Google Chrome is testing a new feature that is similar to Microsoft Edge’s read-aloud functionality. The feature is currently available in the Canary version of Chrome for desktop, and it allows users to listen to web pages being read aloud.
To use the read-aloud feature, users can simply click on the three dots in the top right corner of the Chrome window and select “Read aloud.” The feature will then begin reading the current web page aloud, and users can control the playback speed and pause or resume the reading at any time.
The read-aloud feature in Chrome is still under development, but it has the potential to be a useful tool for people with disabilities, as well as for people who want to be able to listen to web pages while doing other tasks.
Benefits of the read-aloud feature
The read-aloud feature has a number of potential benefits, including:
- Improved accessibility: The read-aloud feature can make web pages more accessible to people with disabilities, such as people who are blind or have low vision.
- Increased productivity: The read-aloud feature can allow users to listen to web pages while doing other tasks, such as working out or cooking.
- Improved reading comprehension: The read-aloud feature can help users to better understand web pages by allowing them to hear the information being read aloud.
The read-aloud feature works by using a text-to-speech (TTS) engine to convert the text on a web page into audio. The TTS engine uses a variety of factors, such as the language of the text and the user’s voice preferences, to generate the audio.
There are a number of potential future improvements to the read-aloud feature in Chrome. For example, Google could add support for more languages and voices. Google could also add the ability to read aloud PDF files and other types of documents.
In addition, Google could improve the read-aloud feature by making it more accurate and expressive. Google could also add the ability to customize the read-aloud experience, such as by allowing users to choose different highlighting options or to control the pitch and intonation of the TTS engine.
