Google today announced a new feature that will allow Android users to make their Google Assistant read aloud web pages open on their Chrome browser, Google Search or the News app. By simply saying, “Hey Google, read it”, “Hey Google, read aloud” or “Hey Google, read this page”, Google Assistant will immediately read aloud the content of the opened web page. This feature is extremely useful for people with visual or reading difficulties, or who simply need a little help reading meatier articles.
To help users follow along, the Google Assistant will automatically scroll the page and highlight words as it reads aloud the content. Aiming to use the same intonation and rhythm that one would use while reading it aloud, the feature also allows users to alter the reading speed and choose from multiple voices.
This feature will be available in 42 languages (which include Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Sinhalese, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.) The user can use the translation menu to select the desired language, and the page being read will be automatically translated and read out in the preferred language.
Announcing this new feature, Yossi Matias, Vice President, Engineering, Google said, “We are constantly working towards developing new products and features that remove language barriers and help a wide variety of people access information from the web more easily. This new feature is our attempt to make the Google Assistant even more helpful for all kinds of users across the globe.”
