Spotify takes on Amazon with in-app physical book purchases

Spotify’s physical book purchases are a direct rival to Amazon’s E-book offerings.

Spotify has just announced a partnership with Bookshop.org, allowing in-app purchases of physical books. The feature aims to support local retailers and will be available in the US and UK starting late Spring 2026. Spotify’s Global Head of Audiobooks, Owen Smith, said, “We believe the future of reading or listening needs to be flexible and fit more seamlessly into people’s lives… authors can build deeper connections with their audiences and books can follow readers wherever they go.”

Once Spotify’s physical purchases launch, you’ll be able to select a prompt that reads “Get a copy for your bookshelf.” Clicking the link will then navigate you out of the Spotify app to complete the purchase on Bookshop.org. Announcing the partnership, Bookshop.org CEO Andy Hunter told The Verge, “Spotify is bringing in more readers, and I’m all for anything that grows the size of the pie.”

Spotify’s new integrated book purchase system follows shortly after the company launched its Page Match feature.

TechRadar sought clarification from Spotify about how pay-outs will work when physical books are purchased through the app. Spotify replied, “When someone purchases a physical book on Spotify, the order is completed and fulfilled through Bookshop.org, which routes sales through its network of local bookstores. A purchase through Spotify contributes to a shared earnings pool that Bookshop.org distributes across participating independent bookstores, helping keep local bookshops an integral part of their communities. Spotify is not involved in the pooling or distribution of funds.”

The announcement coincides with Spotify’s launch of its Page Match feature. This allows readers to switch between the printed (or e-book) and audiobook versions of a title on Spotify by taking a picture of the page. This takes you to the exact timestamp in the audiobook version, stopping the need for endless page searching. The feature works similarly to Amazon’s Whispersync function. For example, this allows you to switch between your Kindle eBook and its audiobook version on Audible. Spotify’s Page Match feature will be available to all audiobook users by February 23 and will support most English-language titles.