What you need to know
- Google has brought its reading app Read Along to web browsers for kids.
- Parents and teachers can access the app through readalong.google.com.
- The app can help kids learn to read in English, Arabic, Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Portuguese, Spanish, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.
Google is taking another step in helping kids better their reading abilities on a computer. Per its latest announcement, Google has brought its Read Along to web browsers.
Read Along's purpose is to assist children in developing their reading abilities using their voice. The application has its own assistant, Diya, who "gives both correctional and encouraging feedback to help kids develop their reading skills." Parents and teachers have been able to grab Read Along off the Play Store for their Android devices for a few years now. The app was first released in India in 2019 before a global release in 2020.
Google says it's releasing the web version in an effort to make it as accessible as possible, although the company notes that it's currently in a public beta.
With the app now available on web browsers, it should give parents more accessible reading tools for their children at home and also for teachers in school. Read Along comes with profiles that a parent can set up for their child using a Google account. Each is "unique" and shows the progress and information of each child using Read Along. Google is also recommending schools use Workspace for Education accounts if the app is to be used.
As Google unveils Read Along for web use, it's introducing new illustrated stories while partnering with YouTube content creators to turn popular videos on the platform into storybooks for kids. Google also states it will launch a collection of English and Hindi alphabet books through its continued partnership with Kutuki.
You can access the Read Along beta on any laptop now as it's supported through Chrome, Firefox, and Edge web browsers. Google mentions that iOS support and the Safari browser will come soon. Read Along also supports an array of languages for children, including English, Arabic, Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Portuguese, Spanish, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.
