Audible unites ebooks & audiobooks with Read & Listen

Audible is rolling out a "Read & Listen" feature that combines audiobook playback with synchronised, highlighted eBook text. An Australian launch is planned in the coming months.

The feature is available to customers who own both the audiobook and the matching eBook. Inside the Audible app, the text appears as the narration plays, with real-time highlighting that follows the spoken words.

How it works

Read & Listen adds an immersion reading mode alongside standard audiobook playback. Users can switch between "Listen" and "Read & Listen" while keeping audio and text aligned.

The experience links to customers' Kindle libraries. The app identifies which Kindle eBooks have audiobook matches and surfaces eligible titles through a dedicated library filter. Both formats are still required to use the feature.

The launch includes hundreds of thousands of titles across multiple languages, including English, German, Spanish, Italian and French.

The rollout begins in the US, with the UK, Australia and Germany scheduled to follow.

Engagement claims

Audible is positioning the feature around deeper engagement and learning outcomes, arguing that reading and listening at the same time can improve focus and comprehension for some users.

"Audiobooks count as reading," said Andy Tsao, Audible's chief product officer. "But now at Audible, you can read with your eyes too. Read & Listen gives book lovers the best of both worlds. Whether you're learning a new language, studying for school, or lost in a story's world, you no longer have to choose one format over the other."

Early usage data suggests customers who combine reading and listening spend more time with books than those who only listen. Users who already use both formats consume nearly twice as much content per month as audiobook-only customers, the company said.

Audible also cited a recent US survey of people who read and listen together, saying more than nine in 10 respondents agreed the combination improves retention and comprehension.

Local context

The Australian rollout comes as audiobook listening becomes more mainstream locally. Research from Creative Australia describes audiobooks as a legitimate reading practice, particularly for readers who face barriers with print.

That research also highlights demand among people with dyslexia, ADHD, low vision, language learners, and culturally diverse audiences. It found more than a third of Australians now listen to audiobooks, with audio serving as a primary way of reading for some consumers.

Read & Listen builds on existing connections between Audible and Kindle, including discounted audiobook pricing for customers who already own the matching eBook, and page syncing between formats and devices.

Publishers will not see changes to royalty payments linked to the feature, the company said.

Audible has spent recent years expanding its app beyond a straightforward audio player, with a focus on discovery, formats and retention. A combined reading-and-listening mode also brings Audible closer to features long available on Kindle, while keeping the experience inside Audible's own interface.

The feature also elevates dual-format ownership at a time when consumers increasingly expect access across devices and modalities. For users, it adds an in-app reading mode that may reduce the need to switch between services or screens when moving between audio and text.

The app will automatically surface eligible titles based on a user's Kindle library, allowing customers to start Read & Listen without manually searching for matching editions-provided both formats are already owned.

Read & Listen will continue rolling out internationally after the initial US release, with Australia among the next markets slated to receive it in the coming months.