What you need to know
- Spotify announces that its Page Match feature, which sync audiobooks with physical copies, expands its language support with 30 new additions.
- The company’s partnership with Bookshop.org finally arrives in the U.S. and U.K. for Android users, leaving iOS users to wait until “next week.”
- Spotify first launched Page Match and debuted its Bookshop.org partnership in February.
Spotify is busy this week, as its music side takes a back seat to its Audiobook and physical book sales.
A blog post sees Spotify’s global head of audiobooks, Owen Smith, hype up 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 largest updates for audiobook listeners who also possess the physical copy. Starting this week, Page Match is rolling out support for 30 new languages, including French, German, and Swedish.
Physical book copies are headed for the spotlight in the U.S. and the U.K., as promised, as Spotify’s Bookshop partnership expands. Android users with the app can purchase physical versions of the books they may have listened to in their audio form. Apple‘s iPhone users will have to wait until “next week,” as Spotify wraps up proper support for iOS devices.
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The audiobook platform continues to receive updates this week, as Spotify announces that its Charts are expanding to kids and families in the U.S. and the U.K. This Audiobook Chart will highlight “popular and trending” titles that fit within these categories. Additionally, these charts are headed for users in Germany across a wide range of genres, like sci-fi, kids, mystery, and more.
Spotify wraps up its announcement with Audiobook Recaps on Android and iOS. These recaps are “short audio summaries tailored to your most recent listening point,” serving as a refresher about the story thus far.
A Side Story
Spotify’s Page Match was a huge part of its update a couple of months ago. The feature let users scan their physical book’s placement to then sync it with their audiobook. Since its debut, Spotify says it has observed a 55% increase in audiobook listening “each week.” Additionally, it saw a 62% spike in users trying out audiobooks for the first time and using Page Match.
The other side of this patch from February was the Bookshop.org partnership. Consumers still grab a physical book more than they do an audiobook, and Bookshop on Spotify was a way to help bring consumers to the stories they enjoy. All purchases made through Bookshop help support local bookshops.
Android Central’s Take
I do enjoy holding a book, as opposed to listening to an audiobook. Not really sure why; even trying to read a book on my phone feels a little foreign. Nevertheless, Spotify’s truly trying to step into audiobooks more (now hard copies) and for people that enjoy them, I feel like this is another significant update. It’s also convenient—audiobooks, I mean. Whether you’re on a walk or on a train/bus, audiobooks can make the time fly by.
