Google reportedly testing a text-to-speech feature for Chromes Reader mode

Google is reportedly experimenting with a text-to-speech feature for Chrome’s reading mode on the desktop which will read articles for users. Also Read: High-Risk Alert Issued For Google Chrome Users: Update Your Browser Now

As per X (formerly Twitter) user Leopeva64, the feature can be found in Chrome Canary, Google’s bleeding edge version of Chrome, reports The Verge. Also Read: Don’t Ignore This Update: Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox Fix High-Risk Security Bugs

“Chrome for desktop will also have the option to “read aloud” articles, the initial implementation of this feature (in the Canary version) is pretty basic but it works, in this link you can see a video with the feature in action,” Leopeva64 wrote in its post. Also Read: Google Chrome Gets AI Boost! Gemini Added To Desktops And Mobile Devices With THESE Features

If they have the feature, users can have Google read the text by clicking a play button at the top of an article in reading mode. The X user also shared a link to a video showing off the feature on Reddit.

Based on the video, the report said that the tech giant still has some work to do here, as the voice is robotic and it spells out a header that reads “summary” instead of just reading the word.

Meanwhile, Google’s AI-powered Search Generative Experience (SGE) is getting a major new feature, which will summarise articles for users while reading on the web.

Currently, the feature — “SGE while browsing” is in the experiment phase. “When you’re trying to understand the ins and outs of a new topic, you often need to digest long or complex web pages, and it’s not always easy to hone in on specific details. So starting today, we’re launching an early experiment in Search Labs called “SGE while browsing”, available in the Google app on Android and iOS, and coming to Chrome on desktop in the days ahead,” Google said in a blogpost.

— IANS