Spotify experiments with AI recaps to help you catch up on audiobooks
Spotify is testing a new AI feature on iOS that gives you quick recaps of your audiobooks. Here’s how it works and why it could change how you listen.
Spotify is rolling out a new experimental feature on its iOS app that makes it easier for listeners to jump back into an audiobook without needing to rewind. The feature, called Recaps, uses AI to generate short summaries of the portion of a book you’ve already listened to, giving you a quick “previously on…” style refresher whenever you return to a story.
Once you’ve listened to around 15–20 minutes of an audiobook, a Recap button appears at the top of the book’s page. Tap it, and Spotify will play a brief, tailored summary of what has happened so far. As you continue listening, the Recaps update automatically to reflect your current place in the book, so you don’t risk spoilers or repeated content.
Spotify also emphasises that while Recaps use AI, the original authors’ content and narrations remain protected. The audiobook audio itself is not used to train large language models, and the summaries do not mimic the narrator’s voice.
The feature is currently in beta, limited to a selection of English-language titles on iOS. Spotify says it developed the tool in collaboration with publishers and plans to expand it to more books over time based on listener feedback.
By reducing the friction of re-engaging with long stories, the platform hopes listeners will finish more books and explore its growing audiobook catalogue.