CerePlay

Category

Description of App

CereProc's mobile app that allows users to trial and use voices on iOS devices.

Users can browse the wide array of CereProc text-to-speech voices which come in a multitude of languages and accents. Prior to purchasing, voices can be trialled to allow users to experience the sound of our voices.

With the introduction of CereProc's version 6 voices, CereWave alternatives have been introduced. CereWave voices are built using CereProc's custom AI DNN (Deep Neural Network) voice building technique to create a more human sounding output.

Version

0.0

Free or Paid

Free With In-App Purchase

Apple Watch Support

No

Device(s) App Was Tested On

iPhone

iOS Version

17.1.1

Accessibility Comments

Below is my message to the CereProc support team, in which I list several issues I've encountered. I thought of adding this to the comments section but then eventually decided to paste it here, as it contains some conclusions as to how accessible and convenient the app is.

Hi,

I downloaded your app in excitement, only to fail to use any of the voices as it quickly turned into frustration. I unfortunately doubt you've ever tested and used this app yourself, as it has so many major issues that makes me unable to use the voices.
After downloading the app and browsing through the voices, I decided to purchase Ben. I was first redirected to the in-app purchase screen where I confirmed the payment and got an alert stating that the purchase was successful. However, I was then prompted to provide my CereProc account information, and just wanted to continue with Google, but was unable to do that even though I did enter my e-mail and password correctly. My subsequent attempts also failed, and the web page would close in a few seconds and I would just land back on the voice screen where I could purchase or install the voice. I had to uninstall and reinstall the app, and tried creating a new account this time, which was yet another fiasco. I entered my e-mail and password, and was redirected to a page where I was requested to check my inbox for a verification code that I was supposed to submit, but I had received an activation link to my junk folder instead. You don't even know what we are supposed to receive when creating our CereProc account yet you release an app on the App Store?
Do bear in mind that there are so many other minor problems, at least compared to the ones that I mentioned above, some of which I even forgot to mention, as there are so many of them. So below is a list of what I can still recall:
- By trying Heather for a few seconds, I have to say that the "neural" voices appear to be so unresponsive that I couldn't use it on my iPhone SE 2022/3rd generation.
- When I flick right and left with one finger, I get so many items on which VoiceOver says nothing, which means that the app is not optimized for use with VoiceOver.
- The menu options are scattered around and have to be better organized. Why don't we just have the buttons to purchase and/or install a voice on the demo screen itself?
- The account screen I mentioned above, and the support page have to be redesigned as in-app windows.
I hope these bugs get fixed soon. I would also like to have new voices in other languages and dialects, like Turkish, my mother tongue.
* Note: I've just found out when sending this message that the iOS app is not even included among the categories that we can choose from.

Regards,

Enes

VoiceOver Performance

VoiceOver reads most page elements.

Button Labeling

All buttons are clearly labeled.

Usability

There are some accessibility issues with this app, but it can still be used if you are willing to tolerate these issues and learn how to work around them.

Other Comments

1. The app is reported to be compatible with iOS 16.0 and higher in the help section in the app itself, as opposed to the information in the compatibility section on the App Store.
2. The version is not specified on the App Store.

Developer's Twitter Username

@cereproc

Options

Comments

By Enes Deniz on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - 22:54

If only I had also suggested in my message to the support team that signing in with Apple be added as an option.

By Enes Deniz on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - 22:54

I was able to use Heather, the one and only voice installed along with the app for free. I doubt I'll be able to use any of the voices if all of them are that unresponsive though.

By Dominic on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - 22:54

The app is a very confusing mess and I can’t use any of the voices for VoiceOver. If I don’t buy the voices which is really sad.

By The Tetris monster on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - 22:54

Hi. It can be used with VoiceOver, but installing voices doesn’t seem to be accessible. Pressing install brings you to a dialogue where the app requests permission to connect to the website to sign you in. After signing in, nothing seems to happen and pressing the install button just brings the same dialogue. Pressing continue brings you straight back to the install voice screen and nothing seems to change. As for the voices, I think it’s one dollar per voice so it’s not that bad.

By Enes Deniz on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - 22:54

As I already wrote to CereProc...
They're aware of the issue, but I'm surprised at how it hadn't been fixed by the time the app was released on the App Store.
I already knew they were doing beta-testing until recently, as it was posted somewhere in another thread. I had been checking the App Store every now and then, and finally came across the app yesterday. They should at least have tried to install one single voice on one of the devices on which they were testing the app. Even if this is an issue that VoiceOver users face in particular, it's already VoiceOver users that should be interested in using the voices the most, so this is no excuse to convince me.

By Jokyboy129 on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - 22:54

The app is removed from the App Store now what this is scam

By Enes Deniz on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - 22:54

Such a high-profile company wouldn't make all those voices only to fool you into downloading a fraudulent app, right? Still surprised to know it was removed from the App Store though. Hope it'll be back soon, but it looks like they hadn't and wouldn't have noticed anything until or unless I sent them that message of mine posted above.

By Brad on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - 22:54

I'm not a huge fan of their voices but they're not a scam.

By Igna Triay on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - 22:54

Just pressed the appstore link and I get the error app not available. It probably got removed because further testing was needed / fixing of bugs?

By Enes Deniz on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - 22:54

What are we supposed to call that? Post-beta tests? Or, since it's some form of delayed beta-testing, or even comes after beta, should I coin a new term like "gamma-testing"? (LOL)
Copyright (©) 2023, Enes DENİZ. All rights reserved.
I think I deserve that, as I'm the one who made the app vanish from the App Store. Seriously though, this is a major foul-up.

By Dominic on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - 22:54

I can confirm that the app is not on the App Store now. Well that was short lived but if they knew it was and go to the stables and why the hell did they release it to the App Store then if they knew it was it gonna be said for blind people.

By sockhopsinger on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - 22:54

Subject line says it all. Will be interested to see if it pops back up.

By sockhopsinger on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - 22:54

I went to their website, and it mentioned being able to use their voices on Windows, Mac, and Android. iPhone got no mention at all.

By Trenton Matthews on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - 22:54

Looks like to me they took down the app do to interface & connection issues.

No issues with the Android version, in both accessibility & purchasing.

Also, those wave voices are not as responsive, unlike the standard ones.

By Erick on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - 22:54

Are their any updates to this app or the developers?

By Enes Deniz on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - 22:54

No response whatsoever after the app was removed from the App Store. I got only one reply asking me whether I could install Ben, which I had already said I couldn't in my very first message to them. This one and only reply I got soon after I posted the entry here but before the app disappeared from the App Store.

By danno5 on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - 22:54

1.1 of this ap, is out now. Only the free voices are available at the moment; I'm still completely unable to use/install any voices; so it still seems broken to me

By Enes Deniz on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - 22:54

Though unlike Heather, the other free English voices required a restart before they were available as UK English voices on my device. They're still hardly usable though.

By Maldalain on Thursday, November 30, 2023 - 22:54

I download the app and purchased one of the voices but it is not installed, no matter what I do it is not shown as installed voice. Any idea how to sort this out?

By Enes Deniz on Thursday, December 7, 2023 - 22:54

CerePlay's got three more updates after I last posted on the matter, and only after the third update could I finally install paid voices. Ben and Raodri (English), possibly in addition to other voices, do not work. Even the voices that do work, are hardly usable with VoiceOver for daily use.