FREE AUDIOBOOKS ARE NOT AVAILABLE IN SPOTIFY PREMIUM?

Spotify’s expansion of its Premium offering to include audiobooks has brought joy to many users seeking a more enriching listening experience. In principle, Premium subscribers get 15 hours of access to listening to audiobooks included in Spotify’s catalogue. However, on many occasions, users get frustrated by seeing a “Locked!” message or are met with “Pay to access this content” displays on specific titles, even if they feel that they should have free access. What really is going on? Let’s find out and shine some light.

1. Not All Premium Plans Are Created Equal

Spotify assigns audiobook listening time differently based on the Premium plan you’re subscribed to:

• Premium Individual holders receive 15 audiobook hours every month from Spotify’s subscriber catalog.

• Premium Family and Premium Duo plans offer audiobook access—but only to the plan manager. Other household members cannot use those hours.

• Student Plans are entirely excluded from audiobook time.

So if you’re on a Family or Duo plan and aren’t the account manager, audiobooks will be locked even if you’re paying for Premium.

2. Audiobooks Take Time-Based Listening Credits

Spotify does not provide unlimited access to audiobooks. Your monthly Premium subscription instead contains several listening hours:

• Every eligible Premium subscriber has a 15-hour monthly audiobook quota, which is refreshed every month.

• If you complete listening to a 5-hour audiobook at double speed, Spotify still takes away the full 5 hours from your allowance. Repeats are counted again.

• Unused hours expire at the end of each month and aren’t rolled over.

3. Why Some Audiobooks Have to Be Bought

Even if you’re a project manager with spare hours, some books are locked and need to be bought. This relies on licensing and publisher deals:

• Not every audiobook is in Spotify’s subscriber library. Only those that have an “Included in Premium” designation are available to listen for free.

• Some books are behind paywalls because publishers have different licensing terms or like straight purchase models.

• Some readers have reported books that were previously free to be suddenly locked because licensing changed.

4. Regional Availability Limits

Spotify’s audiobook library isn’t worldwide consistent. Geographic licensing is a big factor:

• Some titles or audiobook features are only available in certain countries.

• If you’re in an area where Spotify hasn’t deployed audiobook support, you might still notice locked icons even if you’re a Premium user.

• Plan managers in areas like Thailand still report an absence of access.

5. Spotify’s New Audiobook Add-On Options

Spotify is attempting to overcome some of these constraints with new options:

• Audiobooks+ is an option for Individual Premium or plan manager users—it adds another 15 listening hours a month to the regular allowance.

• Audiobooks+ for Plan Members allows other users on Family or Duo plans to ask for their own 15-hour monthly allowance when the plan manager enrolls them.

• Plan managers can also purchase one-off 10-hour top-ups, which are convenient if someone runs low halfway through the month.

Availability has so far been restricted to places such as the UK, Europe, and Australia, with other places (including the U.S.) to follow.

6. Playing Eligible Audiobooks

If a Premium user is unable to play an audiobook even when all requirements are met, the following can be done:

• Go to Search → Browse All → Audiobooks, scroll down, and look for the “Included in Premium” section.

• On desktop, click the GET for free titles; on mobile, the Play button ought to be usable for available titles.

• If titles are still locked, try restarting the app or using the desktop web version, which might avoid some mobile quirks.

7. What the Community Is Saying

User feedback indicates typical annoyances:

• “Only the plan manager of the family plan can use the 15 free hours. Even if you’re the plan manager, not all audiobooks are eligible.”— Reddit user on r/truespotify.

• “I am our Premium Family plan manager. Only this one book plus a couple others [are locked]. Shows 0h used, 15h available.”— Reddit user in Australia

These tales highlight the reason behind most users’ false assumption that their usage should be wider than it is.

8. Summary Table — Why An Audiobook Might Be Locked

Reason                                                                         Explanation
Plan Type Restriction :                                  Individual plans or plan managers alone (Family/Duo)                                                                         have access.
Monthly Listening Time Exhausted :            Locked after consuming 15 hours. Not in Subscriber                                                                           Catalog, Word”Included in Premium” must be marked                                                                         on the title.
Regional Limitations :                                   Varies across countries.
Licensing Changes :                                      Some titles are taken away or re-locked for licensing,

Conclusion

In short, Premium access does cover some audiobooks, but under a very limited scenario:

• Plan Type – Only Individual subscribers or Family/Duo managers can listen.

• Time Limits – You receive 15 hours/month.

• Catalog Constraints – Only certain titles are eligible.

• Regional Licenses – Availability varies by country.

Spotify is expanding flexibility with add-ons like Audiobooks+, but for now, those locked icons aren’t bugs—they’re by design. If you’re a frequent audiobook listener, consider upgrading your plan, buying top-ups, or switching to Individual Premium for a smoother experience.