Listen to audiobooks on your Google smart speaker or display or Google streaming device

You can listen to audiobooks from Google Play Books & Audiobooks on your Google smart speaker or display, or Google streaming device.

Step 1. Buy and download audiobooks

On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Play Books & Audiobooks App .
Tap Shop search for an audiobook.
To learn more about an audiobook, tap the cover image.
To buy the audiobook, tap the price Buy.
To listen to a sample, tap Play Sample.

Download using Wi-Fi only

To avoid data charges, download audiobooks using Wi-Fi only. To turn this feature on or off:

On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Play Books & Audiobooks app .
Tap your profile photo or initial Play Book settings Download over Wi-Fi only.

Step 2. Use your voice to control audiobooks

Make sure you're signed in to the same Google Account you used to buy audiobooks from Google Play. Check which Google Account is linked to a speaker or display.

If you’re using Gemini for Home voice assistant

To do this:	Say "Ok Google" or "Hey Google, "then:
Continue to play most recently listened to audiobook	"Read my book”
Request an audiobook from your Library	"Read [audiobook title]"
Pause	"Pause"
Resume	"Resume" or "Continue"
Stop	"Stop"
Skip ahead	"Skip [amount of time]"
Skip back	"Go back [amount of time]"
Play previous chapter	"Previous chapter"
Play next chapter	"Next chapter"
Change the playback speed	"Play at 2x speed" "Play slower" "Play twice as fast" "Play at half the speed"
Control volume	"Louder" “Lower the volume” "Set volume to 40%"
Or, play it all again.	“Hey Google, start it from the beginning.”

If you’re using Google Assistant

To do this:	Say "Ok Google" or "Hey Google, "then:
Continue to play most recently listened to audiobook	"Read my book”
Request an audiobook from your Library	"Read [audiobook title]"
Pause	"Pause"
Resume	"Resume" or "Continue"
Stop	"Stop"
Skip ahead	"Skip [amount of time]"
Skip back	"Go back [amount of time]"
Play previous chapter	"Previous chapter"
Play next chapter	"Next chapter"
Change the playback speed	"Play at 2x speed" "Play slower" "Play twice as fast" "Play at half the speed"
Control volume	"Louder" "Set volume to 40%"
Play audiobooks on devices linked with Chromecast or Google TV Streamer	"Read my book on living room TV" "Read [audiobook title] on Chromecast” “Read [audiobook title] in the living room”

Other ways to control audiobooks

When an audiobook is playing, you can control it from your speaker, display, Google streaming device, or the Google Home app.

Google smart speakers

Important: Speaker touch controls change the volume of media and your voice assistant only. To change the volume of alarms and timers, use the Google Home app or the Quick settings menu on a smart display.

Google Nest Audio

Action	Image
Pause, resume, or stop media Tap the center of the Nest Audio.
Turn up the volume Tap the right side of the Nest Audio. The volume ranges from 0-100%. Each tap changes the volume by 5%.
Turn down the volume Tap the left side of the Nest Audio. The volume ranges from 0-100%. Each tap changes the volume by 5%. When the volume is set to 0: Media is muted Your voice assistant speaks at 5% volume

Google Nest Wifi point

Action	Image
Pause, resume, or stop media Tap the center of the Nest Wifi point.
Turn up the volume Tap the right side of the Nest Wifi point. The volume ranges from 0-100%. Each tap changes the volume by 10%.
Turn down the volume Tap the left side of the Nest Wifi point. The volume ranges from 0-100%. Each tap changes the volume by 10%. When the volume is set to 0: Media is muted Your voice assistant speaks at 5% volume

Google Nest Mini (2nd gen)

The Google Nest Mini (2nd gen) has a wall mount screw slot on the back. If your device doesn’t have a wall mount screw slot, it's a Google Home Mini (1st gen).

To reverse right and left controls:

Open the Google Home app .
Tap Home All devices , then touch and hold your Nest Mini's tile.
Tap Settings Audio Reverse device controls.

