Last February, Spotify made an exciting and somewhat unusual move by entering the world of physical book sales. Starting this week, the new feature officially rolls out in the US and UK, allowing users to purchase physical books through the Spotify app.
This collaboration is with Bookshop.org, an online marketplace dedicated to supporting local independent bookstores. On the audiobook page within the app, you’ll now see a button that says ‘Get a copy to keep on your shelf.’ Clicking this button will take you to the Bookshop website where we manage pricing, inventory and shipping.
Currently, the physical book purchase feature is only available for Android devices, with iOS users gaining access next week.
Today’s announcement solidifies Spotify’s position as a competitor to major bookstores as it aims to transform itself into a one-stop shop for book lovers. This new product is also part of Spotify’s larger strategy to focus on profitability. To achieve this goal, the company has been increasing subscription prices in the US and Europe. It recently touted that it had 751 million monthly active listeners.
In addition to physical book sales, Spotify has rolled out a few other updates that it first announced in February. This includes expansion of the “Match Page” feature to support more than 30 additional languages, including French, German, and Swedish. Page Match allows users to scan pages of a physical book or e-book using their smartphone camera. This tool analyzes the content and guides users to the appropriate section of the audiobook.
Since launching the feature for English-language books in February, Spotify has reported that users using Page Match streaming stream an average of 55% more hours of audiobooks each week than other listeners. Additionally, 62% of Spotify’s page-matched audiobook titles are books the user has never streamed before.
Additional updates include the official release of “Audiobook Recaps” for Android devices. This feature provides a short audio summary tailored to the user’s most recent point in the story, making it easier to listen to again.
Tech Crunch Event
San Francisco, California
|
October 13-15, 2026
The company also announced that its “Audiobook Charts”, similar to Spotify’s music and podcast charts, are now available in Germany, following previous launches in the US and UK. This chart helps users find their next favorite book by showing what’s hot and trending on Spotify.
