If you’ve ever found yourself rewinding an audiobook because you got distracted mid-sentence, Audible has a new feature that can save you from the frustration. The platform calls it “Immersion Reading,” which is basically a fancy term for a Read & Listen mode.
As the name suggests, the mode lets you read the text on the screen while the audiobook narration plays. It also highlights the text word-for-word, in sync with the playback. Think of it as a karaoke, but for books (of course, you don’t have to sing).
Read and listen for a distraction-free experience
Audible’s new feature requires both the audiobook and the ebook version of the same title. Once you have both, you’ll see the new Read & Listen button appear at the top of the playback controls or the ebook.
Tapping it makes the experience much more immersive, as it’s harder for your brain to wander around, especially when both your eyes and ears are engaged. Whether you’re a student, language learner, or an avid listener, the feature can help you consume more content in a given time.
You can switch back to the audio-only mode anytime without losing track of the progression, perfect for when you’re pretending to work, when you’re really trying to finish one more chapter of that interesting audiobook.
No more app-hopping
The platform even states that customers who listen while reading along consume “nearly twice as much content per month as audiobook-only customers.”
Audible says that “hundreds of thousands of titles” support the new feature at launch, including those in English, German, Spanish, Italian, and French. For multitaskers or chronic re-winders, Amazon’s new feature could be a sure-shot productivity hack.