Google text-to-speech update lets it read text from within any Android app

According to a report by Android Police, Google’s latest version of text-to-speech (TTS) will add support for new languages, as well as the capability to read aloud text within any Android app.

Bear in mind that the update, version 3.9.6, isn’t available on Google Play, but was instead bundled with Developer Preview 3 of Android N. However, the report indicates the extracted APK works equally well in Android Marshmallow. It also says it should technically work on versions as old as Android 4.4, although anything older than Android M will likely only give you the new languages, Vietnamese and Swedish.

The new floating text selection toolbar, introduced with Android M, now shows and option for text to speech, aside from the standard edit functions and web search. Developers are now also being allowed to integrate their own apps into this toolbar, so you could technically select a bit of text in your news app, and directly search it on Wikipedia from the floating menu.

If you select TTS from that toolbar, the text selected will be read out loud through your speaker. Perfect for reading an article on the go, or if you can’t read a bit of miniscule text. If you want to try out version 3.9.6 of Google text-to-speech, Android Police have provided the extracted APK here.