The estimated reading time for this post is 5 minutes
Sometimes you may want to listen to an audiobook but don’t have time to get involved in an entire book. You may want a short listen to educate or entertain you while you drive, exercise or walk the dog.
Audible has launched a new feature called Channels that offers more content beyond audiobooks. First introduced earlier this month, Channels has short programs, similar to podcasts, that last between one minute and two hours.
Channels offer programs on different topics, including news, short stories, politics, education, entertainment and more. The feature is free, with unlimited listening for Audible members.
Programs are updated regularly. Some Channels, such as news Channels, get updates throughout the day. Other Channels are updated less frequently.
=> For more about Audible, check out Audible: My Favorite Way to Read a Book
Sample channels include:
- The New York Times
- The Washington Post
- Harvard Business Review
- Healthy in 10 Minutes
- MIT Tech Review
- TED Talks
- Meditation
- Food
- Gaming: Better World, Better You
- VIP Comedy Club
You can also listen to Channels of short stories such as:
- 60 Minutes of Fear (short horror stories)
- 60 Minutes of Love (romances)
- Adventure Stories
- Classic Fiction
- Sci-Fi
- Mystery
- Stories Worth Sharing
Following Channels
To use Channels, open the Audible app on your mobile device. Look at the bottom menu bar for the Channels icon. (If you don’t see the Channels icon, be sure to update your Audible app to the latest version.)
Tap Explore in the upper right corner of the screen. You’ll be shown a screen with the Featured Channels. Tap Browse All Channels to discover by topic.
Select which Channels you would like to follow by tapping the plus sign + on the Channel image.
Listening to Channels
You can find the Channels you follow by tapping Following at the top of the screen. You’ll see a list of Channels you follow.
Tap the Channel image to see a list of available programs within that Channel. You can see the length of each program in that Channel. Tap on a program to begin listening.
You will see listening controls you can use to play, pause, fast-forward and rewind. You can also control your listening speed by tapping Speed in the bottom left corner of the screen.
Streaming vs. Downloading
Channel programs stream over the Internet to your mobile device. The good news is that programs won’t take up any space on your device. But you do need an Internet connection to listen, unless you download a program.
[tip]Don’t miss => Streaming vs. Downloading Videos — What’s the Difference? to learn more about streaming vs. downloading. [/tip]
If you won’t be connected to the Internet, or want to keep the programs on your device, you should download your programs. Downloaded programs stay on your device and are available to listen to even without an Internet connection.
To download a program to your device, tap the Channel image to see a list of available programs. Tap the three dots next to the program you want to download.
You’ll see a pop-up window appear. Tap Download to My Channel. Note that you’ll need to be connected to the Internet for the program to download to your device.
To listen to your downloaded programs, tap My Channel at the top of your screen. You’ll see a list of your downloaded programs. Tap on one to listen to it.
Slide the program to the left to delete the program from your device after you’ve listened to it.
Availability
Currently, Channels are free to Audible members for unlimited listening. Those who are members using a 30-day free trial to Audible also have access to Channels.
Channels are in Beta test mode, in the US only for now.
You can listen to Channels using the updated Audible apps for:
Channels are not available on computers or Kindles yet.
Plans for the Future
Channels are being tested in Beta mode for now. Audible plans to expand Channels beyond the US and to develop more content. Having Channels available on computers and to non-members may also be coming.
Audible is looking for suggestions for new Channels. You can send your ideas to [email protected].
Your Thoughts
Do you like listening to short programs? Have you tried Audible Channels yet? Which Channels would interest you the most? Do you have an idea for a new Audible Channel?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
Effect of Listening to Audiobooks on Reading Skills
Wondering if listening to audiobooks will affect a child’s reading skills? Tales2Go, an audiobook provider, wondered that too.
The company commissioned a study to measure the effect of listening to audiobooks on a child’s reading development. The study followed students in the San Francisco school district to measure their reading skills over time.
=> Learn more about Tales2Go at: Tales2Go – Are We There Already?
Students in 2nd and 3rd grades in the San Francisco school system were followed for 10 weeks to see how listening to Tales2Go affected their reading progress.
The study found that students overall had an improvement in reading skills by listening to audiobooks.
According to Tales2Go:
- Students using Tales2go attained 58% of the annual expected gain in reading achievement in just ten weeks, putting them three months ahead of control students
- The increase in annual gain corresponds to a 33% improvement in the rate of learning for the period
- The treatment group outperformed the control group across all measures, by 3.0x in reading comprehension, nearly 7.0x in 2nd grade vocabulary, and nearly 4.0x in reading motivation
- Study parameters included just listening (i.e., no paired text) and listening both at school and at home
- Greater impact on reading achievement is possible if Tales2go is used on a regular basis, both in a classroom literacy rotation and at home
More information about the study can be found at the Tales2Go website.
Feature at AmplifyBlog
I am honored to have been the first blogger featured in a series at AmplifyBlog. You can check it out at: Interview with Carolyn Nicander Mohr – The Blogger at The Wonder of Tech.
Voice of America Learning English
If you are learning the English language, check out my weekly personal technology column at Voice of America Learning English. This week’s article: Apps to Help Students Do Their Best Work.
Hi Carolyn,
Good to be back, and to go through such an informative post yet again 🙂
Never heard of Audible nor channels, but they seem so interesting, especially for the short time you want to listen to audiobooks etc. I wonder if all smartphones have the feature enabled or you’d have to download it and check it out. Would take help of my kid’s for this for sure, as you can work along and listen to your favorites this way.
Thanks for sharing it with us. Have a nice rest of the week 🙂
Hi Harleena, Great to have you back on the Internet. The blogging world definitely missed you while you were gone.
Yes, Audible Channels are a very exciting new feature. Sometimes you don’t have the time or focus for a long book. You can discover a lot of interesting audio content on Channels.
Have a wonderful week ahead!