Picture Talk Support

How do I make a book?

In the library, tap ＋ and choose up to 30 photos, or take a new one with the camera. Each photo becomes a page. Tap a page, then Add Talking Spot, type the word and drag the spot onto the thing in the photo. Tap the microphone to record yourself saying it. When you are done, tap ▶ on the book and hand it over.

How do I make another book?

Go back to the library and tap ＋ at the top. Choose one or more photos and a new book opens.

Can I add pages to a book later?

Yes. Open the book and add more photos; they become new pages in the same book.

Are there shortcuts in the page editor?

Double-tap the photo to add a talking spot right there. Drag a spot to move it; drag its corner or pinch to resize it. Touch and hold a spot to duplicate, copy or delete it. Undo takes back the last change, and redo puts it back.

Do I need to save?

No. Everything saves by itself as you go, and there is no Save button. A recording is kept as soon as you tap Done — even if you tap it while you are still recording.

How long can a recording be?

Up to 30 seconds per spot, which is plenty for a word or a short sentence. You can play it back and record it again as many times as you like.

Why doesn’t my recording work?

Picture Talk needs permission to use the microphone. Open Settings → Picture Talk and turn on Microphone. Until then, spots can read their word aloud instead.

What happens to a spot I haven’t recorded?

Picture Talk reads the word aloud, at a gentle pace for little listeners. Unless you choose a voice, it uses the best female voice installed for your device’s language. Record your own voice whenever you are ready and it takes over.

Can I choose the read-aloud voice?

Yes. Open Help (the ? in the library), then Read Aloud → Voice. Tap a voice to hear it and choose it. Automatic goes back to the best female voice. Every spot without a recording reads in the voice you choose.

Can the read-aloud voice sound better?

Yes. Your device comes with basic voices, and Apple’s free Enhanced and Premium voices sound much more natural. To download one, open the Settings app and go to Accessibility → Read & Speak → Voices (Accessibility → Spoken Content → Voices before iOS 27). Choose your language and a voice, and download its Enhanced or Premium version. Then choose it in Help → Read Aloud → Voice; if it is a female voice and Automatic is on, Picture Talk switches to it by itself. Premium voices are the biggest downloads, so use Wi-Fi.

My words are in another language.

Recording your own voice works in any language. For read-aloud, choose a voice in the language of your words under Help → Read Aloud → Voice → Other Languages.

My child can’t see where to tap.

On the book’s page list, turn on Show hints while playing. Gentle outlines then show every talking spot. Turn it off to make the book a find-the-spot game.

How does my child leave a book?

They can’t by accident: a grown-up holds the × for two seconds. To keep your child inside Picture Talk altogether, turn on Guided Access in Settings → Accessibility, then triple-click the side button (or the Home button) while a book is playing.

What does Play All do?

It goes through every talking spot in order, page after page, playing each one — like being read the whole book.

Where are my photos and recordings saved?

Inside Picture Talk on this device, with each book’s pages. They are included in your iPhone or iPad backup, whether that is iCloud Backup or a backup to your computer, so restoring a device from backup brings your books back.

Can I share a book with family, or open it on my iPad too?

Not yet. Books live on the device you made them on. Sharing books with family is coming in a future update.

Where are my Picture Talk 2 presentations?

They were turned into books the first time you opened 3.0, with their words and recordings. The original files are kept in the Files app under On My iPhone → Picture Talk → Legacy (On My iPad on an iPad). If a presentation did not come across properly, please write — the original is still there.

The sample book is gone. Can I get it back?

Yes. In Help, tap Add the Sample Book. The intro can be replayed from Help too, with Show the Intro Again.

Is anything uploaded?

No photo, word or recording ever leaves your device, and there is no account or sign-in. Picture Talk does send anonymous usage counts and crash reports so that problems get found and fixed, and you can turn them off in Help → Share Usage Data. They never include your photos, words or recordings. The privacy policy sets out the whole of it.

How do I get a refund?

Refunds are handled by Apple rather than by me. Go to reportaproblem.apple.com and sign in with your Apple Account.