Google Play wants to read books to you
The search giant is launching an audiobooks service to challenge Amazon's Audible.
Google is now into audiobooks.
Listen up. Now you can hear the bestselling book "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," along with other popular audiobook titles, via Google Play.
The company said Tuesday it's releasing audiobooks on its Google Play store in nine languages across 45 countries. Titles will be available on iOS and Android for phones and on the web with Google Play Books, and on devices with the voice-activated Google Assistant, including Google Home.
Google's new offering is a challenger to Amazon's service, Audible, in the battle for our digital listening time. Unlike Audible, Google Play's service is not a subscription. Google Play customers can purchase books at will -- although Audible also allows audiobook purchases without a subscription. In addition, Google Play audiobook listeners can buy a single book and share it in their family plan through Family Library.
To entice book lovers, Google is offering a 50 percent discount on the first audiobook purchase.