Google app 10.33 hints at ‘Read it’ article TTS, ‘Collections’ in bottom bar [APK Insight]

There was no Google app beta last week, with the latest preview version released this morning. Google app 10.33 reveals work on a “Read it” TTS functionality feature that originates from Google Go, and continued development on Assistant Ambient Mode.

About APK Insight: In this ‘APK Insight’ post, we’ve decompiled the latest version of an application that Google uploaded to the Play Store. When we decompile these files (called APKs, in the case of Android apps), we’re able to see various lines of code within that hint at possible future features. Keep in mind that Google may or may not ever ship these features, and our interpretation of what they are may be imperfect. We’ll try to enable those that are closer to being finished, however, to show you how they’ll look in the case that they do ship. With that in mind, read on.

Read it TTS

Google Go has a novel feature that reads aloud articles from the web. Introduced last year, it was a highly requested feature by the Next Billion Users. “AI” smarts work to determine what parts of the page belong to the article and ignores others, like ads. 

Powered by natural language processing and speech synthesis AI, this technology can read aloud billions of webpages in 28 languages smoothly, and in a natural sounding voice, even on 2G connections. It also uses minimal cellular data.

Google app 10.33 suggests “Read-it!” could be coming to the primary Search app. The initial set of strings detail the process for selecting a “voice that the experience will use.” It will also support translation into your preferred language.

<string name=”speakr_settings_voice_selection_title”>Read-it! voice</string>

<string name=”speakr_settings_voice_selection_header”>Choose the voice that the experience will use.</string>

<string name=”speakr_select_language_explanation”>Select the language for the translated version of the article</string>

Assistant Ambient Mode

Work on the Assistant’s Ambient Mode continues, with a handful of new strings related to the greeting and there being no updates to your day. Last week, we enabled the latest look for the feature.

<string name=”ambient_afternoon_no_update_summary”>Looks like there\u2019s nothing new right now. Enjoy your day!</string>

<string name=”ambient_evening_no_update_summary”>There are no new updates yet. Time to wind down!</string>

<string name=”ambient_morning_no_update_summary”>Things look clear with no updates so far. Have a great day!</string>

Collections

Google app 10.33 also details a possible elevation and slight redesign of Collections, which added sharing earlier this year. This Pinterest-like feature lets you save images, links, and locations to your Google Account across various first-party services. They can be organized and grouped in “collections” for quick access.

The most notable change we enabled today is this feature in the bottom bar. This has been A/B tested before, but the latest iteration could coincide with a wider launch.

10.28: Google Podcasts

Podcast controls starting in Google app 10.28 have been ever so slightly tweaked so that the play/pause button is now encased in a black circle. This makes for a bolder icon that helps with accessibility.

How to update?

You can sign-up for the Google app’s beta program here or by heading to the Play Store listing on Android and scrolling to the bottom. The latest beta version of the Google app is immediately rolled out when it’s available.

Thanks to JEB Decompiler, which some APK Insight teardowns benefit from.

Dylan Roussel contributed to this article