Audible app - new "immersion reading" feature

odamizu · 02-22-2026, 02:14 AM

Looks like Audible is adding "immersion reading" (aka Whispersync for Voice aka "Read & Listen") so that you can read and listen in the Audible app just like you can with the Kindle app. I.e., previously, the Audible app would take you to the Kindle app where you could Read & Listen, but now, apparently, you don't have to leave the Audible app. You can "Read & Listen" within the Audible app.

Here's the press release: https://www.audible.com/about/newsro...FoXoiEUOI1iEi1

It supposedly started rolling out in the U.S. on Wednesday 2/18 with the U.K., Australia and Germany to follow in the coming months.

Has anyone seen this? My Audible app is not offering this (yet).

Here's a screenshot from press release:

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rantanplan · 02-22-2026, 06:29 AM

I have tried this feature on the kindle app and it’s super distracting to me. I think I’m not the target demographic.

Apache · 02-22-2026, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rantanplan

I have tried this feature on the kindle app and it’s super distracting to me. I think I’m not the target demographic.

Same here.
Apache

odamizu · 02-23-2026, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rantanplan

I have tried this feature on the kindle app and it’s super distracting to me. I think I’m not the target demographic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apache

Same here.

I'm not really interested in immersion reading, either. What I'm interested in is the ability search for text in a book and sync the audio to that spot without leaving the Audible app.

Right now what I do is I go to the Kindle app, find the spot I'm looking for, then go back to the Audible app and sync. But if I could do all of that within the Audible app, that would be a perk.

Also syncing bookmarks between the Audible app and Kindle app is a little wonky. I'm hoping that if it's all integrated into the Audible app, the wonkiness will be resolved.

Anyway, I was just curious if anyone in the U.S. is seeing this feature in their Audible app yet. I'm not seeing it yet.

tubemonkey · 02-23-2026, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by odamizu

Anyway, I was just curious if anyone in the U.S. is seeing this feature in their Audible app yet. I'm not seeing it yet.

I'm not seeing it either.

odamizu · Yesterday, 03:59 PM

I just got it. It's in the newly released 4.64.1 (1893) for iOS/iPadOS.

It's not as useful as I hoped. When you switch to Read & Listen you see the text, but you can't search text, and you can't "turn" pages to go back and forth. You can only go back 30 seconds (or whatever you've set the Skip Backward increment to be); you can't even skip forward.

So it's only somewhat useful for navigation, if, for example, you want to go back a few "pages" or if you didn't catch something in the narration and want to stop and read it, or if there's an unusual name you want to see the spelling of, etc.

02-22-2026, 02:14 AM	#1
odamizu just an egg Posts: 1,855 Karma: 8006346 Join Date: Mar 2015 Device: Kindle, iOS	Audible app - new "immersion reading" feature Looks like Audible is adding "immersion reading" (aka Whispersync for Voice aka "Read & Listen") so that you can read and listen in the Audible app just like you can with the Kindle app. I.e., previously, the Audible app would take you to the Kindle app where you could Read & Listen, but now, apparently, you don't have to leave the Audible app. You can "Read & Listen" within the Audible app. Here's the press release: https://www.audible.com/about/newsro...FoXoiEUOI1iEi1 It supposedly started rolling out in the U.S. on Wednesday 2/18 with the U.K., Australia and Germany to follow in the coming months. Has anyone seen this? My Audible app is not offering this (yet). Here's a screenshot from press release:

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02-22-2026, 06:29 AM	#2
rantanplan Weirdo Posts: 1,044 Karma: 12502580 Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: Wuppertal, Germany Device: Kobo Sage, Kobo Libra 2, reMarkable PaperPro	I have tried this feature on the kindle app and it’s super distracting to me. I think I’m not the target demographic.

Yesterday, 03:59 PM	#6
odamizu just an egg Posts: 1,855 Karma: 8006346 Join Date: Mar 2015 Device: Kindle, iOS	I just got it. It's in the newly released 4.64.1 (1893) for iOS/iPadOS. It's not as useful as I hoped. When you switch to Read & Listen you see the text, but you can't search text, and you can't "turn" pages to go back and forth. You can only go back 30 seconds (or whatever you've set the Skip Backward increment to be); you can't even skip forward. So it's only somewhat useful for navigation, if, for example, you want to go back a few "pages" or if you didn't catch something in the narration and want to stop and read it, or if there's an unusual name you want to see the spelling of, etc.