Although the apps and their design may play a significant role in audiobook reading practices today, there is little research on the apps, their features, or on how they are used by subscribers. The emergence of apps specifically for digital books therefore created new possibilities for the user. As there was no bookmarking feature, this meant users had to keep track of where they were in the book (Have and Pedersen, 2021). Previously, digital audiobooks were primarily downloaded from an online shop and listened to via a digital music player, such as iTunes. These apps function both as libraries and as players for listening. However, while the apps afford certain practices, some features create hindrances to other reading practices.ĭigital audiobooks are widely used through mobile apps available from subscription services. The apps play a significant part of audiobook reading practices. Four common user practices emerged in the interview material: adjusting the speed, selecting a track, setting a sleep timer and rewinding the audiobook.Ĭonclusions. There were ten to twelve features each in the different players. The focus was on affordances of the different app features, and how these related to audiobook reading practices. The player functions in the apps were explored using a feature analysis and the interview material was analysed using qualitative content analysis. The article builds on an interview study with ten young Swedish users and a study of the apps from subscription services Storytel, BookBeat and Nextory.Īnalysis. This article contributes to an understanding of the audiobook player function and the features therein. While these apps are part of audiobook practices, there is scant research on this topic. Audiobooks are increasing in popularity and are now widely used through apps from subscription services. Audiobook apps: exploring reading practices and technical affordances in the player features
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