Audible is adding three new features designed to make audiobooks more interactive, including real-time character guides, AI-powered conversations with fictional characters, and visual information tied to places mentioned in a book. The Amazon-owned company is starting with a small number of titles before expanding the features more broadly.
The rollout comes as Audible faces growing competition from Spotify and other audiobook platforms. Audible says the new tools are intended to help listeners follow complex stories more easily and spend more time engaging with the books they hear.
Character Guides Show Who Is Speaking
Audible’s new character guide will debut with its October 1 release of an Audible Original production of “Dracula.” The feature displays which character is speaking directly on the player screen and provides spoiler-free character cards with information about the voice actor behind each role.
Audible plans to make the guide more interactive over time. Listeners will eventually be able to ask questions about characters and the story while avoiding information from later parts of the book.
The character guide is also coming to Audible’s production of George Orwell’s “1984” and the upcoming “Exoplanet” from writer Benjamin Percy and executive producer Andy Weir.
Generative AI Lets Listeners Talk to Characters
A second feature introduces interactive story experiences powered by generative AI. Rather than only listening, users can respond to a fictional character in their own words and receive a real-time reply.
In “Dracula,” listeners will be able to interact with Renfield, Dracula’s servant. The character begins the experience by giving the listener a role, objective, and stakes before reacting to whatever the listener says.
Audible says creators are involved in setting the foundations for these experiences so that AI-generated interactions remain consistent with the story and its characters. The interactive format will also be available in “Exoplanet.”
Visual Explorer Adds Images and Location Information
Audible’s third feature, Visual Explorer, adds supporting images and information about landmarks, locations, architecture, and other subjects discussed in an audiobook.
The feature will initially be limited to Sheehan Quirke’s “The Cultural Tutor: A Modern Guide to History, Art and Philosophy in 49 Short Chapters.” The book covers subjects including poetry, art, architecture, geography, and history through short lessons.
The additions arrive as the US audiobook market continues to grow. Audiobook sales reached $2.43 billion in 2025, up 9% from the previous year, with fiction, science fiction, thrillers, and romance among the most popular categories.
Audible Chief Content Officer Rachel Ghiazza said the company plans to continue developing the features alongside authors and other creators. All three are currently being tested in beta, with Audible planning to bring them to additional titles over time.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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