Technology

Chrome’s ‘Hearken to this web page’ now permits you to hear articles whereas doing different duties

20 October 2024

What it’s worthwhile to know

Now you can take heed to internet pages whereas doing different issues, due to background playback help in Chrome 130 on Android.
Earlier than this replace, audio would cease in case you switched apps or locked your display, however that’s not a problem.
The audio now retains taking part in even in case you flip off your display or swap to a different app, and a media participant pops up in your notifications with play/pause and skip choices .

Google just lately made Chrome for Android even higher on the accessibility entrance. Now, you possibly can take heed to internet pages whereas doing different issues, due to a nifty improve for the “Hearken to this web page” function.

This replace, which was first introduced final month as a part of the September Android Characteristic Drop, makes the fan-favorite browser extra user-friendly and accessible. As noticed by 9to5Google, Chrome 130 is now bringing background playback help for the “Hearken to this web page” function to Android customers.

The background playback function first popped up in June after a low-key rollout, and it was stored beneath wraps as an experimental flag. Earlier than this replace, Chrome for Android would solely learn internet pages aloud when the app was open. You can swap tabs, however in case you left the browser or locked your display, the audio would cease if Chrome wasn’t within the foreground.

The newest replace lastly tackles this problem. Now, the browser will maintain taking part in audio even in case you flip off your display or swap to a different app. Whenever you do swap, the article will present up as a media participant in your notification panel, full with simple play/pause and 10-second skip/rewind buttons.

On high of that, the media participant in your notifications will spotlight the article’s headline and web site. If you wish to tweak the playback velocity or change the voice, you’ll should hop into the playback widget inside Chrome itself.

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Listen to this page feature on Chrome for Android — (Picture credit score: Jay Bonggolto / Android Central)

As all the time, you possibly can alter the audio velocity to suit your vibe. There’s a bunch of voice choices to choose from, too. Plus, you possibly can set Chrome to spotlight the textual content because it reads and scroll via the content material, so it’s simple to maintain up.

Similar to the identify implies, Hearken to this web page makes use of text-to-speech to learn articles and internet pages out loud in Chrome. Whenever you flip it on, a helpful mini-player reveals up on the backside of the display for straightforward entry.

You may shortly entry the function from Chrome’s three-dot menu. If you happen to use it lots, you possibly can add a helpful shortcut proper by the handle bar. Simply head to the Toolbar shortcut settings in Chrome and select “Hearken to this web page.”

What it’s worthwhile to know

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