Amazon today introduced Whispersync for Voice to its Kindle apps for Android and iOS, allowing users to switch between reading and listening inside just one app. The feature combines Kindle ebooks with their companion Audible titles using Amazon’s one-click Matchmaker service, and upgrades will cost as little as $0.99 per title.
The new Kindle app is perfect for those who read and listen to books, and find themselves constantly switching between different apps to do so. If you’re glued to a new title you just can’t put down, it lets you read it over breakfast and seamlessly continue listening in the car on your commute to work.
“Integrating professional narration into our Kindle apps means you never have to put down a favorite book—start reading at home, get in the car and simply tap a button to continue listening without losing your place,” said Russ Grandinetti, Senior Vice President of Amazon’s Kindle division.
I often end up buying books on Kindle and from Audible so that I can read them in bed at night and listen to them at the gym. But not only does that mean I have to pay twice for the same title, it also means I have to use separate apps. And because the two don’t sync with each other, I’m constantly searching for my place every time I switch.
Whispersync for Voice takes care of all that, and adding audiobooks to Kindle titles is as little as $0.99 — or as little as $3.99 for a bestseller. It’s available for more than 45,000 titles via the Kindle updates rolling out today through the App Store, Google Play, and the Amazon Appstore for Android.
