Microsoft rolls out new Read Aloud feature for Office Insiders on iOS

Iphone Xs Hero Shot (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

Microsoft Office Insiders recently gained the ability to listen to documents when an iOS device's screen is locked.
The Shared tab of the Insider Office Mobile app on iOS will now show PDFs sent to Outlook.
Both new features come with an update that started rolling out to Insiders on April 27, 2022.

Office Insiders with iOS devices have a couple of new features to play with, courtesy of an update that started rolling out this week. The Insider version of Word on iOS now supports listening to documents even when a device's screen is locked. Additionally, the Insider Office Mobile app now keeps track of PDF email attachments sent to Outlook. The documents will appear within the Shared tab in Office Mobile.

We spotted an entry on the Microsoft 365 roadmap about Android devices gaining the option to listen to Word documents while screens were locked earlier this year. That same functionality is now working its way through to iOS Insiders as well.

"Using this feature on your iOS device is a great way to step away from the screen and give your eyes a break while listening to documents," reads the changelog from the Office Insider website. "Now we've added the capability for this feature to continue reading even after your device screen has locked."

Being able to find all PDFs that were sent as email attachments should be a handy feature for Office users as well. Microsoft positions the Office app on iOS and Android as a hub for all Office activity. The new feature brings Outlook and Office just a bit closer together.

Sean Endicott is a news writer and apps editor for Windows Central with 11+ years of experience. A Nottingham Trent journalism graduate, Sean has covered the industry’s arc from the Lumia era to the launch of Windows 11 and generative AI. Having started at Thrifter, he uses his expertise in price tracking to help readers find genuine hardware value.

Beyond tech news, Sean is a UK sports media pioneer. In 2017, he became one of the first to stream via smartphone and is an expert in AP Capture systems. A tech-forward coach, he was named 2024 BAFA Youth Coach of the Year. He is focused on using technology—from AI to Clipchamp—to gain a practical edge.