Amazon's Audible has launched a new feature called 'Read & Listen,' which allows users to read a Kindle ebook and listen to its corresponding audiobook simultaneously within the Audible app. The feature synchronizes the audio narration with highlighted text on the screen, an experience previously available in a more limited capacity through 'Whispersync for Voice' in the Kindle app.
To use the 'Read & Listen' function, customers must own both the Kindle ebook and the Audible version of the title. The feature is rolling out to users in the United States and will be available for hundreds of thousands of titles in English, German, Spanish, Italian, and French, with plans to expand to the UK, Australia, and Germany in the coming months. Audible suggests that this integrated experience can significantly increase content consumption.