Free Audiobooks Not Available Even With Premium Account

[LeeMc]

Plan

Premium

Country

UK

Device

Mobile

My Question or Issue

Recently the free Audiobooks for premium members plan started. I went to try it out as I have a premium account and it states "locked" and mentions how I have to pay for the content. I've asked my friends and family and everyone else seems to be able to access the free Audiobooks, so I'm just wondering why I'm locked out.

I pay for Spotify yearly with their gift card option (buying a card from the supermarket and inputting the code instead of providing my bank details), and I was wondering if maybe this is the reason why I'm locked out? But if that's the case, I find it incredibly unfair as I'm still paying for my premium membership rights. Anyone else having issues accessing the content?

[LeeMc]

Hey @jonathanaddams,

Thanks for coming to the Community.

Right now, Audiobooks in Premium is available only on select plans and is limited to plan managers.

This means if someone joined a Duo or Family plan as a member, they won’t have access to the free listening time, but this is something that will be explored in the future to allow Family and Duo users to have more flexibility from their audiobooks access 🙂

For more info, you can also visit the following Newsroom article: https://newsroom.spotify.com/2023-10-03/audiobooks-included-in-spotify-premium/.

Hope this clears things up!

[LeeMc]

For those people that have paid annually:

Go into your subscription and sign up to premium individual by adding a card / PayPal to your account.

This will set up auto billing for when your annual runs out (you can still add another annual to your account before hand)

This will give you access to the audiobooks. The issue is the system doesn't see you as having an active subscription.

[child-of-chaos]

@stayalive 

[annoyeduser26]

You can’t be serious. It is absurd that only the Plan Manager has access to this benefit. What are Spotify’s plans to remedy this problem? Completely unfair 

[swinfordtravs]

This still isn’t working for me. I’m the plan manager and a book that’s free in premium is still locked. I cannot buy it on the Spotify site because it’s “available in premium”. 

[ItsAma-zing]

New accounts with gift card for payment should have more clear details as to the limitations of that account.  For instance, a premium account that is paid with gift cards DOES NOT have access to free audiobooks with the old payment. Only after a new one is it possible to see Premium Audiobook listening time. After 1.5 hours on chat with Spotify that myself and the agent was able to finally figure this out.  Poor communication and expectation with employees and customers.
Please explain how an account paid with a gift card is any less paying than an account with a credit card?  To say I am disappointed is an understatement.  My company rewarded me with Spotify gift cards (which I was thrilled) only to find out, they can't be used on any account other than an individual account and now 6 months later I find out, I also can't use the audiobook option.  The gift cards could also NOT be added to my daughter's active account.  Why even sell gift cards??

[Jccccccccccc]

I'm the plan manager for a Duo account.

I can see the 15hrs available in my account.

Audiobooks are locked in the Spotify app though.

How do I fix it. 

[ok-milk]

Plan manager for a family account - was seeing locked audiobooks in my phone app, but I could play them from my PC.  I deleted and reinstalled the app, and I can now play audiobooks.  I hope this helps.

[Saoirsesquaresha]

I hate Spotify it’s so annoying I just want to listen to an audiobook pls 

[Jccccccccccc]

Any resolution on this folks?

[Jccccccccccc]

What a joke.

I got an in-app notification today telling me that audiobooks were now available.
STILL DOESN'T WORK!!!!!

This is even after deleting and reinstalling the app. 

[alexrx]

If audiobooks free for premium subscribers or is there a cost 

your site is a bit confusing to a college graduate 

[Susie223567]

I just bought the duo plan for myself and my daughter. She already had an account so I added myself, so she is technically the plan mgr. But I’m the one who listens to audiobooks. They need to change this to all family members have access. 

[#15]

Why can't I listen to audiobooks on my iPhone app, they are all locked. I can only listen to audiobooks on my laptop.

[jacklondra]

This is such a nonsense and spotify you know it. We cannot use services that we paid for.

[protlinkka]

The inability to access free audiobooks negates the value of joining a Duo Premium plan for me. Exactly what is included in Duo Premium for NON plan managers?