Audible Launches Read and Listen Mode for US Users

Audible, the Amazon-owned audiobook service, launched a new feature on Wednesday that allows users to read ebook text and listen to narration simultaneously within its mobile app. The Read and Listen mode, available immediately to subscribers in the United States, synchronizes highlighted text with the audio in real time, creating an immersive experience for those who own both the ebook and audiobook versions of a title.

To use the feature, customers must have active Audible and Kindle subscriptions, as well as matching digital versions of a book in their libraries. Once activated, the app displays the ebook's text on screen while the narration plays, highlighting words as they are spoken, similar to lyrics tracking in music apps. Users can toggle between pure listening and the combined mode with one tap, and a dedicated library filter automatically identifies compatible titles without manual searching. At launch, the feature supports hundreds of thousands of books in languages including English, Spanish, French, German and Italian.

Audible officials stated that the update builds on the company's existing Whispersync for Voice technology, which has enabled seamless progress...