Chrome Read Aloud Gets an Incredible AI Podcast Upgrade – 3 Big Changes You’ll Love

Chrome Read Aloud Gets an AI Podcast Upgrade

Chrome for Android has long included a Read Aloud feature, allowing users to have web pages read aloud. While helpful on paper, the robotic voice often made it hard to stay engaged. This is about to change: Google has introduced an AI-powered upgrade that transforms the experience into something closer to a podcast, offering a more natural and engaging way to consume web content.

How the New AI-Powered Feature Works

The feature, spotted in Chrome for Android’s stable release (v140.0.7339.124) by Android Authority’s Mishaal Rahman, uses AI to deliver web content through two voices in a conversational style. Instead of a flat, mechanical voice reading text line by line, the AI creates a dynamic, podcast-like audio experience that feels much more natural.

To check if your Chrome for Android has the feature, open a web page, tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner, and select “Listen to this page.” You can also disable the AI-powered voices by tapping the icon next to the playback speed option.

Availability and Similar Tools

Although the feature hasn’t appeared for all users yet, it is expected to roll out widely soon. Earlier, the AI-powered Read Aloud was tested in Chrome for Android’s Canary build, signaling that a stable rollout is imminent.

The new Audio Overviews feature is similar to NotebookLM’s AI Overview, which converts web content into podcast-style audio, making it easier and more enjoyable to consume information on the go.

Expanding AI Audio Across Google

Google is clearly aiming to integrate AI Audio Overviews into multiple products. The company first introduced an experimental version of Audio Overviews for Google Search in June. The goal seems to be creating a consistent and accessible AI-driven audio experience across the Google ecosystem.

For now, the Chrome upgrade makes reading web pages by ear far more engaging, but there is room for improvement. Expanding language support, offering more voices, and adding varied tones could make this feature even more intuitive and versatile in the future.