As expected, Google has today announced that Google Play Books is adding an Audiobook section, with availability rolling out to 45 countries.
Google has added a dedicated Audiobooks section to the Google Play Books category and hopes that their pricing and availability of audiobooks without a subscription, which is required by leading Audiobook supplier Audible, will entice users to buy into the service.
Pricing starts around $2.99 for Audiobooks on Google Play, with a 50% off offer available for your first purchase, a great incentive to try it out. You can even share the audiobook with your family library.
Google Assistant integration will be a big draw card for many users with the ability to tell your Google Home (including Mini and Max) able to play back Audiobooks. Google sold over 6 million Assistant enabled speakers between October and January, so there’s a lot of potential targets there.
You can simply ask Google to play your audiobook to get it playing and even set timers including ‘Ok Google, stop playing in 20 minutes’ to limit the time you’re listening. In the US users will be able to listen to Audiobooks on Android Auto.
Audiobooks on Google Play can be listened to in 9 languages, though they can only be listened to in English on Google Assistant.
With compatability across devices users can start and stop on multiple devices, letting them stop playing on their phone and then pick up immediately where they left off on their Android or iOS device, Chromecast, Android Wear, Android Auto or even your laptop.
The Audiobooks section of Google Play is up and running now on Google Play so head over and check it out.
