Google is testing AI-powered audio overviews on the New Tab Page in Chrome for Android. The AI creates a conversational summary of the articles in your feed. The player includes controls to jump to the next/previous article.
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Google is quietly testing a new feature in Chrome for Android that could be a game-changer for anyone who prefers listening to news over reading it. As spotted and shared by popular leaker Leopeva64 on Reddit, the browser is rolling out AI-powered audio overviews directly on the New Tab Page, allowing users to hear natural, conversational summaries of the articles in their feed.
Here’s how it will work. When you open a new tab in Chrome, you’ll see a new option labeled “Listen to the feed.” Tapping it brings up a player that reads out AI-generated summaries of each article in your curated news feed. When one summary finishes, the player jumps straight to the next — no tapping or scrolling needed. Convenient playback controls will let users skip ahead or revisit previous articles, making it easy to catch up on news during a commute or while cooking.
Leopeva64 uncovered the feature in Chrome Canary, but it’s not available for everyone on the Canary build just yet. They also provided early glimpses of the feature in action, noting that the audio you hear is generated by Google’s AI and delivered in a friendly, conversational tone rather than a typical robotic voice. Check out the video below for reference:
This isn’t Google’s first go at turning text into audio. Chrome for Android already has a “Read Aloud” feature for individual web pages, but this new tool takes things a step further by making an entire feed accessible with just a few taps.
For anyone who absorbs information better by listening — or who wants to multitask while staying informed — AI-powered summaries could soon become an essential part of browsing on the go.
But looking at it from the other side, I can’t help but wonder how this will affect views/interactions on publisher websites. If you see how the feature works, it doesn’t open the page from where Google’s AI is reading stuff aloud. So essentially, it’s yet another feature that robs publishers of actual human eyeballs on their sites.
Either way, I’d like to hear your thoughts on this potentially upcoming ‘Listen to the feed’ function in the comments below.
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Dwayne Cubbins
1311 Posts
For nearly a decade, I've been deciphering the complexities of the tech world, with a particular passion for helping users navigate the ever-changing tech landscape. From crafting in-depth guides that unlock your phone's hidden potential to uncovering and explaining the latest bugs and glitches, I make sure you get the most out of your devices. And yes, you might occasionally find me ranting about some truly frustrating tech mishaps.
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