Spotify unveils ‘Page Match’ so you can easily switch between book and audiobook reading
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Spotify unveils ‘Page Match’ so you can easily switch between book and audiobook reading
Clare Mulroy, USA TODAYFebruary 5, 2026 at 7:02 AM
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NEW YORK – Spotify wants to help you finish more books.
The audio streaming platform is unveiling new technology to streamline your audiobook and physical reading. “Page Match” allows readers to sync their audiobook listening to the exact passage on the page, allowing readers to pick up exactly where they left off no matter how they're getting the story.
Booklovers are diversifying their reading platforms to physical, digital and audiobooks, sometimes tackling one book in multiple mediums. Today, you can listen to an audiobook of “Heated Rivalry” on your commute and pick up your physical copy when you get home. The only problem? How to find your spot on the page.
Spotify unveils ‘Page Match’ for easy audiobook syncing
Spotify is rolling out its “Page Match” feature this week, and many users will already see the feature on their app. All users will get access by Feb. 23. The feature is available to all Spotify audiobook listeners on most English-language titles and will expand in the future.
Here’s how it works:
To go from book to audio, find the “Page Match” function under the book title. Use the camera to capture your current page on your physical or digital book. Spotify will locate the passage and automatically play the audiobook at the same spot.
To go back to the physical/digital book, position your book or e-reader page in front of the camera. Spotify will either show you a highlighted sentence (“Page matched!”) or you’ll see “Almost there…” with an arrow pointing toward the direction to flip the page.
Use your camera and Spotify app for seamless audiobook to physical reading.
Audiobook synchronization is not a new concept. Audible and Kindle sync to each other via the Whispersync immersive reading function. But Spotify’s camera-based operation is first of its kind because it works across e-readers and physical books alike. You can scan a page of your hardcover or your Kindle. And unlike Whispersync, Spotify’s “Page Match” is not brand-specific.
“We are not operating within a single ecosystem,” said Niamh Parsley, head of product and design at Spotify audiobooks, at a media briefing. “Wherever you’re reading, ‘Page Match’ can help you jump into listening, too.”
How does Spotify’s ‘Page Match’ work?
“Page Match” uses computer video and matching technology, not artificial intelligence, says Owen Smith, head of audiobooks. Spotify does not retain the book images the camera captures, an important feature to instill trust in users, he tells USA TODAY.
The sentence matching is what makes “Page Match” work on any book, regardless of size or edition. When the product was in testing, engineers quickly realized they needed to tie the synchronization technology to passage, not page, Smith says.
“It works irrespective of your edition,” Smith says. “So it should work for your Jane Austen novel from 200 years ago as much as it were for your Jane Austen edition, published last week.”
Spotify goes all-in on audiobook innovation
Spotify has invested considerably in audiobook innovation in recent years. In 2023, it introduced 15 monthly listening hours for Premium plan holders. It’s increased their catalog from 150,000 books to 500,000 since launching. Audiobooks even appear on Spotify Wrapped now.
In addition to “Page Match,” Spotify also announced two other new initiatives coming soon. Their iOS “recap” feature, which allows readers to get a spoiler-free synopsis of where they’ve read so far, will come to Android this spring.
And, tying to their vision for more hybrid reading, Spotify will soon direct users to Bookshop.org to buy physical and e-books and support local, independent booksellers. Rather than piloting their own bookselling site, Smith says Spotify wants to focus on what it’s already good at.
“We also love independent bookstores, so we love that part of their mission,” Smith says. “We think we have the best audiobook experience in the world. And we think (Bookshop.org’s) team do a really great job of selling physical books and delivering to them to you in your home. It just felt like a really natural partnership to work with them.”
Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY’s Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you’re reading at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Spotify introduces ‘Page Match’ to sync audiobook and physical reading
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