Google today expanded the playback tools available to those who enjoy listening to audiobooks via Google Play Books.
The latest version of the app for Android and iOS devices includes a smart resume feature that takes listeners back to the exact word they last heard before being interrupted. A bookmarks feature lets people tag spots in audiobooks for revisiting their favorite sections.
Google Assistant‘s routines function now supports audiobooks, meaning people can score their early morning traffic and weather report and then transition into listening to their book where they left off the previous day.
Plus, audiobooks now support playback speeds between 0.5x through 3x for varied listening, and audiobooks can be shared within family libraries in 13 new countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Chile, Mexico, Japan, and South Africa.)
Google says the new features are rolling out to Google Play Books mobile app starting today.
