- Chrome for Android’s “Listen to this page” feature is likely to soon support background playback.
- This will mean users can continue listening to online articles, even if the Chrome app is not open or active.
- Chrome for desktops has supported this functionality for a while.
Google Chrome‘s mobile app features a “Listen to this page” option that allows you to launch a webpage and listen to the content in it, much like you would with an audiobook. When you select this option, a mini-player pops up at the bottom of the screen, which lets you adjust the reading speed, change the voice, and go back or forward through the content. The app also highlights the text being read aloud, helping you follow along visually.
The only real limitation has been that this feature requires you to keep the Chrome app open and active for the playback to continue. This meant that if you switched to another app or locked your screen, the playback would stop.