Can you listen to audiobooks on a Kindle?

1Which audiobooks play in the Kindle app?

Audible audiobooks. Amazon's "switch between reading and listening" help page shows the flow: open a Kindle book in the Kindle app on iPhone, iPad or Android, download the Audible narration, and tap play. If you own both the ebook and the matching audiobook, you can read with the narration highlighted, listen only, or switch between the two and keep your place. Amazon notes that the Audible player inside Kindle apps and Immersion Reading require purchased titles.

Kindle+ titles with the headphone icon also include audio narration you can play while you are subscribed. Amazon says thousands of Kindle+ ebooks come with a companion audiobook.

2Can a Kindle e-reader play audiobooks?

Kindle e-readers with Bluetooth can play Audible audiobooks through Bluetooth headphones or a speaker; there is no headphone jack and no built-in speaker on current e-readers. Audible's own help pages list Kindles among the devices you can listen on. Pair your headphones in the Kindle's Bluetooth settings first, then open the audiobook from your library.

The e-reader player is basic compared with the phone apps. For long listens with sleep timers, chapter lists and speed control, the Audible or Kindle app on your phone is the better tool.

3What audiobooks will a Kindle not play?

Anything not from Audible or Kindle+. Library audiobooks from Libby or Hoopla play in those apps. Libro.fm files play in the Libro.fm app or any player you like, because they are DRM-free. Spotify audiobooks play in Spotify. Chirp purchases play in Chirp. None of these appear in your Kindle library.

Libby can send library ebooks (not audiobooks) to a Kindle e-reader in the US; our Libby on Kindle guide walks through it.

4Is it worth buying both the ebook and the audiobook?

Only for books you will both read and listen to. Audible sometimes offers the narration at a reduced add-on price once you own the Kindle ebook, which is how the read-and-listen pairing is usually sold. Check the price shown on the Kindle book page before buying the audiobook separately.

If you switch formats often, Kindle+ titles with narration include both at no extra cost while you subscribe. Spotify's Page Match does a similar job across print and audio for books in Spotify's catalog, by scanning the ISBN barcode and matching your page.

5What if you lose your place switching formats?

Within Amazon's system, Whispersync keeps the ebook and the Audible narration at the same point. Across systems (a paperback at home, a library audiobook in the car) nothing syncs automatically. For supported titles, Magic Bookmark lets you type the last line you heard or photograph your page and gives a spoiler-free recap to exactly that point, on iPhone.

6Which setup suits which kind of listener?

If you buy mostly from Amazon, keep everything in Kindle and Audible: Whispersync keeps an ebook and its narration at the same point, and your purchases sit in one library. If you borrow, use Libby for library audiobooks, and in the US send library ebooks to your Kindle with Read With Kindle where a library offers it.

If you want to own files, buy DRM-free audiobooks from Libro.fm and play them in its app or any player that handles MP3 or M4B. If you rent, compare Kindle+ narration with the hours included in Spotify Premium before paying for both. A Kindle is a fine place to read; it does not have to be the only place you listen.