Chrome for Android Turns Your Articles into Mini-Podcasts Thanks to AI
Google continues to integrate AI into its flagship products, and this time Chrome for Android is benefiting from a surprising new feature: the ability to turn any article into an AI-generated podcast summary.
Chrome: Articles That Speak Like a Podcast
Until now, Chrome already offered the “Listen to this page” voice reading feature. But now, an Audio Overview option enhances the experience in Chrome.
Instead of just a synthetic voice reading the entire text, the AI generates a mini-podcast: a conversation between two voices summarizing the key points of the article. The goal? To provide a short, clear, and engaging version of the content, perfect for those short on time.
The feature is already available to some users on the stable version of Chrome Android (140.0.7339.124) after being tested in Chrome Canary.
How to Use the Audio Overview Feature?
To test this new feature, it’s very simple:
- Open an article in Chrome for Android.
- Tap on the three-dot menu at the top right.
- Select “Listen to this page.”
- In the playback controls, enable the Audio Overview button.
In just a few seconds, your article is transformed into a conversational audio summary.
Why Is It Useful?
This feature makes information much more accessible. Rather than spending ten minutes reading an article, you can grasp the essentials in one or two minutes while doing something else: commuting, exercising, or enjoying your morning coffee.
It caters to visually impaired individuals, busy professionals, and students who need to absorb a large amount of content.
It’s worth noting that the technology used comes directly from NotebookLM and Gemini, two other AI products from Google. Its integration into Chrome—the most widely used software from the California tech giant—marks a key step toward democratizing this usage.
A Practical AI for Everyday Life
The Audio Overview feature in Chrome is a perfect example of AI applied to a real problem: too many articles to read and not enough time. By transforming any web page into a mini-podcast, Google makes content consumption quicker, more enjoyable, and more human than a simple robotic reading.
It remains to be seen how the AI will handle complex topics, but for news and everyday articles, it’s already a significant advantage for Chrome.
