Google is experimenting with a text-to-speech characteristic for Chrome’s studying mode on desktop, as reported by Android Police. I typically use an analogous characteristic in Instapaper, and in Chrome, I may see it being a great tool to hearken to articles within the browser I’m already utilizing whereas I work.

The characteristic can apparently be present in Chrome Canary, Google’s bleeding edge model of Chrome, based on X person Leopeva64. When you have the characteristic, you may click on a play button on the high of an article you’re taking a look at in studying mode to have Google learn the textual content. Leopeva64 additionally shared a hyperlink to a video exhibiting off the characteristic on Reddit.

Based mostly on the video, Google nonetheless has some work to do right here, because the voice is robotic and it spells out a header that reads “abstract” as a substitute of simply studying the phrase. I can’t inform you additional impressions as a result of I don’t appear to have the characteristic within the model of Canary I downloaded from Google’s web site whereas writing this text. (I additionally realized that Chrome’s studying mode is a hidden characteristic that it’s important to allow.) And Google is late to the sport on one thing like this; Microsoft’s Edge already presents a sturdy text-to-speech characteristic in its Immersive View for web sites.

Nonetheless, if Google does find yourself rolling out this new text-to-speech characteristic extensively, it could possibly be a fantastic possibility for Chrome customers preferring to soak up data via audio. Let’s simply hope the corporate makes issues sound rather less robotic.