Amazon-owned Audible has introduced a new ‘Read & Listen’ feature that seamlessly integrates Kindle ebooks with their corresponding audiobooks. This ‘immersion reading’ functionality, available on the Audible app, allows users to follow along with the ebook text while listening to the narration, with the text highlighted in real-time. Customers will need to purchase both the ebook and audiobook versions of a title, but at a discounted price.
The feature, initially launched in the U.S. and soon to expand to other regions, supports hundreds of thousands of titles in multiple languages. To enable this integration, Audible automatically identifies Kindle ebooks that have corresponding audiobooks. Previously, users could switch between ebook and audiobook versions on the Kindle app, but now, the same convenience extends to the Audible platform.
By offering this feature, Audible aims to provide a more engaging reading experience for customers who prefer both visual and auditory formats, competing with alternatives like having Alexa narrate ebooks. The option to purchase discounted audiobooks alongside ebooks is designed to encourage cross-format sales and enhance accessibility to a broader audience.
Source: TechCrunch