Google has announced the launch of the audiobooks in its Play Store. Although mostly known for hosting Android apps and games, Google Play is the search giant’s storefront for all of its content offerings like Movies, TV shows, Music, eBooks, and Magazines.
In a blog post today, Google revealed that audiobooks are rolling out today in 45 countries and nine languages. The audiobooks will be accessible to the users across Android, iOS and the web with Google Play Books, as well as on Google Assistant-powered devices, like the Google Home. However, the Google Assistant support will only work with English-language audiobooks right now. The Play Books app will also support casting of audiobooks on Chromecast as well as playback on Android Wear and Android Auto. The audiobook playback will also sync across devices, so you can just pick up where you left off no matter what device you’re using.
“With audiobooks on Google Play, you can turn your time stuck in traffic, on the treadmill, or waiting in line into reading time,” Google wrote in the blog spot.
Unlike Amazon’s Audible, which includes subscription as a key component, Google is going to sell individual audiobooks. According to Google, most of the popular titles are being offered for under $10 (at least for the time-being). For markets where Google currently offers Family Library, the users will be able to share their purchased audiobooks with other family members for free.
Google also notes that like eBooks, the consumers will be able sample the audiobooks before purchasing them by selecting the preview option.
To celebrate the launch of audiobooks in Google Play, the search giant is offering promotional pricing on many audiobooks, including 50 percent discount on your first audiobook purchase. So, if you are into audiobooks, it will be a good time to grab a few for cheap.
