Google Brings ‘Read Along’ App Online To Teach Kids to Read Better At Home

Back in 2019, Google debuted Bolo—an application meant to help children learn to read independently under the guidance of Diya, a reading assistant. 

Following its rebrand to Read Along during its global release, the innovative tool has since assisted over 30 million kids read more than 120 million stories.

The application works by first allowing kids to read the stories aloud as Diya listens, before it takes time to give correctional and encouraging feedback to help the children improve on their reading skills. 

In order to allow more kids around the world the opportunity to access Diya’s help, Google has now made the Android-only application available for free on the web, with hundreds of illustrated stories in various languages in its library. 

According to the technology giant, parents can now facilitate reading sessions for their kids on larger screens, or by simply pulling up the webpage on their laptops or computers. 

More importantly, Google emphasizes that all speech recognition is kept within the browser, so children’s voice data remains private and isn’t transferred to any other servers.

Outside of the home, Read Along can be incorporated as a reading practice tool for students in classrooms. The application will soon be expanded even further with an iOS and Safari-supported version. 

“Reading is a critical skill to develop at a young age, and with Read Along Web, we are taking another step towards ensuring each kid has that option,” said Tasnim Khan, Software Engineer at Google’s Read Along.

[via TechCrunch and Google, cover image via Google]