Google has introduced a new feature for Chrome on Android devices called “Listen to this page,” which was recently highlighted in a help document that caught the attention of 9to5Google. This eagerly anticipated functionality is designed to enhance the accessibility of the Chrome app by providing users with the convenience of having web pages read aloud to them. This is particularly useful for individuals who are engaged in other activities and prefer to consume web content audibly.
The “Listen to this page” option is not universally available across all websites. However, for those sites that do support it, users can access the feature by tapping on the three-dot menu located at the top right corner of the Chrome app. Once activated, the feature presents a user-friendly interface with controls akin to those found in podcast apps. Users can play or pause the reading, navigate through the content with a scrubbing feature, adjust the playback speed, and jump forwards or backwards in 10-second increments.
The feature currently supports several languages, including English, French, German, Arabic, Hindi, and Spanish. Users can also choose from a variety of voices for each language. For instance, there are four voice options available for American English and two for British English. Additionally, the feature includes text highlighting, which can help users follow along visually as the text is being read.
Another convenient aspect of this feature is that the control bar remains fixed at the bottom of the screen even when users switch to other tabs. Moreover, the audio playback will continue even if the user locks their device’s screen, provided that Chrome is the active app in the foreground.
This feature is part of the Chrome 125 update and is being released incrementally, which means it might take some time before it becomes available to all users globally. While Google Assistant has had the capability to read web pages aloud for a while, the introduction of “Listen to this page” offers users an alternative method to enjoy this functionality directly within the Chrome browser on Android.
