Google Assistant can now read web articles on your Android phone

Google is making Android more accessible with every major update. Google Assistant is one of the tools used by the Mountain View company to make Android users’ lives much easier. Since we’re living times where it’s impossible not to multitask, having something read to you while you’re focusing on something else is a great feat.

Audiobooks are a big thing these days, but they weren’t in the beginning. However, the birth and rise of personal digital assistants put everything under a different perspective, and Google Assistant was at the forefront of it.

Now we learn that Google Assistant can read stories posted on the web out loud on your Android smartphone. To make your phone start reading an article, simply say “Hey Google, read it” or “Hey Google, read this page” and you should hear Google Assistant’s voice.

But the new feature added by Google goes beyond just reading web articles. You’ll be able to adjust the reading speed and even choose from multiple voices. Google says that “the web pages are read aloud in expressive and natural voices, aiming to use the same intonation and rhythm that you’d use if you were reading it aloud yourself,” so that’s a huge plus as well.

But wait, there’s more. Google announced that its Assistant can read aloud in no less than 42 languages, so make sure that you’re using the translation menu if the article you want to be read isn’t in your native language.

The new Google Assistant text-to-speech feature should roll out to Android users starting today, but it may take a few days to reach all compatible devices.