The Kindle is practically synonymous with digital books, and Audible belongs to the same company, Amazon. Therefore, it seems natural to imagine that you just need to download an audiobook on the e-reader, connect a Bluetooth headset, and start listening. But the answer changes depending on the country. In the United States, several Kindle models play Audible audiobooks directly. In USA, this integration is not yet officially offered.
What is Audible?
Audible is Amazon’s audiobook and other audio content service, with its own app and a catalog that includes audiobooks, podcasts, and original productions. In USA, there are titles in English as well as in other languages.
The most interesting thing is that, sometimes, famous artists are invited to narrate books in Portuguese, such as Lázaro Ramos, Alice Carvalho, Mateus Solano, and Milhem Cortaz in “1984” by George Orwell.
Although Kindle and Audible are part of the same ecosystem, Kindle digital readers do not appear among the direct playback options officially offered by Audible USA. This does not mean, however, that it is necessary to listen only on the phone.
How to listen to Audible in USA?
The most common option is to use the Audible app for Android or iOS, available on Android phones, tablets, and iPads. Amazon’s Fire tablets also support the service. Through the app, it is still possible to download titles to listen offline.
On the computer, playback can be done through the browser on both Windows and Mac. Audible also has an app for Fire TV, while Amazon Echo devices and other Alexa-compatible devices can start and control audiobooks through voice commands.
There are even more portable options. Audible has an app for Apple Watch and smartwatches with Wear OS, as well as integration with compatible Meta glasses with AI.
In the car, the audio can come from the cell phone and, when the vehicle supports it, there is also integration with the multimedia center.
Watches are an especially interesting alternative for those who want to go out without their smartphone. With the app installed directly on the Apple Watch or on a compatible Wear OS model, such as the Galaxy Watch, the smartwatch can take on the role of a player.
As for the Kindle devices sold and used in USA, the situation is different. The USA Audible page on ways to listen mentions the Kindle as a reading device, but does not include the e-reader among the devices available for direct audiobook playback.
The limitation should not be confused with the lack of Bluetooth or the absence of audio-compatible hardware. Compatible Kindles have Bluetooth and can connect to audio devices. The difference lies in the regional availability of the integration with Audible.
In the United States, Audible works directly on Kindle.
In the North American market, Audible itself includes various Kindle e-readers among the devices compatible with audiobooks. The list includes generations of Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, and Kindle Oasis, as well as more recent models from the family.
On a compatible Kindle linked to the Amazon and Audible account, the audiobook can appear in the library and be downloaded via Wi-Fi. To listen, simply connect a Bluetooth headset or speaker directly to the Kindle, which has its own settings for pairing audio accessories.
Once the file is on the device, the phone is no longer needed for playback. Amazon’s integration can also link certain Kindle e-books to their respective narrated versions on Audible when both are compatible with this feature.
In other words, there is no technical impossibility that prevents a Kindle from playing audiobooks. The experience already officially works in another market and takes advantage of hardware resources that also exist in various models of the line.
For now, those who use Audible in USA need to resort to a cell phone, tablet, computer, smartwatch, Alexa, or another officially compatible device to listen to their titles.
Canaltech contacted Amazon to find out if there are plans to enable direct playback of Audible on Kindle in USA. The company informed that, for now, there is no forecast for the release of the feature in the country.
Thus, the Kindle e-reader still does not offer the same direct integration available in the United States here. The hardware of compatible models allows this type of use, but it still depends on Amazon’s release for the US market.
