Besides “Read aloud” on the Pixel 8 and Android’s underrated “Reading mode” app, Google Chrome is working on a built-in “Listen to this page” TTS capability.
Once enabled, Chrome for Android’s three-dot overlay menu (which continues to grow) displays a new “Listen to this page” option. This launches a mini-player with a circular play/pause button on the left, a page title, a site name, a progress bar, and a close button.
Tapping will take you to a sheet UI with a full timeline slider indicating the duration of the article, as well as rewind/fast-forward buttons. You can also adjust the playback speed (0. 5x, 0. 8x, 1x, 1. 2x, 1. 5x, 2x, 3x, and 4x), while the other button on the right allows you to turn on “Highlight Text & Auto Scroll” and another voice.
The mini player will remain docked when you open other tabs. Playback continues if you lock your device and Chrome is still in the foreground. However, ending the browser to return to your home screen (or app) will end TTS, which is exactly the same (limiting) habit as reading aloud on the Pixel. 8 and 8 Pro.
The “Read Aloud” indicator indicates that this feature is for Android. It appears in Chrome 120, but Edition 121 (currently in beta) is required for “Listen to this page” to appear in the additional menu.
chrome://flags/#leer out loud
This upcoming feature is different from the Android-level “Read Aloud” feature, which is available in the toolbar when you highlight text in any app, not just Chrome. This is part of Android’s accessibility.
On a similar note, Chrome 120 for Android went from a “Simplify Page” bar to an inline button next to the Omnibox. This has the unfortunate effect of replacing your favorite shortcut in the toolbar. (Thanks, Petar. )
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