Guide
Google Reader mode and low vision
How to use the free Google Reader mode and Reading mode tools for reading with a simplified display.
For Google Chrome browser users and Android users, Google offers a free simplified reading display application, which applies a consistent font size, font style, and background color to digital text. Reader Mode is a built-in feature for the Google Chrome web browser that can be enabled by setting a Chrome flag to turn on the feature with no downloads required, while Reading Mode for Android is a free app download from the Play Store that can be used across several Android applications, including the Chrome web browser. Here are my tips on how to use Reader Mode for Chrome and Reading Mode for Android. Even though the two feature names are different, both provide identical functionality across devices.
How to configure reader mode for Chrome (Computer web browser)
Google Chrome has a few extensions for simplified reading displays, as well as a built-in Reader Mode that is accessed from the web browser. As of publishing time, Reader Mode does not work on Chrome’s mobile browser for Android – users will need to install the Reading Mode app if they want to use this feature.
To activate Reader mode in Google Chrome:
- Before using Reader mode for the first time, copy and paste this link into Google Chrome to enable Reader Mode and select “Enable” from the drop down menu. chrome://flags/#read-anything
- To display a page with Reader Mode, open the three-dots menu (“Customize and Control Google Chrome”), and select the More Tools section, followed by Reader Mode. This will open the Reader Mode feature across all tabs as a split screen display mode. Reader Mode does not open a new tab, rather splits the view of the current tab.
- Display settings can be configured with the toolbar at the top of the Reader Mode window
- Once Reader Mode is open, I recommend right-clicking the book icon in the top-right corner of the page to pin Reading Mode to the toolbar for easier access.
As of publishing time, Reader Mode can be used with Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS, Fuchsia, and Lacros. Languages supported include English, French, Italian and Spanish.
Related links
- chrome://flags/#read-anything
- Simplified Reading Displays and Low Vision
- Classroom Technology That Benefits Low Vision Students
How to configure Reading mode for Android
Reading Mode is a free application that can be downloaded from the Google Play store and used across multiple applications to read text, not just Google Chrome. Reading Mode is displayed in the Quick Settings menu and can be activated by opening the accessibility shortcut in any application.
To activate Reading Mode for Android:
- Download the Reading Mode app from the Play Store. Users will need to grant permission for Reading Mode to have access to the device so it can recognize text
- One Reading Mode is installed, activate it in an application or on a website that has primarily text content by selecting the Quick Settings button/accessibility shortcut. The simplified reading display will cover the majority of the screen, instead of using a splitscreen view like Reader Mode.
- Display settings can be configured by selecting the Settings button in the bottom left corner
- Once finished, readers can tap the down arrow in the top center section of the screen to close the app.
As of publishing time, Reading Mode is available for Android devices running Android 9 and higher. Languages supported include English, French, Italian and Spanish.
Related links
- Reading mode – Apps on Google Play
- Low Vision Accessibility Settings For Android Phones
- Make Any Android Smartphone Accessible For $20
Using Reader mode and Reading mode with large print
Reader Mode and Reading mode offer identical settings for font styles and sizes, though these settings are not synchronized across devices.
Google Reader Mode and Reading Mode support the following fonts:
- Poppins
- Serif
- Sans-Serif
- Comic Neue
- Lexend Deca
- EB Garamond
- Stix Two Text
- Andika
In addition, Reader Mode and Reading Mode offer options for adjusting the font size. Reader Mode for Chrome offers 17 font sizes, with the largest font size being equivalent to approximately 64-pt font. Reading Mode for Android offers 13 font sizes, with the largest font size being equivalent to approximately 48-pt font.
Related links
Layout settings for Reader mode in Google Chrome
As previously mentioned, display settings for Reader Mode in Google Chrome can be configured with the toolbar at the top of the Reader Mode window. In addition to font style and font sizes, the following layout settings can be configured:
- Disable links/hyperlinks in content
- Color theme: Light, Dark, Yellow, Blue. Black font is used for all themes except for Dark, which uses a white font
- Line height: Standard (1x spacing), Loose (1.5x spacing), Very Loose (2x spacing)
- Letter spacing (kerning): Standard, Wide, Very Wide
Reader Mode does not offer built-in text-to-speech or read aloud features, it is currently for text only. While there is a read aloud flag for Chrome (#read-anything-read-aloud) that would offer read aloud support within Reader Mode, I could not get this to work on a Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer.
Related links
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
- My Favorite Web Browser Extensions For Virtual Learning
Layout settings for Google Reading mode
To configure layout settings and display settings for Reading Mode, open the Reading Mode shortcut in Quick Settings and select the Settings icon. The following layout settings can be configured in Reading Mode for Android:
- Line height/line spacing: Small (1x), Normal (1.5x), Large (2x), Largest (2.5x)
- Color theme: System Dark, System Light, High Contrast Dark, Low Contrast Dark, Dyslexic Friendly (Yellow), Low Contrast Light (silver), Low Contrast Dark Sepia, Use System Theme
- Underline current text: Show a reading guide at the top of the screen for reading text or underline text as it is read out loud
Related links
Using Google Reading mode with read aloud/text-to-speech
The Reading Mode app supports text-to-speech/read aloud for reading content, with options for the following audio settings/voice settings:
- Reading speed: Adjust from 0.6x to 3x speed in increments of 0.1
- Reading voice: Select from 11 English voices, or download additional TTS voices/languages in settings
- Play in background: Continue playing audio while using other apps or when the screen is locked
To activate Read Aloud, open Reading Mode and select the Play icon at the bottom of the screen. Tap the screen to skip to the next sentence, or touch and hold to skip to the next paragraph. Alternatively, users can copy by long pressing on a word, with the option to copy the word, entire sentence, or entire paragraph.
Related links
- How To Use Text-To-Speech With Low Vision
- Learning To Use Dictation As Assistive Technology With Low Vision
How I use Google Reader mode for Chrome
When I first tried out Reader Mode, I wasn’t sure if I liked the split screen view or not, since I wanted to focus on reading the large print without seeing a small print version of the same text next to it. However, this changed when I was reading an OpenStax textbook and discovered that I could easily open images, charts, tables, and graphs on one side of the screen and enlarge the font comfortably on the other side of the screen, with the option to use even larger font sizes than OpenStax supports.
My favorite way to use Reader Mode for Google Chrome with low vision is for reading articles, journals, or web content that primarily contains text with a few images, which I can enlarge without distorting the formatting on the page. This was especially helpful for reading OpenStax titles with low vision, which are often used in virtual classes or for introductory level college classes.
Related links
- Mainstream eReader Apps and Low Vision Accessibility
- Online College Library Resources For Digital Access
- How I Find Research Sources In Accessible Formats
- How I Read Research Sources With Assistive Technology
How I use Reading mode on my Android phone
Reading Mode is super quick to activate, and I’ve used it for a variety of reading tasks on my phone, mostly outside of the Google Chrome web browser. While it doesn’t work for reading text messages, I have used it for reading emails in Gmail and Outlook, articles from search results, text notes on my phone, and other short reading tasks. I like that I can use the Quick Settings button to activate Reading Mode, and if something doesn’t display as expected, I can easily try another tool to enlarge the text.
Related links
More resources on Google Reading mode and Google Reader mode
- Use Reading mode in the Side panel – Google Chrome Help
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
- Reading And Writing Archives | Veronica With Four Eyes (veroniiiica.com)
- Google And Android Archives | Veronica With Four Eyes (veroniiiica.com)
By Veronica Lewis/Veronica With Four Eyes, www.veroniiiica.com
Posted July 2024
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