Amazon renames Kindle Unlimited and expands audiobooks

Amazon has renamed its Kindle Unlimited subscription to Kindle and expanded the service’s audiobook offering, including titles narrated with its Virtual Voice artificial-intelligence technology. The subscription’s reading service remains in place, and customers can still borrow up to 20 titles at a time. The audiobook access is available to subscribers in the United States, according to Amazon’s announcement. The company says it plans to bring audiobooks to additional marketplaces, but it has not named Canada or provided a timeline for a Canadian launch. Canadian subscribers do not currently receive the audiobook benefit described for U.S. customers. In Canada, the service continues to offer reading access to eligible e-books, comics and magazines. Amazon lists the price at C$11.99 per month, with a 30-day free trial. The company says the rebranding does not change the subscription’s borrowing terms or require an Amazon Prime membership. The expanded listening option includes AI-narrated books as well as human-narrated titles made through Audible’s ACX marketplace in the United States. Subscribers can read, listen or switch between the formats, according to Amazon. The company...