Action	Image
Pause, resume, or stop media Tap the center of the Nest Mini.
Turn up the volume Tap the right side of the Nest Mini. The volume ranges from 0-100%. Each tap changes the volume by 10%.
Turn down the volume Tap the left side of the Nest Mini. The volume ranges from 0-100%. Each tap changes the volume by 10%. When the volume is set to 0: Media is muted Your voice assistant speaks at 5% volume

Google Home Max

Action	Image
Pause, resume, or stop media Horizontal placement: Tap the line on the top. Vertical placement: Tap the line on the right side.
Turn up the volume Horizontal placement: Swipe from left to right along the line on the top. Vertical placement: Swipe up along the line on the right side.
Turn down the volume Horizontal placement: Swipe from right to left along the line on the top. Vertical placement: Swipe down along the line on the right side. When the volume is set to 0: Media is muted Your voice assistant speaks at 5% volume

Google Home Mini (1st gen)

Action	Image
Pause, resume, or stop media Press and hold either side of the Home Mini.
Turn up the volume Tap the right side of the Home Mini. The volume ranges from 0-100%. Each tap changes the volume by 10%.
Turn down the volume Press and hold the left side of the Home Mini. The volume ranges from 0-100%. Each tap changes the volume by 10%. When the volume is set to 0: Media is muted Your voice assistant speaks at 5% volume

Google Home

Action	Image
Turn up the volume Swipe clockwise on the top.
Turn down the volume Swipe counterclockwise on the top. When the volume is set to 0: Media is muted Voice assistant speaks at 5% volume
Start your request Press and hold on the top.

Google Nest displays

Important: To control the volume of alarms and timers, use the Quick settings menu. The volume button and media card adjust the volume of media and your voice assistant only.

Use the media card to pause, resume, play the previous or next song, or change the devices that are playing media.

Volume button

Action

Image

Turn up the volume

On the back of the Nest display, press the upper volume button.

The volume ranges from 0-100%. Each press changes the volume by 5%.

Turn down the volume

On the back of the Nest display, press the lower volume button.

The volume ranges from 0-100%. Each press changes the volume by 5%.

When the volume is set to 0:

Media is muted
Voice assistant speaks at 5% volume

Quick settings menu

To open the Quick settings menu, swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
Tap Volume .
- Use the main volume control slider for media and your voice assistant.
- If needed, tap Expand to open the volume control slider for timers and alarms .
To change the volume, swipe the slider left or right.

Media card

To find the media card, swipe down from the top, then tap Media.
- If the screen shows the media that's playing, tap the screen instead.
Use the controls on the card to pause, resume, or play the previous or next song.
To open more controls, tap [display name] . You’ll get a list of available devices and a volume control slider for each device that’s currently playing.
- To start or stop playing media on a device, tap the radio button next to its name.
- To change the volume on an active device, swipe its slider left or right.

Google Pixel Tablet (Hub Mode)

When you change the volume on your Pixel Tablet while it's docked, the volume on the speaker dock will also change.

Volume button

To do this:

Touch Google Pixel Tablet like this:

Turn up the volume

Press the side button closest to the power button.

Volume up

Turn down the volume

Press the side button that's farthest from the power button.

Volume down

Media widget

When media is playing in Hub Mode, you can control playback on your lock and Home screens by touch. A media widget will automatically appear with buttons to control what's playing.

For easy touch control, some media apps have widgets you can add to your Home screen. When the widget on your Home screen, you can control the volume, pause playback, skip or change songs, podcasts, radio station, and more.

From the Google Home app

Make sure your mobile device or tablet is linked to the same account as your speaker or display.
Open the Google Home app .
Tap Home Favorites .
Tap the current media session for:
- Playback controls
- Volume control (media and voice assistant)
- Playback device selection

Voice Match and audiobooks

You can listen to the audiobooks you’ve bought if you set up Voice Match. Guests or housemates can listen to audiobooks purchased by the first person who set up Voice Match. Learn more about Voice Match and media.

You can also use Family Library on Play to share audiobooks across family members. To allow others in your household to listen to your audiobooks, set up Family Library. Anyone who's set up Voice Match can listen to shared purchases in the Family Library.

Listen to audiobooks from other providers

Start an audiobook from any provider on your computer or mobile device, and then play it remotely on your speaker or display. Depending on your device and content provider, try one of these options for remote play:

To control your audiobook, use the provider's app or webpage. You can also use voice commands to change the volume on your speaker or display.

Related resources

Was this helpful?

How can we improve it?