Google Chrome will soon be able to read web pages to you when it’s minimized

Google Chrome for Android recently introduced a feature that allows the browser to read any text-heavy web page out loud. The feature, called ‘Listen to this page’, can be accessed via the three-dot menu icon and comes with the option to listen to the text in different voices and multiple languages. Now, a recent report suggests that the feature could be further expanded to include an option to play background text.

Play background text

According to a report by MSPowerUser, Google is said to be developing an additional functionality for the ‘Listen to this page’ feature that will enable background playback of web page text. Currently, Chrome users on the Android platform can toggle this option on or off to start the text-to-speech feature, but it stops once the browser is minimized.

The Google Chrome for Android app is reportedly adding a flag called “Read Aloud Background Playback”. This would allow Google Chrome’s feature to run in the background. The description for the flag reportedly reads: “Add support for background playback for Read Aloud”.

Notably, the ‘Listen to this page’ feature on Android can play the audio while the user switches to another tab and even when the device is locked. It was introduced with Google Chrome for Android version 125. Once enabled, it appears with a mini player at the bottom of the screen with options to play/pause, fast forward/rewind 10 seconds, and playback speed. In addition, the web page scrolls automatically while the feature continues to read the text.

Google’s ‘Listen to this Page’ supports several Indian and global languages, including Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, English, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

Minimized Custom Tabs

In addition to the Listen to this page feature, Google Chrome for Android also recently introduced Minimized Custom Tabs with the Chrome 124 update. It allows users to switch between native apps and web content and appears as a downward button on the top banner next to the website name. Once enabled, the Chrome tab turns into a floating picture-in-picture (PiP) window.