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Pro Tip: Bypass news paywalls using the new "Reading Mode" app by Google (play.google.com)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by Thanks4Nothing@lemm.ee to c/android@lemmy.world
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I am sure this wasn't the intended use - but I discovered a useful trick on Android.

Just recently, Google released a Reading Mode app that takes text and removes the clutter, images, etc - and allows you to read in a high contrast easy to view format. There are options on how to toggle it on, but I chose to use the hold volume up/down at the same time.

I was viewing a local paywalled newspaper, and had surpassed my 3 free articles/month. For the heck of it, while the popup blocked me from reading it, I tried the reading mode shortcut. It pulled in all the text and I was able to read the entire story. I then tried another news site and it worked the same way. I even tried some of the big new sites like the Washington Post - and it worked.

I am sure its a bit dependent on how the website is built, but its worth a try if you find yourself running into those paywalls. You lose the photos, but its worth it.

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[-] NightOwl@lemmy.one 2 points 1 year ago

I use this a lot. Got the sharchive app from f-droid, so I can share articles to it to quickly bring up.

this post was submitted on 03 Aug 2023
71 points (92.8% liked)

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