Sound and Squawk: hear new items on the feed
Turn on the free Beep sound for new feed items, or Squawk on Plus to have headlines read aloud with text to speech, plus tips for browser autoplay and voice quality.
Key takeaways
- The Beep button plays a short sound whenever new items arrive on the feed, and it is free on every plan.
- Squawk reads new headlines aloud using your browser's text to speech and requires Plus.
- Squawk reads up to 3 new headlines from each refresh so a burst of news does not queue minutes of audio.
- Both settings are remembered in your browser and only work while the feed page is open.
Quantisnow can tell you about new items without you watching the screen. Beep plays a short sound whenever new items land on the feed and is free for everyone. Squawk, a Plus feature, goes further and reads the new headlines aloud using your browser's built-in text to speech.
Beep vs Squawk
| Beep | Squawk | |
|---|---|---|
| What you hear | A short tone | The headline, spoken |
| Plan | Every plan, including signed out | Plus |
| When it plays | When new items arrive on the open feed | When new items arrive on the open feed |
| Per refresh | One beep | Up to 3 headlines |
| Remembered | In your browser | In your browser |
Both follow the feed you are on, including any feed filters. If you filter SEC Filings down to 8-Ks, you only hear about 8-Ks.
How to turn on Beep
- Open any feed, for example /news.
- Click Beep above the feed. A tone plays to confirm it is on.
- Leave the tab open. Each time new items arrive, you hear a beep.
- Click Beep again to mute it.
How to turn on Squawk
- Subscribe to Plus at /pricing if you have not already.
- Open a feed and click Squawk. You hear "Squawk turned on." to confirm.
- New headlines are read aloud as they arrive.
- Click Squawk again to stop. Any speech in progress stops at once.
On a free account, clicking Squawk opens a preview where you can tap sample items to hear how they sound. See Free vs Plus.
Squawk pairs well with real-time timing on Plus, since you hear items within seconds of them reaching Quantisnow rather than 3 minutes later.
Browser autoplay and sound tips
Browsers limit when a page can play sound. To keep audio working:
- Click the button yourself. Turning on Beep or Squawk with a click counts as permission to play sound on that page in most browsers. If you reload the page and hear nothing, click the button off and on again.
- Keep the tab open. Sounds only play while a Quantisnow feed is open in a tab. Closing the tab stops them. For alerts when the page is closed, use Push notifications or Alerts.
- Check the tab is not muted. Most browsers let you mute a single tab from the tab bar.
- Background tabs. Browsers can slow pages in background tabs. Quantisnow catches up as soon as you return to the tab.
- Check system volume and output device, especially with headphones or multiple monitors.
Getting a better Squawk voice
Squawk uses the voices installed on your computer, and picks a higher quality English voice when one is available. If the voice sounds robotic:
- Mac: open System Settings, then Accessibility, then Spoken Content, then System Voice, then Manage Voices, and download a Premium or Enhanced English voice such as Ava, Zoe or Evan.
- Windows and other systems: install a Natural or Neural English voice in your operating system settings, or use a browser that offers online natural voices.
Reload the feed after installing a new voice.
FAQ
Is Squawk free?
No. Squawk requires Plus. The Beep sound for new items is free on every plan, and free accounts can preview Squawk on sample items.
Why can't I hear anything after turning on Beep?
Check that the tab is not muted and your volume is up. If you reloaded the page, click Beep off and on again so the browser allows sound.
Does Squawk read the whole article?
No. Squawk reads the headlines of new items, up to 3 per refresh. Open an item to read its summary and full story.
Will Squawk work when the browser tab is closed?
No. Beep and Squawk only work while a feed page is open. Use push notifications in the Quantisnow mobile app for alerts when you are away.