Apple News will soon let paid users hear a story, aside from just reading it. First spotted by 9to5Mac, the first iOS 13.5.5 beta adds a new Audio section for Apple News+ subscribers in the News app. However, those who have not subscribed to the service by paying the $9.99 monthly fee will also be able to listen to audio stories, but only a snippet of it.
The report adds that Apple might rope in actors to recite the long-form articles from magazines and websites that come bundled with Apple News+ subscription. In addition to the dedicated Audio section, users will also see a Listen button at the top of a story if it supports the listening feature.
Aside from just hitting the listen button, users will get basic playback controls such as play, pause, skip to the next article, go back 30 seconds and more. Users will also be able to share an audio story, queue stories for back-to-back listening, and also change the order in which they want to play a specified number of stories.
