Google reading mode has arrived on Gmail and social networks

Reading mode is very useful, for example, for Google text-to-speech. Meanwhile, it has just gained the ability to work on Gmail, as well as social media applications.

Google reading mode has arrived on Gmail and social networks

 Google previously said that reading mode “does not support PDF files, emails, conversations and social media feeds”.

But as seen by Artem Russakovskii, reading mode now works in email applications such as Gmail. This includes Simplified Reading View and TTS, but not all emails are supported.

However, the 9to5Google website also managed to make it work on Threads and X (formerly Twitter), although it is not ideal. In fact, Google warns that “reading mode may not work well with social media/email apps” and provides the option to provide thumbs up/down feedback.

For now it still doesn’t work on Google Messages or with PDFs. That said, the reading mode was last updated in November 2023, so it appears to have been a server-side addition.

Google launched reading mode in December 2022 and updated it with background playback (and screen off) last year. Meanwhile, the Assistant’s Read Aloud function that arrived with the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro does not have this functionality. This is also the case with the next version of Chrome on Android.

As a tip, you can start reading mode by holding down both volume keys, a floating accessibility button, “swipe up from the bottom of the screen with two fingers” or the QS (Quick Settings) tile.

This is undoubtedly a very useful function and its arrival on more platforms is great news!