Google India 'Bolo' app goes global as 'Read Along'

May 12,2020
2 min read
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Due to the coronavirus, many schools around the world remain closed. While many kids are surely ok with this, it is still important for children to learn during these very transformative times. Now, Google is releasing a new app to encourage parents and children to read more. The app is based on Google’s existing app, Bolo, that launched in India last year.

The app, called Read Along, is a free app that is available in over 180 countries and nine languages and basically promotes reading in a fun way. By using the microphone on your smartphone, The app has an in-app reading buddy that will listen to your child read out loud and offer them help if they start to struggle with a word or phrase. When they’re successful in reading a passage they can earn stars, giving the app a bit of a game-like quality to it.

Once you’ve downloaded it onto a device, that device no longer needs to be connected to the internet in order for the app to work, making it a little safer for using unsupervised. There also aren’t in-app purchases or upsells, so you’re not going to have to worry about your child asking for expensive add-ons if you do let them try it out

The app currently works for nine languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, Marathi, and Tamil.