diff --git a/UnityProjects/MRTKDevTemplate/Packages/packages-lock.json b/UnityProjects/MRTKDevTemplate/Packages/packages-lock.json
index ce075f1d1..a74e77404 100644
--- a/UnityProjects/MRTKDevTemplate/Packages/packages-lock.json
+++ b/UnityProjects/MRTKDevTemplate/Packages/packages-lock.json
@@ -442,7 +442,6 @@
       "depth": 0,
       "source": "local",
       "dependencies": {
-        "com.microsoft.mrtk.tts.windows": "1.0.4",
         "org.mixedrealitytoolkit.core": "3.2.2"
       }
     },
diff --git a/UnityProjects/MRTKDevTemplate/ProjectSettings/ProjectSettings.asset b/UnityProjects/MRTKDevTemplate/ProjectSettings/ProjectSettings.asset
index ffbf4295f..95551d3bf 100644
--- a/UnityProjects/MRTKDevTemplate/ProjectSettings/ProjectSettings.asset
+++ b/UnityProjects/MRTKDevTemplate/ProjectSettings/ProjectSettings.asset
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ PlayerSettings:
   clonedFromGUID: c0afd0d1d80e3634a9dac47e8a0426ea
   templatePackageId: com.unity.template.3d@5.0.4
   templateDefaultScene: Assets/Scenes/SampleScene.unity
-  useCustomMainManifest: 1
+  useCustomMainManifest: 0
   useCustomLauncherManifest: 0
   useCustomMainGradleTemplate: 0
   useCustomLauncherGradleManifest: 0
@@ -843,9 +843,9 @@ PlayerSettings:
   metroPackageVersion: 3.0.0.0
   metroCertificatePath: Assets/WSATestCertificate.pfx
   metroCertificatePassword: 
-  metroCertificateSubject: Microsoft
-  metroCertificateIssuer: Microsoft
-  metroCertificateNotAfter: 803769c0d5dfda01
+  metroCertificateSubject: Mixed Reality Toolkit Organization
+  metroCertificateIssuer: Mixed Reality Toolkit Organization
+  metroCertificateNotAfter: 00abfea1861cdd01
   metroApplicationDescription: MRTK3 Sample
   wsaImages: {}
   metroTileShortName: MRTK3
diff --git a/org.mixedrealitytoolkit.windowsspeech/CHANGELOG.md b/org.mixedrealitytoolkit.windowsspeech/CHANGELOG.md
index fd6c5941a..fd954d6a5 100644
--- a/org.mixedrealitytoolkit.windowsspeech/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/org.mixedrealitytoolkit.windowsspeech/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -6,6 +6,12 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/).
 
 ### Changed
 
+* Made the dependency on com.microsoft.mrtk.tts.windows optional. [PR #1060](https://github.com/MixedRealityToolkit/MixedRealityToolkit-Unity/pull/1060)
+
+## [3.0.4] - 2025-11-12
+
+### Changed
+
 * Subsystems no longer register themselves on non-Windows platforms.
 
 ### Fixed
diff --git a/org.mixedrealitytoolkit.windowsspeech/MRTK.Speech.Windows.asmdef b/org.mixedrealitytoolkit.windowsspeech/MRTK.Speech.Windows.asmdef
index f9f01d437..6511ffd96 100644
--- a/org.mixedrealitytoolkit.windowsspeech/MRTK.Speech.Windows.asmdef
+++ b/org.mixedrealitytoolkit.windowsspeech/MRTK.Speech.Windows.asmdef
@@ -18,6 +18,11 @@
             "name": "com.microsoft.mixedreality.openxr",
             "expression": "1.5.0",
             "define": "MSFT_OPENXR_1_5_0_OR_NEWER"
+        },
+        {
+            "name": "com.microsoft.mrtk.tts.windows",
+            "expression": "",
+            "define": "MSFT_TTS_WIN_PRESENT"
         }
     ],
     "noEngineReferences": false
diff --git a/org.mixedrealitytoolkit.windowsspeech/Subsystems/TextToSpeech/WindowsTextToSpeechSubsystem.cs b/org.mixedrealitytoolkit.windowsspeech/Subsystems/TextToSpeech/WindowsTextToSpeechSubsystem.cs
index 64a9e905f..d8ade283a 100644
--- a/org.mixedrealitytoolkit.windowsspeech/Subsystems/TextToSpeech/WindowsTextToSpeechSubsystem.cs
+++ b/org.mixedrealitytoolkit.windowsspeech/Subsystems/TextToSpeech/WindowsTextToSpeechSubsystem.cs
@@ -2,15 +2,13 @@
 // Licensed under the BSD 3-Clause
 
 using MixedReality.Toolkit.Subsystems;
-using System;
-using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
-using System.Linq;
 using UnityEngine;
 using UnityEngine.Scripting;
 
