. Tips & Troubleshooting
Getting the Best Experience
- Download voices on WiFi - Voice files can be large, so download them when connected to WiFi
- Use headphones - For the best audio quality, especially in noisy environments
- Adjust speed gradually - Start at 1.0x and slowly increase as you get comfortable
- Use sentence highlighting - If word highlighting feels too fast
Common Issues
Voice sounds choppy or delayed
- Close other apps to free up memory
- Try switching to sentence-level highlighting
- Restart the app
Document won't import
- Make sure the file is a supported format
- Check that the file isn't corrupted
- Try copying the text and using clipboard import instead
Highlighting is out of sync
- This can happen with unusual document formatting
- Try switching to sentence or paragraph highlighting
- The audio will still work correctly
Still Need Help?
Contact us at support@moonquakemedia.com with:
- Your device model and iOS version
- A description of the issue
- Steps to reproduce the problem