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Audio & Sound Not Working

Fix quiz sound effects, tutor voice, and other audio issues in Aletheia.

4 min readUpdated March 21, 2026audiosoundquizvoicetts

Aletheia has two separate audio systems: quiz sound effects (dings, buzzes, celebrations) and tutor text-to-speech (the AI reading responses aloud). They have independent controls, so if one works but the other doesn't, check the right toggle.

Quick Checks First

Before diving into troubleshooting:

  1. Is your device volume up? Check the physical volume buttons and on-screen volume
  2. Is your browser tab muted? Right-click the browser tab and check if it's muted
  3. Are you using headphones? Make sure they're plugged in or connected via Bluetooth
  4. On iPhone? Check that Silent Mode is off (the physical switch on the side of your phone)

Understanding Aletheia's Audio Controls

Aletheia has two separate mute buttons in the tutor chat:

  • Volume icon (speaker) — Controls text-to-speech (TTS). Toggle this to have the AI tutor read responses aloud or stay silent.
  • Bell icon (🔔 / 🔕) — Controls quiz sound effects. Toggle this to mute or unmute quiz dings, correct/incorrect sounds, and celebration effects.

Make sure you're toggling the right one for the audio you want.

Quiz Sound Effects Not Playing

Quiz sounds use audio sprites (short sound clips bundled together). If they're not playing:

  1. Check the bell icon in the tutor chat — make sure it shows 🔔 (unmuted), not 🔕 (muted)
  2. Tap or click the screen first — mobile browsers require a user interaction (tap, click) before they'll play audio. Try tapping anywhere on the page before starting a quiz
  3. Check browser sound permissions (see below)

Tutor Voice (Text-to-Speech) Not Working

The AI tutor can read responses aloud using high-quality Google WaveNet voices. Speech speed adjusts automatically based on your child's age group (slower for younger children, faster for older ones).

To enable or troubleshoot TTS:

  1. Toggle the volume/speaker icon in the tutor chat to turn TTS on or off
  2. Parents can configure voice quality in their child's profile settings
  3. Refresh the page if TTS stopped working mid-session — the browser may need a fresh user interaction to unlock audio playback
  4. If cloud TTS is unavailable, Aletheia falls back to your browser's built-in speech engine (quality may vary by device)

Browser Sound Permissions

Browsers sometimes block audio from playing automatically.

Chrome

  1. Click the 🔒 or ℹī¸ icon in the address bar
  2. Look for Sound in the permissions list
  3. Set it to Allow
  4. Refresh the page

Firefox

  1. Click the 🔒 icon in the address bar
  2. Click Connection Secure → More Information
  3. Go to the Permissions tab
  4. Find Autoplay and set to Allow Audio and Video

Safari (Mac/iPad)

  1. Go to Safari → Settings for This Website (or right-click the address bar)
  2. Find Auto-Play
  3. Set to Allow All Auto-Play

Safari (iPhone)

  1. Open Settings → scroll to Safari
  2. Look for the site under Settings for Websites
  3. Set Auto-Play to Allow

Sound Works on Desktop but Not Mobile

Mobile browsers have stricter autoplay policies. Try:

  • Tap the screen before a quiz starts — a user gesture "unlocks" audio playback
  • Check Silent Mode on iPhone (the physical switch on the side)
  • Add Aletheia to your home screen — as a PWA (Progressive Web App), it can behave more like a native app with fewer audio restrictions
  • Close and reopen the browser if audio stopped working after the phone went to sleep

Audio Cuts Out Mid-Session

This is usually a connectivity issue (cloud TTS needs an internet connection):

  1. Check your internet connection
  2. Try refreshing the page
  3. If on Wi-Fi, move closer to your router
  4. On mobile, try switching between Wi-Fi and cellular data

If only TTS cuts out but quiz sounds still work, Aletheia should automatically fall back to your browser's built-in speech engine.

Sound Was Working Before, Now It's Gone

This can happen after:

  • A browser update changed audio permissions — re-check the browser permissions steps above
  • The mute button was toggled accidentally — check both the volume icon (TTS) and bell icon (quiz sounds)
  • The browser tab was backgrounded for a long time — refresh the page

If the issue persists after checking all of the above, contact support and let us know:

  • Your browser and version
  • Your device type (Windows PC, Mac, iPhone, Android tablet, etc.)
  • Whether the issue is with quiz sounds, tutor voice, or all audio
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