Google is rolling out a new feature to the Google News app, which will cater to those who prefer listening to headlines rather than reading. It provides a hands-free audio listening experience and helps News users catch up on the latest news during their commute. The feature was first announced last week as part of a pilot programme, and a new report has revealed that the Google News Audio Briefing tool is beginning to roll out on Android.
Google News Audio Briefing: Here’s how it works
According to a report by 9to5Google, Audio Briefing is an AI-generated summary of the day’s news, presented in an audio format. The report also adds that the latest Google News app update has introduced a new Listen tab that provides the latest Google News app update. If a user taps on the tab, an audio player slides up from the bottom of the screen, which follows Google’s Material 3 Expressive design with large playback buttons and clear controls.
Further, as per images posted in the report, while a story is playing, the headline appears at the top, along with a button to view the featured article. The tab also lets users explore related stories under Full Coverage. In the app, the audio player can be minimised at the bottom into a small bar, allowing users to continue browsing other relevant content on the app or switch to other apps.
A typical briefing is mentioned to run around 10–15 minutes and would cover multiple stories. At the moment, Audio Briefing uses a conversational format where two AI hosts discuss the news, making the audio more lively. It is currently available in the 5.146.x version of the Google News app for Android.
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