Day: June 17, 2024

Check out the new Chrome feature that lets you listen to web page content in the background.

Google Chrome for Android recently introduced a new and useful feature called “Listen to this page”. This feature, available with Chrome 125, allows users to listen to the content of web pages in the background. The new feature was reported by 9To5Google and is expected to be gradually made available to an increasing number of users in the coming days.

How “Listen to this page” works

The “Listen to this page” feature uses text-to-speech (TTS) technology and can be especially useful for text-heavy web pages. To use this feature, just tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of Chrome for Android. In the drop-down menu, between the “Translate” and “Add to Home Screen” options, the option to listen to the page will appear.

Once selected, an audio player will appear at the bottom of the page, with play/pause buttons and an indication of the duration of the audio already listened to. The audio player will also display the page and website name. Tapping the mini audio player will allow you to rewind or advance the audio 10 seconds, changing the playback speed, change the voice, and turn the “Highlight text and auto scroll” option on or off.

Voice options available

Items available for the TTS function include:

Ruby: Medium tone, Warm
River: Medium tone, Calm
Field: Low tone, Lively
Moss: Low tone, Relaxing

Other characteristics

Audio playback will continue even when you open other web pages or lock your device, but will stop if you exit the Chrome browser. By restarting the mini-player, the audio will resume where it left off.

Users can also add a quick link in the toolbar next to the Omnibox. To do this, go to Settings, scroll down to Advanced and select Shortcut in Toolbar. This option is also available in Chrome Custom Tabs and allows you to play audio with just one tap.

The new “Listen to this page” feature represents a significant step forward in improving the accessibility and usability of web content on Android devices, offering users a simple and convenient way to listen to their favorite reads.

A critical security update is available for Pixel devices. Check now!

Google has issued an urgent warning to Android phone owners, urging them to check their devices’ settings and download the latest free software update immediately.

The tech giant released this directive alongside the June 2024 update for Pixel line devices , which is intended to fix “security vulnerabilities” and improve features of all supported Pixel smartphones.

It is crucial to check your device settings as soon as possible to see if there is a software update waiting to be downloaded. Google highlighted that the update fixes 50 security issues in Pixel phones, including seven classified as “critical.”

One of these has been labeled a “zero-day” vulnerability, meaning it is a bug that has already been exploited by hackers. Not downloading this free update exposes your phone and its data to risk of intrusion.

“All supported Google devices will receive an update to patch level 2024-06-05,” Google said in its update note. “We encourage all customers to accept these updates for their devices. There are indications that CVE-2024-32896 may be exploited in a limited and targeted manner,” the company added, referring to the official name of the bug.

Google is now on the eighth generation of its Pixel phones, with the Pixel 8a, Pixel 8, and Pixel 8 Pro models all eligible to receive this June 2024 security update. Also other Pixel models like the Pixel 7a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and Pixel Fold are compatible with the update.

If you have an older Pixel, you may want to consider upgrading your device. Pixel 5 and earlier models no longer receive official security updates from Google, leaving you at risk, albeit unlikely, of attacks that exploit bugs in the Android operating system.

To check if there’s a software update to download, open the Settings app on your Pixel (the same goes for any Android device). From there, tap System and then System Update, and you may find a new update ready to install.

Google has promised up to seven years of software and security updates for Pixel phones, an unprecedented promise in the industry, even surpassing the five-year official support offered by Apple. This means that a Pixel 8 is an excellent choice if you want a secure Android phone for many years, while many Android devices receive support for much shorter periods, leaving you with a technically insecure device after only two or three years. Always check the manufacturer’s promise of software support before purchasing