Have you ever found yourself needing to look up information online but not in the mood to read from a screen? Google has introduced a solution for this. The tech giant is rolling out an innovative feature for Chrome users on Android called "Listen to this page." This feature allows users to listen to the content of any web page in their preferred language and voice, turning the reading experience into a hands-free and more flexible activity. According to reports from 9to5Google, this update will soon be accessible to all stable users.
Google Unveils New Listening Feature
Google announced this new functionality through a help page. They explained that users can now listen to the text on any website using their Android devices, with various playback controls like play, pause, rewind, and fast-forward. Additionally, users have the option to adjust the playback speed, choose their preferred voice, and enable or disable text highlighting and auto-scroll to customize their listening experience further.
Details of the Feature
The feature offers four distinct voice types for users to choose from: Ruby (mid-pitch, warm), River (mid-pitch, bright), Field (low-pitch, bright), and Moss (low-pitch, peaceful). The available languages include English, Hindi, Bengali, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
However, it's important to note that "Listen to this page" may not be available for every web page. If a particular website does not support this feature, the option will not appear in the three-dot menu. Previously, users could use Google Assistant to listen to web pages via voice commands, but this new feature provides a broader range of customization options for languages and voices, enhancing overall user satisfaction.
This feature is similar to one found in Safari for iOS, where users can listen to web pages using Siri's voice. However, while Safari's feature takes users out of the browser, Google's new option keeps users within Chrome, ensuring a seamless browsing experience. Google has also tested this feature for Chrome on desktops, extending its utility beyond just mobile devices.
How to Use the Feature
To use this new feature, follow these steps:
1. Open Google Chrome on your Android device.
2. Navigate to the web page you want to listen to.
3. Tap the three-dot menu located in the top right corner.
4. Select "Listen to this page" from the options.
Once selected, the content of the web page will be read aloud in a podcast-like manner, complete with playback controls for play, pause, rewind, fast-forward, and a 10-second skip. To exit the listening mode, users simply need to tap "Close."
