iOS 10.2 : AVSpeechSynthesizer Spews Garbage to Console

Originator:jerrykrinock
Number:rdar://29814616 Date Originated:2016 Dec 27
Status:Open Resolved:
Product:iOS + SDK Product Version:10.2
Classification:Serious Bug Reproducible:Always
 
Area:
AVFoundation

Summary:
It seems that using an AVSpeechSynthesizer in any way (I tried several) in iOS 10.2 results in a lot of garbage being spewed to the system or debug console.  It happens (1) when initialized and (2) during and immedidately after the first utterance.

Steps to Reproduce:
1.  Connect an iPad Retina, or probably any iOS device, to your Mac.
2.  Build and run the attached project, SpeechBug1226.zip, also available here:
https://github.com/jerrykrinock/SpeechBug1226

Expected Results:
In Debug Console, only entries from my NSLog() statements.

Actual Results:
When running this project on my actual iPad Retina Mini, I get

- 9 lines of garbage upon running the initializer `AVSpeechSynthesizer()`
- 18 lines of garbage upon calling `speak(_ utterance: AVSpeechUtterance)` for the first time
- 149 lines of garbage after all is said and done


Version:
iOS 10.2 (14C92)
Xcode 8.2 (8C38)

Notes:
As you can see from this Stack Overflow article, some developers are reporting that, in addition to the garbage, no sound is produced.  I have seen that problem in my actual app, with the first utterance after the speech synthesizer was initialized.  I was able to work around that by rearranging the code.  I don't know exactly what I did, but it will probably be back to bite me if this bug is not fixed first :(

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/39879275/avspeechsynthesizer-doesnt-work-on-ios10

Configuration:
When running in the iOS Simulator's iPad Retina I get a little less garbage, 145 lines total.

Comments

Whatever is going on apparently also affects performance, because executing the initializer AVSpeechSynthesizer() blocks for 1.2 seconds in iPhone 5 simulator and 1.6 seconds in my actual iPad Mini.

By jerry at Jan. 9, 2017, 5:04 p.m. (reply...)

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