An estimated 617 million children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age worldwide—58% of that age group—are not achieving minimum proficiency in reading and mathematics. There are many reasons for this – from lack of resources in small towns & villages to low literacy among parents who cannot help their children at home to a lack of access to good quality reading material.

Inability to read has serious long-term consequences for the child and their ability to reach their full potential.

Google believes technology can help kids around the world, and in 2019, they took a step forward in this direction and released Bolo, now known as Read Along, to help kids improve their reading skills.

Read Along is an engaging Android app that encourages young learners to have fun while learning to read. A helpful and friendly in-app reading buddy, Diya, helps children by listening and responding to them in real time as they read aloud, using Google’s advanced text to speech and voice recognition technologies.

Young learners get to choose from over 500 stories that suits their degree of proficiency and personal taste – from sources like Global Digital library, Pratham Story weaver, Book Dash, Katha Kids, African Storybook Initiative, Room to Read, and Chhota Bheem, with new books added regularly.

After the initial download, the app works without Wi-Fi and without consuming any data. With Read Along, children can practice, gain confidence, and grow a love for reading. Since launch, 5Mn+ children have read 28Mn+ stories and over 4Bn words correctly on the app.

Learning Adventures

Keep young minds engaged with over 500 global stories and fun word games available in nine languages, including English and Spanish.

Friendly Assistance

Get friendly, real time feedback to build reading skills by reading out loud to Diya, the in-app reading buddy.

Playful and fun

Build confidence reading out loud and earn stars and badges to share progress.

The app is globally available in 9 languages including English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Urdu, Spanish and Portuguese. Read Along works on Android phones, tablets and Chromebooks and can be used even when the device is offline. Families and parents can download it on Play Store.