What you need to know
- Spotify announces that its Page Match feature, which syncs audiobooks with physical copies, is expanding its language support with 30 new additions.
- The company’s partnership with Bookshop.org finally comes to the US and UK for Android users, leaving iOS users to wait until “next week.”
- Spotify first launched Page Match and debuted its partnership with Bookshop.org in February.
Spotify is busy this week as its music side takes a backseat to its audiobook and physical book sales.
TO blog post sees Spotify’s global head of audiobooks, Owen Smith, promote the update this week, stating: “These updates demonstrate our continued ambition to make reading fit into modern life.” Page Match is one of Spotify’s biggest updates for audiobook listeners who also own the physical copy. Starting this week, Page Match will roll out support for 30 new languages, including French, German, and Swedish.
Physical book copies are headed into the spotlight in the US and UK, as promised, as Spotify’s bookstore partnership expands. Android users with the app can purchase physical versions of books they have listened to in audio format. AppleiPhone users will have to wait until “next week” while Spotify concludes proper support for iOS devices.
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The audiobook platform continues to receive updates this week, as Spotify announces that its playlists are expanding to kids and families in the US and UK. This list of audiobooks will highlight “popular and trending” titles that fit within these categories. Additionally, these graphics are targeted at users in Germany across a wide range of genres, such as sci-fi, kids, mystery, and more.
Spotify concludes its announcement with Audiobook Recaps on Android and iOS. These summaries are “short audio summaries tailored to your most recent listening point,” serving as a review of the story so far.
A parallel story
Spotify Page Match was a much of its update a couple of months ago. The feature allows users to scan the location of their physical book to then sync it with their audiobook. Since its debut, Spotify says it has seen a 55% increase in audiobook listening “every week.” Additionally, there was a 62% increase in users trying audiobooks for the first time and using Page Match.
The flip side of this February patch was the partnership with Bookshop.org. Consumers still prefer a physical book more than an audiobook, and Bookshop on Spotify was a way to help bring consumers closer to the stories they enjoy. All purchases made through Bookshop help support local bookstores.
Android Central’s opinion
I enjoy holding a book, rather than listening to an audiobook. I’m not sure why; Even trying to read a book on my phone seems a little strange to me. However, Spotify is really trying to get more into audiobooks (now hard copies) and for people who enjoy them, I feel like this is another important update. Also convenient: audiobooks, that is. Whether you’re walking or on a train or bus, audiobooks can make time fly by.
