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Chrome for Android has a new feature in "Listen to this page."
Instead of traditional audio, you can hear a two-host podcast.
The feature is now rolling out on a wide scale.
If you use Chrome's read aloud feature to listen to articles instead of reading them, you're about to notice a big upgrade.
First spotted by Android Authority, Google has unveiled a new AI-powered feature for Chrome that takes any web page and turns the text into podcast-style audio.
There is an existing "Listen to this page" feature, but it's a standard computer-style voice. The new version has two hosts reading the text, making for a much more entertaining experience.
Also: I tested this new AI podcast tool to see if it can beat NotebookLM - here's how it did
The feature seems to work a lot like Google's audio summaries in NotebookLM. In an X post showing it in action, two voices banter back and forth about the content of a web page, even asking and answering questions. Instead of reading it straight through like the existing option, the new way is much more conversational. It still sounds very much like AI, but it's a lot more pleasant to listen to.
This reveal comes just after Google brought Gemini to Chrome for desktop, introducing a feature that lets you ask Gemini to summarize the content on a page.
How to check for Chrome's new read aloud option
To see if you have the new feature, tap the three-dot menu and choose "Listen to this page." You'll see media control buttons and hear a voice reading the article. If you have the new option, there's a small button on the bottom left of the player to toggle standard mode or AI mode. You can be sure about which mode you're on because small text above the controls says "standard playback" or "AI playback."
Also: I used NotebookLM for an entire month - here's why it really is a game changer
I didn't have the new audio option yet on any of my devices when I checked, so I can't attest to the quality, but people who have it report that it's a noticeable difference. Google is rolling out the feature on a wide scale, so if you don't see it now, you should soon.
The official support page for "Listen to this page" doesn't have any information about the upgraded audio. I've reached out to Google to see if it can offer an official explanation or more details about the feature.