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Amazon recently launched a new feature called Matchmaker to help you discover which Kindle books you own have Whispersync for Voice enabled. The company has also announced that it doubled the number of titles with this feature available, up to 30,000, so you can find more titles more easily.
What Is Whispersync for Voice
Whispersync for Voice is a very useful feature that syncs your Audible audiobooks across your devices plus syncs them with Kindle ebooks. With Whispersync for Voice you can pick up reading or listening where you left off, whether it’s on another device or between audiobooks and ebooks.
You can read my full review of Whispersync for Voice: Whispersync for Voice: The Marriage of Kindle and Audible
When Whispersync for Voice Comes in Handy
Whispersync for Voice is especially handy when you want to switch from the audiobook version to the ebook version or vice versa. Let’s say you’re driving to the doctor’s office and arrive for your appointment just when you’re getting to the good part of your audiobook. You can pause the book, get out of the car, go into the waiting room, open your Kindle ebook and sync it with your audiobook. Voila! You can continue reading on your Kindle ebook right where you left off in your audiobook.
Or let’s say you had a long commute home, made much more pleasant by listening to your audiobook. That night you’re having a difficult time falling asleep, perhaps because you can’t wait to find out what happens next in your book. You don’t want to listen to your audiobook for fear of disturbing your Significant Other who is sleeping peacefully beside you. Instead, you can start reading from where you left off on the ebook version until you drift off to sleep.
You can use Whispersync for Voice on a single device or across multiple devices. In the example above, you could pause the audiobook on the Audible app on your smartphone and then start reading the ebook on the Kindle app on that same phone. Or you could start reading the book on your Kindle ereader.
Whispersync for Voice Discounts
The downside of reading a book on both the Audible version and the Kindle version is that you must own both versions of the book. The good news is that by owning the Kindle version of the book, you may get a significant discount when you purchase the Audible version. Amazon sometimes offers deep discounts on the Audible version of a book when you own the Kindle version first.
Unfortunately, the discount doesn’t work in reverse. If you already own the Audible version you don’t get a discount on the Kindle version of the book.
Amazon: If you’re reading this, please fix this! I would be thrilled to supplement my Audible library with Kindle versions of my Audible books at a discount.
Sometimes the discount isn’t much, so do the math to see if you would save money by using one of your Audible credits. But other times you can get the Audible book for as little as $0.99 when you already own the Kindle version of the book. Check out the classic Kindle books you can get for $0.99.
Other times, if you’re looking to buy an audiobook, you should check the price of the Kindle book first. it may be cheaper for you to buy the Kindle book first, then get the discount price on the audiobook, instead of paying full price for the audiobook. By checking on the Kindle price, you may be able to save quite a bit of money over buying the audiobook alone.
Each month, Amazon offers a free audiobook. Check out this Amazon page each month to get your free Audible title.
See also, Load Your Kindle Lightly! for other ways to get discounts on Kindle books.
How to Use Matchmaker
This feature is brand-spanking new so finding out how to use it could be a challenge.
Go to Amazon Matchmaker and sign into your Amazon account. Amazon will scan your Kindle library and show you which books have Whispersync for Voice enabled as well as the price for buying the Audible version of a book.
Amazon displays 10 books from your library at a time and there is no search feature yet. If your library is voluminous, you may want to go directly to the listing for the book itself to see whether Whispersync for Voice is enabled. But scanning through your library can give you a handy way to see which titles have this feature available.
You can also discover which titles have Whispersync for Voice from your Audible account. Go to Audible => My Library and look for the column eBook Companion? which will show you whether the feature is available.
Remember, you don’t get a discount from Amazon on the Kindle ebook when you buy the Audible book first.
For a complete list of all 30,000 titles with Whispersync for Voice enabled, go to Amazon’s Whispersync for Voice-Ready page.
Your Thoughts
Do you like to switch between audiobooks and ebooks? Have you ever reached a good part of a book and then wished you were reading on a different format? Do you like the idea of syncing so you don’t have to find your place again? Let us know in the Comments section below!
I’ve used the sync feature for a long time now to sync between my Kindle and my Kindle for iPhone. It’s great for when you have to kill some time and don’t have your reader. You simply pull out your phone and continue your book .
I never considered switching between voice and reading eBooks mainly because I assumed I’d have to buy both versions. I didn’t realize that there might be a discount if you buy both. I’ll have to look into that option. Good article!
Hi Robert, You’re exactly right. That’s one of the best things about ebooks, you always have them with you if you have a smartphone. I once finished an entire book on my iPhone because I was stuck waiting in so many different situations. I had planned on reading the book on my Kindle but I never actually got to read the book on my Kindle!
There are many ways to get Kindle books at a discount so you may be able to save both on the Kindle book and the audiobook with Whispersync for Voice.
Hey that is pretty cool. Thanks for the great review. My son is getting a Kindle for his b-day next week so we’ll be trying Whispersync for Voice fro sure.
Hi Kyle, Very exciting. Yes, you and your son may be able to save quite a bit and have added convenience if you use Whispersync for Voice with his new Kindle. :-bd
Hi Carolyn !
It simply amazes me the way technology makes things easier for people and the one one technology depends on the other. One of the major reason why amazon is one of the most respected companies in the world is because of its innovation.Whispersync and Matchmaker are simply amazing software modules .And many more people would start loving amazon because of the recent Amazon updates. Thanks for sharing the info .
-Pramod
Hi Pramod, Yes, Amazon really is making life easier for consumers to enjoy books. Now you can jump between versions of a book and between devices without missing a beat. Yes, Amazon will sell more books with this innovation, but the discounts mean that you many not spend more money in getting two versions of a book.
I’m glad you are enjoying the Amazon innovations, Pramod!
Hi Carolyn,
Pretty cool gadget and nice review too. I did not know the function of whispersync for voice before now but i think i consider having a kindle soon.
Thanks for sharing and have a great week ahead.
~Bob
Hi Bob, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, Whispersync for Voice is very useful, whether or not you have a Kindle. Matchmaker makes it easy to see which Kindle books you already own have Whispersync for Voice available.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts here with us, Bob!
Good technology there. It is interesting and amazon is moving forward in a good pace. I have not used it but am convinced from the article and comments that it is a good software to install on my kindle.Thank you for the update Carolyn ~ Anetta
Hi Anetta, You’re right, this is excellent technology. Easy to use but brings a very useful feature to people without having to do anything.
Good news, you can use this feature without having to download software or an app. It just works. How cool is that?
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, Anetta.
This is such a great idea! I listen to a lot of audiobooks and I read a lot of books on Kindle app. I can see this working really well 🙂
Hi Rob, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You’re right, this is a great idea. Be sure to check out today’s post, Kindle Countdown and Kindle First: Ebook Deals You Won’t Want to Miss! for more ways to save on Kindle and Audible books. 🙂