Plainspoken support

Contact us

For questions about Plainspoken, email hello@towardcommonweal.com.

If you’re using a test build, include the app version, your iOS version, what you were trying to do and any error message. A short description is usually enough; please leave out private articles, passwords and payment details.

Availability

Plainspoken is still in development. The first public release is planned for iPhone in the United States, with English speech and iOS 26 or later. There is no public download yet. The guidance below describes the planned release and will be checked against the finished app.

Add articles and text

Use Add to paste a web link or text, or import a text file. You can also use Share in Safari and other apps, then choose Plainspoken. Save adds the item; Queue to listen selects it when you next open Plainspoken, without starting playback.

If a page can’t be saved, open the original to check that it is still available. Some websites require sign-in, limit access or provide only a preview. Plainspoken does not unlock restricted content. The separate Safari extension can share visible page content when that option is available and permitted.

Read and listen

Adjust the text size and playback speed to suit you. Reading and listening keep their own places, so you can look back through the page while the voice continues. Speech is generated on your iPhone; saved text works offline. Saving webpages and loading online images need an internet connection.

See accessibility and reading comfort for the reading controls and the status of iPhone accessibility support.

Trial and purchase

The planned launch includes a free 21-day trial that starts when you activate it. It won’t renew or charge you automatically. The planned US price for permanent access is $19.99, paid once, with Family Sharing. The trial itself is not shared.

After the trial, reading, listening and adding new readings require a purchase. Your library and notes remain available to manage and export. Restoring purchases or reinstalling does not restart the trial.

Learn about the community price, including the planned offer and redemption availability.

Restore a purchase

Use Restore purchases in the purchase screen or Help & About, with the Apple Account that owns the purchase or an eligible family account. Family access depends on Apple’s sharing settings. If a purchase is awaiting approval, access begins after Apple confirms it.

Trial activation, purchases and restoration may need an internet connection. If access can’t be confirmed, check your connection and automatic date and time, then try Restore purchases. Refund requests go through Apple’s refund service.

Your library and privacy

The app keeps saved readings, notes and reading and listening positions on your device. Use its export and removal controls to manage them. Device backups and copies you exported elsewhere are managed separately.

See the privacy notice for details about local data, website requests, Apple purchases and support messages, and the product terms for purchase and content-use details.