Google Assistant will soon be able to read news aloud

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Google Assistant to bring curated news update with a new feature called “Your News Update”

Google has added yet another feature to the Google Assistant called “Your News Update.” As the name suggests, the feature will allow users to grab a quick update on the news based on their interests, location, history and preferences. It will also read aloud some of the top news stories. Since the feature has been on the Amazon Alexa for a while now, Google is late to the party.

“Your News Update” is now available in English in the US, and will expand internationally next year, the company said in a statement. This means we can expect the update to arrive in India sometime in 2020.

You can find “Your News Update” in Google Assistant settings — under the You tab, navigate to News and switch your News playlist format. Then say, “Hey Google, play me the news” or add news to one of your “Assistant Routines”.

In 2016, the company launched initial “News on Assistant” product, with news briefings from top publishers.

“Collaborations with publishers from around the world over nearly two years have helped us imagine the future of audio news, and have reinforced the importance of building a healthy ecosystem for both listeners and publishers,” said Liz Gannes, Product Manager, News.

Google has licensed audio from a variety of news sources, including ABC, Cheddar, The Associated Press, CNN, Fox News Radio, PBS, Reuters, WYNC, and some local radio stations. The company said once “Your News Update” goes live, users will be able to choose between either the new audio news system or the original one.