Google has announced several new updates for its digital bookstore, Google Play Books. To begin with, its YouTube channel now includes free audiobook previews for thousands of titles across different genres. As visible on the Google Play Books YouTube channel, the runtime for audiobook previews can range from several minutes to over an hour, depending on the title.
However, the search giant added that these audio samples are already available through its apps for Android, iOS, and the web. There, you can add the titles you would like to read to your wishlist and save them for later.
Google Play Books Android app now includes a new section called "Upcoming" in the Library tab, where you can find all your pre-orders in one location on a calendar. You can filter these titles based on authors or specific genres.
Google explained in a blog post that the Upcoming section also lets you stay updated with new releases. It added that the section may also populate books available for pre-order from authors and series you have shown interest in the past.
The company has made some new additions for kids as well. Google Play Books has introduced over 300 non-fiction ebooks for kids that are compatible with the Read & Listen feature. Kids can use this feature to "hear the entire ebook read out loud while the pages turn automatically."
Google said that these new ebook titles are available at no extra charge. Furthermore, in an attempt to make the reading experience for kids more engaging, Google Play Books has introduced Reading Rewards digital stickers.
These stickers, available for children's books in the Play Books Android app or Google Kids Space, are granted to kids when they reach a reading goal or milestone. Kids can track their collected stickers and access their prizes from the Kid Reader toolbar.
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