Spotify finally got audiobooks — where to find them and how to listen

Spotify mobile app with Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Ever wondered why you couldn't listen to audiobooks on Spotify? Me too! That's where all my other audio content sits — my music and my podcasts — so why not lump in audiobooks so I can listen to everything in one place?

Well, you can. Spotify now allows you to listen to a wide range of audiobooks through its mobile and desktop applications, so you can listen to your favorite books at home or on the move.

Personally, I think this is a positive move, as it stops me needing to flick between the Spotify and Audible apps when I want to change between a podcast and audiobook. However, there are some notable caveats that limit this feature's usage and mean listening to audiobooks on Spotify may not be as good as using a dedicated audiobook app.

Second, unless you buy an audiobook outright, even if you have a Premium sub, you'll only get 15 hours of audiobook listening a month. Personally, I think that's pretty stingy, given many audiobooks run way beyond that — so that's potentially less than one book a month. Until they increase the amount, I think I'll stick primarily to Audible and use Spotify for the odd audiobook here and there.

If you can limit your listening (you might want to learn how to enable a sleep timer so you don't sleep through your allowance) though, this could still be a useful feature. Besides, if you're already paying for Premium, you've not got 15 hours of audiobooks bundled in for free.

Here's how to find audiobooks on Spotify.

How to listen to audiobooks on Spotify

The screens below were taken on an iPhone 15 Pro and on macOS, but steps should be more or less the same on other devices.

1. Tap Search > Audiobooks

A screenshot showing how to listen to audiobooks on Spotify

First up, open Spotify and tap Search. Then tap Audiobooks. This will be the same on mobile and desktop (pictured immediately below), although obviously the layout on both apps differs slightly.

2. Select a curated audiobook or browse via genres

You can either select a curated audiobook from the audiobooks home page, choose a genre or select Explore all genres. Alternatively, simply search for the audiobook you want, if you know what you're after.

3. Hit Play

Hit Play to start listening. It's worth noting that there doesn't appear to be a countdown timer for the audiobook allowance you have left that month. Ration your listening carefully if you tend to binge audiobooks.

That's all there is to it. Think this will tempt you to come to Spotify? We can show you how to get Spotify Premium. Want to find a song you listened to recently? Learn how to see your listening history on Spotify. Like that song? Here's how to download songs in Spotify.

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Peter is a Senior Editor at Tom's Guide, heading up the site's Reviews team and Cameras section. As a writer, he covers topics including tech, photography, gaming, hardware, motoring and food & drink. Outside of work, he's an avid photographer, specialising in architectural and portrait photography. When he's not snapping away on his beloved Fujifilm camera, he can usually be found telling everyone about his greyhounds, riding his motorcycle, squeezing as many FPS as possible out of PC games, and perfecting his espresso shots.