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Voice Quality & TTS Setup

Kidhoot reads all content aloud to help young children follow along — even before they can read. You can choose between three voice options depending on your needs.

Comparing the Three Options​

VoiceSetup requiredQualityWorks offline?
System voiceNoneBasic (device dependent)✅ Always
PiperDownload once (~50 MB)Natural & expressive✅ After download
ElevenLabsAPI key + internetPremium, human-like❌ Requires internet

How to Switch Voice Provider​

  1. Open parent settings (hold ⚙️ for 3 seconds)
  2. Go to Settings → Voice
  3. Select your preferred provider
  4. If choosing Piper or ElevenLabs, follow the additional steps below

Option 1: System Voice (Default)​

The System voice uses your device's built-in text-to-speech engine. It requires no setup and works immediately.

Quality varies by device — some Android devices have excellent system voices, others sound quite robotic. If the voice sounds unnatural, we recommend trying Piper.

Piper is a high-quality, open-source offline TTS engine. It sounds much more natural than a typical system voice, with no internet required after the initial download.

Supported Languages​

Piper supports all four Kidhoot languages: English, French, Italian, and Arabic.

How to Download the Piper Model​

  1. In Settings → Voice, select Piper
  2. Tap Download voice model
  3. Wait for the download to complete (~50 MB, Wi-Fi recommended)
  4. The voice will activate automatically once downloaded
One-time download

You only need to download Piper once. It stays on your device and works fully offline.

Option 3: ElevenLabs (Premium Cloud Voice)​

ElevenLabs produces the most natural-sounding voices available. It requires an API key and an internet connection every time the app speaks.

How to Get an API Key​

  1. Create a free account at elevenlabs.io
  2. Go to your profile → API Keys
  3. Copy your key

Where to Enter the Key​

  1. In Settings → Voice, select ElevenLabs
  2. Paste your API key into the field provided
  3. Tap Save
Internet required

ElevenLabs requires an active internet connection during every session. If connectivity drops, the app will fall back to the System voice automatically.

Troubleshooting Voice Issues​

Voice is silent or not playing

  • Check your device volume
  • Make sure the app volume slider in Settings → Voice is not at zero
  • Try switching to System voice to rule out a provider issue

Piper model won't download

  • Ensure you have a stable Wi-Fi connection
  • Check you have at least 100 MB of free storage
  • Try again after restarting the app

ElevenLabs not working

  • Verify your API key is correct and hasn't expired
  • Check your internet connection
  • Check your ElevenLabs account usage limit at elevenlabs.io

Fallback behaviour: If the selected voice provider fails, Kidhoot automatically falls back to the System voice so learning is never interrupted.

See also: Troubleshooting & FAQ