Google‘s latest software updates for Android are all about quality of life. One piece of software Google announced this week is Reading Mode, a feature that makes it easy to access the text in webpages without any navigation. The new update is the latest addition to a slew of other quality-of-life improvements for the platform, which include a quick and convenient search widget for YouTube videos.
With the holidays around the corner, we’re excited to share with you some big updates that Android fans have been expecting. Here’s what you need to know about these features in this post by Angana Ghosh, Android Product Manager.
Conceptually similar to Apple’s longstanding Reader Mode in Safari on iOS and macOS, Google’s take is “an accessible reading experience” that can be helpful for people who are Blind, low vision, dyslexic or other. Once you’ve added it to your phone’s Settings, the software enables people to customize their reading experience based on their unique needs. Font type and size, contrast, text-to-speech options–you can play around with all of these and create a setup that’s perfect for you. In addition, Reading Mode is fully compatible with TalkBack – Android’s answer to Apple’s critically-acclaimed VoiceOver screen reader.
Reading Mode is currently localized in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. More languages are being added to future updates.
“We found that the people who are struggling [to read] are those who can’t see very well, or spend a lot of time reading on the phone,” Chen said.