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ZDNET's key takeaways
- Spotify unveiled Page Match on Thursday.
- The new feature simplifies switching between audiobook and physical book.
- Spotify will begin selling physical books on the app.
Spotify is amping up its reading offerings. The streaming giant introduced a new feature, Page Match, on Thursday that simplifies switching between audiobooks and physical books. It will also sell physical books on the app through a partnership with independent bookseller Bookshop.
Page Match makes it easy to go from a page in an audiobook to the same page in a physical book -- and vice versa. By scanning the page of a printed book or ebook, users can easily navigate to that page in Spotify's audiobooks.
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As someone who has been using Spotify's 15 monthly hours of free audiobook time to read new titles, this feature feels like it was made for me. I love listening to audiobooks on the go, like on the subway commute to and from work, or while I'm doing cardio at the gym. But once I get home from a busy day, I try to unplug from my screens and will wind down by reading the physical version of that same book (if I happen to have it). I've done this several times since discovering Spotify's breadth of audiobook offerings.
Many of the books I listen to have long chapters that can run 50 minutes or more when I listen through Spotify's audiobooks. If I'm halfway through a chapter this long, it can take a lot of time to try and find my place in the audiobook or physical book.
"We see the future of reading as one that's personalized, flexible, and built to move fluidly across formats and moments," Spotify says in a press release.
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The feature is available to all Spotify audiobook listeners on most English-language titles. Premium subscribers can begin using the tool now, with a full rollout coming to all Spotify users by February 23.
Here's how to use the new feature to switch between audiobooks, ebooks, and physical books, and vice versa.
How to switch from your book to a Spotify audiobook
To move from your book or e-reader to the audiobook, search for the audiobook on Spotify and hit the "Page Match" button. Tap "Scan to listen" and enable camera access in the app. Then scan the page of the book you're reading. Your place will appear in the app, and Spotify will prompt you to "Play from here" or "Save for later."
How to switch from your Spotify audiobook to a book or e-reader
To move from Spotify's audiobook to your book or ebook, tap "Page Match." Then tap "Scan to read." Use the camera to scan a page in your book -- any page -- for Spotify to orient itself. Then it will take your place in the audiobook and guide you forward or backward to find your exact place.
How to purchase books on Spotify
Through a partnership with indie bookstore website, Bookshop.org, Spotify users in the US and UK can begin purchasing physical books this spring. The titles available to purchase on Spotify will also have audiobook options on the app.
English (US) ·