Spotify is testing a characteristic that syncs audiobooks with paper editions

Spotify seems to be engaged on a novel characteristic that can permit audiobook listeners to select up the place they left off within the bodily ebook. Android Authority experiences that model 9.1.18.282 of the Spotify app consists of code references to a Web page Match beta characteristic that may rapidly sync audiobooks on the platform with their paper and e-book counterparts.

Utilizing Web page Match would require customers to unlock or buy the audiobook on Spotify, and personal both the paper or e-book model of the identical ebook. The characteristic works by scanning the web page you’re at the moment studying along with your machine digital camera, utilizing optical character recognition (OCR) to establish passages which can be then matched to particular timestamps within the audiobook.

The purpose is to spare you from having to fast-forward and rewind manually, but it surely appears Web page Match may additionally work in reverse. Code snippets recommend that Spotify will even show the web page quantity that corresponds to your present audiobook place, making it simpler for bibliophiles to rapidly bounce between listening and bodily studying. That is backed up by Spotify’s personal description of the characteristic, which may “match your progress from the ebook web page to the audiobook — and again once more.” Web page numbers can differ by ebook version, nevertheless, which may trigger some problems.

Spotify has but to announce Web page Match, so there’s no assure that it’ll roll out publicly. The OCR for Web page Match additionally isn’t all the time dependable, with Android Authority reporting that Spotify will ask you to scan a close-by web page if it’s unable to establish the passage you’re studying.

Amazon has the same characteristic known as Whispersync for Voice that synchronizes Audible audiobooks with Kindle ebooks, however that resolution doesn’t help syncing with paper books or ebooks on different platforms. Web page Match doesn’t have these limitations, which may make it simpler for folks to place down their bodily books and proceed listening whereas driving, cooking, and doing different hands-on actions — one thing I do usually to stay productive.