Spotify introduces print book sales in the US and UK
Spotify announced updates to its audiobook business, enabling U.S. and U.K. users to buy physical copies of audiobooks through the app via a partnership with Bookshop.org, alongside new features Page Match and Audiobook Recaps for Android.
Spotify introduced the option for users in the United States and United Kingdom to purchase physical editions of audiobooks directly from the app. This capability appears as a button labeled “Add to your bookshelf at home” on individual audiobook pages within the application. Selecting the button redirects users to the Bookshop.org website, where that platform manages pricing, inventory availability, and shipping logistics. The rollout of this physical book purchasing feature begins this spring.
Spotify established a partnership with Bookshop.org, an online marketplace dedicated to supporting local independent bookstores. Through this arrangement, every purchase initiated via the Spotify app contributes directly to local book communities by benefiting independent sellers. Spotify receives an affiliate fee for each such transaction completed.
The physical book sales initiative positions Spotify to offer both print and digital formats, addressing users who prefer tangible books alongside audiobooks. This development extends Spotify’s audiobook service beyond its original digital-only scope.
Spotify launched Page Match, a tool that allows users to scan a page from a physical book or e-book using their phone’s camera. The system analyzes the scanned content through computer vision and image-scanning technologies, both developed in-house by Spotify and sourced from third parties. This process identifies the corresponding location and directs the user to the exact spot in the audiobook version.
Within Page Match, users encounter two specific buttons: “Scan to Listen,” which transitions playback to the audiobook at the matched point, and “Scan to Read,” which facilitates a return to the physical or e-book format from the same position. These options enable seamless switching between reading and listening, accommodating scenarios such as home reading or audio consumption during travel.
Page Match launched initially for premium subscribers and extends to all audiobook users by late February. The feature spotted by Android Authority last month covers most English-language titles on the platform. Spotify maintains plans to broaden its language and title support in the future. The platform currently hosts more than 500,000 audiobook titles.
Spotify also expanded Audiobook Recaps, a feature that delivers concise summaries of the last section where a user paused listening. Previously limited to iOS devices, Audiobook Recaps becomes available on Android devices during the spring.
Since introducing audiobooks two years ago, Spotify recorded growth in user engagement. Over the past year, the number of users listening to audiobooks increased by 36 percent, while listening hours rose by 37 percent. More than half of Spotify’s 281 million premium subscribers have interacted with at least one audiobook. The company plans to disclose its fourth-quarter earnings results on February 10.