Microsoft"s Office app for iOS will soon sport some improvements to the Read Aloud feature, according to the Microsoft 365 Roadmap page. The enhancement includes reading documents aloud in the Office app while the screen is locked.
Microsoft added the feature item to the roadmap page last week, claiming that it will be available for iOS users this month. However, we"re just a few days away from entering May, and iOS users are still waiting for Microsoft to allow them to listen to documents when their phone screens are locked. That said, tentative dates that Microsoft mention on its roadmap page are always subject to change. In other words, the feature could arrive this week, next month, or might be delayed further.
As things stand, the Office app on iOS lets you listen to your documents as long as the phone screen is on. The Office app on iOS will automatically pause the audio playback when the display is locked. Long story short, if you"re listening to a lengthy document, you"ll need to continue tapping on your iOS devices at a regular interval to make sure that you get to listen to your document in one go.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has recently introduced enhanced Teams apps in Office.com and Outlook, but only as a preview for now. Microsoft will also bring the same capability to the Office app for Windows.
Source: Microsoft 365 Roadmap