Spotify's new feature sync audiobooks with paper books

Spotify is testing a new feature called “Page Match” that can connect physical books and audiobooks.

The new feature is found in its Android App code.

Currently, it is in the testing phase, enabling users to start listening to the audiobook on Spotify whenever they want to switch from a paper book.

“Page Match” utilises the smartphone’s camera to scan a page of text.

Using optical character recognition (OCR) technology, the app will identify the passage and match it to the corresponding timestamp in the audiobook.

This enables readers to listen to the book exactly where they left off.

Code indicated that the feature will also work in reverse, displaying a physical page number based on where an audiobook is paused.

If launched successfully, the feature will offer a unique hybrid reading experience, differentiating Spotify from existing sync features like Amazon’s Whispersync for Voice, which works only between Kindle ebooks and Audible audiobooks.

There’s no official statement from Spotify yet. Potential challenges include varying page numbers across different book editions and the reliability of OCR scanning.