Google is introducing an audio briefing feature in its Google News app, catering to users who prefer listening over reading. This feature was previously teased as an experiment for those who like to consume news while commuting or exercising and is now reportedly being rolled out.
The audio briefing is available on both Android and iOS for users with app version 6.5 or higher. It utilizes enhanced Gemini voices and includes emotion detection to make listening more engaging. Users will find a dedicated interface for audio consumption, featuring a “Listen” tab at the bottom that opens an audio player for the Google News audio briefing.
The audio player interface is user-friendly, offering standard controls such as play, pause, and buttons to skip forward or backward. It also supports background playback and allows users to adjust the playback speed from 0.75x to 2x.
Currently, the audio briefings are not available everywhere. Access depends on user settings, and those outside supported regions can enable the feature by changing their “Language & regions of interest” to the United States. This option can be found by tapping the profile picture icon in the top-right corner and selecting “News settings.”
Google has not announced when audio briefings will be available globally, but it is currently a US-focused test. In addition to audio briefings, Google also offers summaries, AI-generated overviews, and conversational tools in its Search and Gemini platforms.
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