Google Chrome for Android is reportedly getting a new feature dubbed Listen to this Page, which will let the browser read any text-heavy webpage aloud.
The text-to-speech (TTS) feature is being integrated into the Android app, and users will be able to access it from the three-dotted menu icon.
The feature opens a miniplayer that comes with play/pause, a progress bar, playback speed options, and more. Users can also listen to a webpage in multiple voices and different languages as well.
According to the statement, the feature can be used to read the text on a website while using an Android device. Further, the feature can play the audio while the user switches to a different tab.
The audio can also play while the screen is locked. While the feature has begun rolling out to users, a wider release may take a few weeks. The feature is being rolled out with the Google Chrome version 125.
Google Chrome’s Listen to this page feature supports several languages including Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, English, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
As per the statement, “Several voice types are also available for users to choose from. The TTS feature has Ruby (mid-pitch, warm), River (mid-pitch, calm), Field (low-pitch, bright), and Moss (low-pitch, peaceful) voice options in English (US). It offers Cloud (mid-pitch, soothing) and Dale (low-pitch, calm) in English (UK), and Lake (mid-pitch, calm) in English (India) languages.”
Once the feature is turned on, the users will find a miniplayer at the bottom of the screen which comes with play or pause, a progress bar, a 10-second fast forward or rewind, and playback speed options.
The company noted that the overflow menu also auto-scrolls as the voice reads the text. Once the app is closed, the voice is paused. Google Chrome remembers where it was paused and upon reopening the app, it can start playing from where it left off.
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