What you need to know
- Spotify was reportedly found developing a new audiobook feature that will work to sync its progress with that of your physical edition.
- A tipster found that the platform is working on “Page Match,” which will let users scan their physical book’s page with their phone to sync their audiobook progress and follow along.
- Spotify recently introduced “Request to Jam” in Messages and it also raised U.S. subscription prices.
A tipster has reportedly discovered what looks like an upcoming feature for Spotify that’s all about connecting readers with the physical and audio worlds.
Spotify’s recent version reportedly has a new feature under the hood, indicative of a new audiobook feature the platform is working on. Tipster AssembleDebug (Android Authority) brought this to the surface, claiming that this supposed feature aims to sync your physical book with its audiobook version. Currently dubbed “Page Match” in the early code, AssembleDebug unearthed code that states users can “jump between the book (or EBook) and the audiobook.”
It seems like Spotify is trying to elevate this feature by bringing the user’s involvement into greater play.
According to the post, a code description reads, “scan a page to match your progress.” If you’ve already started the audiobook and have recently picked up its physical edition, users can use their phones to scan the real-life version’s page. Essentially, if you want to start on pg. 45, you’d scan that page, and Spotify’s “Page Match” will (literally) match the audiobook to that, so you can continue.
However, the tipster reports an additional feature. Another line of code states users can utilize Page Match in reverse. Instead of first scanning the physical page to sync Page Match’s audiobook feature to you, users can have Page Match tell them what page they’re on, so they can get there in the physical version.
Get some reading in today
There’s still more work to be done, as there’s no clear-cut answer as to when we might see this. What is clear is that Spotify is looking to bridge its audiobooks with physical and e-books for users. Moreover, this will likely be a Premium feature; be aware of that. The tipster also speculates that Page Match will be “limited” to markets that have audiobooks available on Spotify currently.
If you remember, Spotify let its audiobooks section fly a few years back when it launched 200,000 “free” titles. There was a caveat here: Premium subscribers could listen to audiobooks for 15 hours per month before the platform would ask for an additional $12.99 (for an extra 10 hours) to keep going beyond that.
As far as recent happenings go, Spotify introduced a “Request to Jam” feature in its platform’s DMs. Now, if you see one of your friends listening to some swanky tunes, you can ask to join in, offering your selection of music, as well. On a different note, the service also raised its prices. U.S. subscribers were met with a $1 increase for its Individual and Student plans ($12.99 and 6.99). Elsewhere, Spotify Premium Duo and Family plans went up by $2.
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