What you could know
Now you can hearken to net pages whereas doing different issues, due to background playback help in Chrome 130 on Android.Earlier than this replace, audio would cease if you happen to switched apps or locked your display screen, however that’s now not a difficulty.The audio now retains enjoying even if you happen to flip off your display screen or swap to a different app, and a media participant pops up in your notifications with play/pause and skip choices .
Google not too long ago made Chrome for Android even higher on the accessibility entrance. Now, you possibly can hearken to net 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 underneath wraps as an experimental flag. Earlier than this replace, Chrome for Android would solely learn net pages aloud when the app was open. You may swap tabs, however if you happen to left the browser or locked your display screen, the audio would cease if Chrome wasn’t within the foreground.
The most recent replace lastly tackles this subject. Now, the browser will hold enjoying audio even if you happen to flip off your display screen or swap to a different app. Once 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 need to hop into the playback widget inside Chrome itself.
As all the time, you possibly can modify 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 focus on the textual content because it reads and scroll by way of the content material, so it’s simple to maintain up.
Identical to the identify implies, Hearken to this web page makes use of text-to-speech to learn articles and net pages out loud in Chrome. Once you flip it on, a useful mini-player exhibits up on the backside of the display screen for simple entry.
You possibly can shortly entry the function from Chrome’s three-dot menu. In case you use it quite a bit, you possibly can add a useful shortcut proper by the tackle bar. Simply head to the Toolbar shortcut settings in Chrome and select “Hearken to this web page.”