(Credit: Spotify)
Announced earlier this year, Spotify now lets you purchase physical copies of the audiobooks you’re listening to through its app.
The feature, called Shop Bookshop, works in partnership with Bookshop.org, an online retailer that aims to better support independent bookstores. The Spotify integration helps you quickly find a physical copy of the title through Bookshop.org so you can add a real-life version to your shelf.
You can now access the feature in the US and UK via Spotify's Android app, while an iOS update is set to roll out next week. PCMag was unable to find the features live within the Spotify app, suggesting it may be a gradual rollout for users.
There are currently no clear plans for Spotify to offer book purchasing through its desktop or web versions. Spotify says, “By connecting digital discovery with physical book sales, we’re giving listeners more ways to experience the stories they love while supporting authors and independent bookstores.”
The feature is also designed to work alongside Page Match, which helps you easily switch between an audiobook and a printed or ebook by sharing the correct page numbers. Page Match began appearing on Spotify back in February.
Today’s update brings Audiobook Recaps to Android, providing short audio summaries to help you jump back into a story when you've put it down for too long. The feature first came to the iPhone in November last year.
Spotify is also taking the opportunity to introduce a new chart in the US that shows the best kids' and family stories to listen to. This new chart joins an existing ranking for all available titles.
Spotify’s head of audiobooks, Owen Smith, said, “Whether it’s discovering a book the same way you’d find a song or podcast on Spotify, picking up the audiobook on your commute, using Page Match to switch to a physical copy at home, or jumping back in with a Recap, we’re making it easier for people to engage with books while supporting growth for authors and publishers along the way.”