Google introduces bookmarking option on audiobooks

NEW YORK: In a bid to edge-out competitors like Audible and iBooks, Google introduced a number of new updates on audiobooks available on Google Play Store.

The tech giant rolled out four updates in total, allowing users to now bookmark pages of an audiobook, control narration speed or add books to their routine, reports The Verge.   

With the updates in places, a user who has paused a book will have a chance to listen from the beginning of a word or sentence. Furthermore, Google will now allow listeners to adjust the speed of the narration, or add a bookmark at a certain point that one may want to revisit.

Additionally, users will be able to add audiobooks to a Google Assistant routine, thus enabling it to be automatically played as part of a morning program, for example.

The company also announced the expansion of the e-book and audiobook family to users in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Chile, Mexico, Japan (audiobooks only), and South Africa.

In January this year, Google had announced the launch of audiobooks on the Google Play store in India, amid increasing inclination towards the use of voice commands and personal digital assistants.

Audiobooks on Google Play is available in nine languages across 45 countries. Users can listen to their favourite audiobooks across Android, iOS, and the web, as well as on devices that include the Google Assistant, like Google Home and many others.  

On a related note, the latest update is being rolled out for Android and iOS users, along with devices that use Google Assistant.