Google has taken an important step in accessibility for Android users and added a new feature called ‘Listen to Page’ to the Chrome browser. This feature allows users to listen to a web page with audio and makes the browser experience more accessible. The feature was announced in an update to Android last month and is now rolling out with version 130 of Chrome.
This feature, which first appeared in the trial phase in June, initially provided only limited use. If users exited the Chrome application or closed the phone screen while listening to web pages with audio, the audio would instantly cut out. However, with the latest updates, this problem has been fixed and the feature can now run in the background even when the Chrome application is exited. Reading aloud continues even when users are using another application.
Web experience improves with Chrome’s new feature
According to the latest news from 9to5Google, the ‘Listen to this page’ feature has received a major update and now offers more functionality. While users are reading a page out loud in Chrome, the reading does not stop even if they exit the application. Additionally, media control options become visible in the phone’s quick settings menu. In this way, users can change the playback speed, pause or jump to a section of the page they want while reading aloud. In particular, there are useful controls such as skipping back or forward by 10 seconds.
Another striking aspect of the feature is that users can adjust the playback speed while reading aloud. The speed can be changed between 0.5x and 4x, allowing users to listen to the page at the speed they want. Additionally, the audio options have been greatly expanded; With 10 different sound options, users can choose the sound they prefer. This offers a significant advantage in terms of personalizing the usage experience. This feature is not yet supported on Turkish websites.
The feature has also been made even more practical with a shortcut in the Chrome browser. By long-pressing the new tab icon, users can click the “Edit Shortcut” option and turn it into a “Listen to this page” function. This way, they can get quick access without having to manually activate this feature every time.
With these developments, Google Chrome strengthens its position as one of the most popular browsers on Android. The new feature stands out as an important innovation, especially in terms of accessibility. This function is expected to rival the “Read Page” function, a similar feature in Apple’s Safari browser. This feature in Safari offers the opportunity to read pages out loud and has been preferred by Apple users for a long time. With the new update of Chrome, competition is increasing in this field.
On the other hand, the feature is not currently widely available on all Android devices. This update, which Google plans to gradually deliver to all its users around the world, will reach a wider audience in the coming days. By the way, it is stated that users need to update to version 130 of Chrome to use this new feature.
While this feature provides great convenience, especially for visually impaired individuals, it appeals to a wide range of users with different speed and sound options. Additionally, the ability to listen to web pages aloud while multitasking stands out as another important feature that increases productivity.
This new initiative by Google is considered an important step towards increasing accessibility in the digital world. Such innovations in accessibility allow more users to use the internet comfortably.