Reading mode

Google LLC

About this app

Designed for and with people with low vision, blindness and dyslexia, Reading mode helps improve your screen reading experience with a focus on customizable contrast, text size, text-to-speech, page clutter, and font types. Once downloaded, the app integrates into your quick settings and can be easily accessed across apps and web pages.

Instructions:

To get started:

1. Download and install Reading mode via Play Store
2. Find Reading mode on your home screen and tap to open it
3. Read the tutorial and it will redirect you to the settings at the end
4. In the settings, tap “Reading mode” and toggle on “Reading mode shortcut” to allow Reading mode to access your device
5. Please refer to https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/7650693 to set up different Reading mode entry points

Key Features:

• Focused reading view: Reading mode provides a customizable reading environment without clutter to make it easier to access content and focus
• Text-to-speech: Hear written content read out loud to you at the touch of a button. Choose from a selection of high quality long-form voices. Easily accessible audio control options to rewind, fast forward, and change reading speed on the go
• Adjust font type and size: Toggle quickly between font sizes, styles, colors, and line spaces to customize what’s best for your reading needs
• Quick access: Once downloaded, Reading mode is integrated into the phone interface for fast access
• Multi-language support: Reading mode supports English, French, Italian, and Spanish with additional languages to follow
• Compatible with Talkback: Easily use Reading mode when using your screen reader.
• Designed with privacy in mind: Content is never sent off your phone.

Join the https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/accessible to provide feedback and receive product updates.

Requirement:

• Available for phones on Android 9 and later
• Currently Reading mode supports English, French, Italian, Spanish

Permissions Notice:
• Accessibility Service: Since this app is an accessibility service, it can observe your actions and window content.

Ratings and reviews

It worked fine on the Pixel 6a, but on the 9a, there seems to be no way to make the floating icon appear. Instead, I had to add the "Reading mode" button to the Quick Settings menu. To use it, I have to pull down the quick settings menu all the way, go two columns to the right, enable it there, and then dismiss the menu. That makes the app far less useful. I don't know why Google broke it; it was okay the way it was.

I use this alot to read online, which it does fairly well, but my issue is the constant lagging & 5+second pauses between each sentence. It makes it take forever to get thru a full article, no matter the set reading speed. It also has the flaw of not allowing me to select & highlight the whole text to copy/paste. I'm only able to select 1 paragraph> from the read window to copy. It's nice not having to look at ads while reading, but the cadence & lack of text selecting make it annoying to use.

this was a 4 to 5 star app on my Pixel 6, on my 9 it's hot garbage. Just won't work on certain webpages despite working on others within the same site, or when it does work, often crashes and loses one's place which really blows when it's a long document. You also can't navigate to anything else briefly or it drops. None of this was an issue on the six when it was a floating button rather than in the pull down menu. Beyond frustrated.

What’s new

Initial release of Reading mode.