In a significant enhancement to its user experience, Google has rolled out an update to Chrome’s “Listen to this page” feature, which was initially announced last month as part of the latest Android enhancements for the fall season. This update introduces the much-anticipated support for background playback, allowing users to enjoy audio content seamlessly while navigating other applications.
The text-to-speech functionality first became available in June, but it came with limitations. Previously, closing the Chrome browser would interrupt audio playback, except when the browser was in the foreground during device lock. Users could still enjoy audio while switching between tabs, but the experience was less than ideal for those who preferred multitasking.
With the introduction of Chrome 130, users can now exit the browser and open other Android apps without interrupting their listening experience. The media player conveniently appears in notifications, displaying the article title and website, along with intuitive controls for rewinding or skipping audio by 10 seconds, as well as a scrubber timeline for precise navigation.
This new background playback feature aligns Chrome’s capabilities with those of Google’s Reading mode app, which previously offered a more simplified reader view. However, for users who simply desire audio content, the Chrome offering proves to be a more streamlined solution.
Chrome 130 also provides users with a variety of customizable options, including the ability to adjust playback speed from 0.5x to 4x increments, select from ten different voices, and enable features like “Highlight text & auto scroll.” These controls are easily accessible by tapping the docked miniplayer located at the bottom of the Chrome interface.
For frequent users of the “Listen to this page” feature, there is an option to add a play button directly between the address bar and the tab switcher, significantly improving accessibility compared to the previous method of navigating through the three-dot overflow menu. To set this up, users can navigate to Chrome Settings and find the Toolbar shortcut option near the bottom.
The rollout of Chrome 130 for Android is now underway, bringing these enhancements to users and further solidifying Chrome’s position as a versatile tool for content consumption on mobile devices.
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