 #if WINDOWS_UWP
-using Windows.Foundation;
+using System;
+using System.Linq;
 using Windows.Media.SpeechSynthesis;
 using Windows.Storage.Streams;
 #endif // WINDOWS_UWP
@@ -41,7 +39,7 @@ static void Register()
             // Fetch subsystem metadata from the attribute.
             var cinfo = XRSubsystemHelpers.ConstructCinfo<WindowsTextToSpeechSubsystem, TextToSpeechSubsystemCinfo>();
 
-            if (!WindowsTextToSpeechSubsystem.Register(cinfo))
+            if (!Register(cinfo))
             {
                 Debug.LogError($"Failed to register the {cinfo.Name} subsystem.");
             }
@@ -72,6 +70,7 @@ public override void Start()
 #endif
             }
 
+            /// <inheritdoc/>
             public override void Destroy()
             {
 #if WINDOWS_UWP
@@ -85,7 +84,7 @@ public override void Destroy()
 
             #region ITextToSpeechSubsystem implementation
 
-#if !(WINDOWS_UWP || UNITY_STANDALONE_WIN || UNITY_EDITOR_WIN)
+#if !(WINDOWS_UWP || ((UNITY_STANDALONE_WIN || UNITY_EDITOR_WIN) && MSFT_TTS_WIN_PRESENT))
             private bool haveLogged = false;
 #endif
 
@@ -124,7 +123,7 @@ public override async Task<bool> TrySpeak(string phrase, AudioSource audioSource
                     sampleRate);
 
                 audioSource.Play();
-                
+
                 return true;
             }
 
@@ -186,17 +185,17 @@ private async Task<byte[]> Synthesize(string phrase)
                 }
 
                 return waveData;
-#elif (UNITY_STANDALONE_WIN || UNITY_EDITOR_WIN)
-                return await Task<byte[]>.Run(() =>
+#elif (UNITY_STANDALONE_WIN || UNITY_EDITOR_WIN) && MSFT_TTS_WIN_PRESENT
+                return await Task.Run(() =>
                 {
-                    if (!Microsoft.MixedReality.Toolkit.Speech.Windows.WinRTTextToSpeechPInvokes.TrySynthesizePhraseWithCustomVoice(phrase, config.VoiceName, out IntPtr nativeData, out int length))
+                    if (!Microsoft.MixedReality.Toolkit.Speech.Windows.WinRTTextToSpeechPInvokes.TrySynthesizePhraseWithCustomVoice(phrase, config.VoiceName, out System.IntPtr nativeData, out int length))
                     {
                         Debug.LogError("Failed to synthesize the phrase");
                         return null;
                     }
 
                     byte[] waveData = new byte[length];
-                    Marshal.Copy(nativeData, waveData, 0, length);
+                    System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.Copy(nativeData, waveData, 0, length);
                     // We can safely free the native data.
                     Microsoft.MixedReality.Toolkit.Speech.Windows.WinRTTextToSpeechPInvokes.FreeSynthesizedData(nativeData);
 
diff --git a/org.mixedrealitytoolkit.windowsspeech/package.json b/org.mixedrealitytoolkit.windowsspeech/package.json
index 2f287bb69..ffe43dc7f 100644
--- a/org.mixedrealitytoolkit.windowsspeech/package.json
+++ b/org.mixedrealitytoolkit.windowsspeech/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "org.mixedrealitytoolkit.windowsspeech",
-  "version": "3.0.4-development",
+  "version": "3.1.0-development",
   "description": "Speech subsystem implementation for native Windows speech APIs enables native Windows text-to-speech and speech recognition features, producing events to drive XRI interactions using speech.",
   "displayName": "MRTK Windows Speech",
   "msftFeatureCategory": "MRTK3",
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@
   "unityRelease": "26f1",
   "documentationUrl": "https://www.mixedrealitytoolkit.org",
   "dependencies": {
-    "com.microsoft.mrtk.tts.windows": "1.0.4",
     "org.mixedrealitytoolkit.core": "3.2.2"
   }
 }
\ No newline at end of file