- Audible has launched a new reading tool that gives users the ability to use text sync to follow along with audiobooks
- It is currently rolling out in the US and will be available in the UK, Australia and Germany in the coming months.
- Despite the focus on accessibility, users must own both the audiobook and ebook versions of a title to use this feature.
Amid the growing popularity of e-reading, Audible’s position as one of the best audiobook providers hasn’t changed and is now redefining the way you immerse yourself in your favorite audiobooks.
Rolling out to US customers today (February 18) and the UK, Australia and Germany in the coming months, Audible’s new Read & Listen tool is a new way to track audiobooks by combining reading and listening in the Audible app. Previously, use of this feature was limited to the Kindle app as part of the Whispersync for Voice tool.
Through text synchronization, Read and Listen gives you the ability to read while listening to an audiobook, introducing another way to interact and enjoy your favorite books – but it’s much more than that according to Audible Chief Product Officer Andy Tsao.
“Audiobooks count as reading,” Tsao says in a press release announcing the feature. “But now at Audible, you can read with your eyes too. Reading and listening gives book lovers the best of both worlds. Whether you’re learning a new language, studying for school, or lost in the world of a story, you no longer have to choose one format over another.”
In addition to the new Read & Listen tool, Audible revealed that it’s testing another feature that interweaves digital and physical reading, apparently taking inspiration from Spotify’s audiobook upgrade that lets you buy physical books directly from the app. As it stands, some customers in the US have access to the Audible version of the feature, which includes direct links to physical book listings on Amazon’s site.
You can activate Read and Listen simply by pressing the toggle button, switching you between this mode and the standard ‘Listen’ mode, as well as group together hundreds of thousands of titles in a multitude of languages. That’s not Audible’s only goal with Read and Listen: accessibility is another key factor, but that comes with a problem that I just can’t get past.
An accessibility feature or a new business model?
Read to Listen not only aims to give book lovers more ways to enjoy audiobooks, but it also opens another door for those with accessibility needs to immerse themselves in new ways of reading, just like everyone else.
As Audible says; “Reading and listening is a powerful tool for differentiated instruction. Research indicates that reading and listening simultaneously improves comprehension and retention – particularly valuable benefits for students, language learners, and people with dyslexia, ADHD, or low vision.”
It all looks good on paper, but there’s one problem I can’t get past: you need to own both the eBook and audio versions of a title in order to take advantage of the Read and Listen feature, which is a bit of a circuitous move.
Audible hasn’t shared the reasons behind this, and it could simply be that Audible hasn’t quite mastered the full potential of Read and Listen and is starting small before expanding, but the obvious answer is that it’s a business model, because it means users will have to spend more money to purchase multiple versions of their favorite titles through Audible and Kindle if they want to get a taste of what Read and Listen has to offer.
We’ve reached out to Audible to ask why this is the case, and we’ll update this story once we receive more information.
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