Imagine Andrew Scott, the Hot Priest from Fleabag, leaning in close and whispering sweet nothings directly in your ear, wrapping you up in a warm auditory hug. For just US$3.99/month, you could bring that fantasy right into the comfort of your bedroom.
Scott is among the many voices on Quinn, a popular app for what it calls “spicy” audio stories, which an increasing number of women are tuning into to feel hot, bothered, and everything in between. These are not the amateur narrations of Literotica or the tame innuendos of your mother’s Mills & Boon novels. This is audio erotica, a soft revolution in the world of steamy content that’s replacing problematic graphics for a more soothing kind of seduction.
What makes this ‘no-show’ format such a hit is that it allows your fantasies to fill in the blanks—a welcome reprieve, some would say, from the barrage of provocative visuals that leave absolutely nothing to the imagination. “We built Quinn to fill a major gap in the industry,” says app founder and CEO Caroline Spiegel. “The traditional content fell short for women and others who find graphic videos unrealistic and sometimes downright harmful.” Quinn, on the other hand, curates a diverse array of adult content to cater to everyone “regardless of gender, orientation, or fantasy.” This year, besides Scott, Quinn roped in actors such as Victoria Pedretti (of The Haunting of Hill House fame) and Jesse Williams (Only Murders in The Building) to be their sexy voice.
If the appeal of having your celebrity crush croon steamy eroticisms at you wasn’t enough, the comfort of being able to listen anywhere is a thrill of its own. “I was hooked on Andrew Scott’s The Queen’s Guard. I was riding the metro, grinning like a Cheshire cat, and people were noticing,” shares Devika*, 36, a corporate communications executive from Mumbai, who stumbled upon audio erotica during the Covid lockdown and hasn’t looked back since. “And let me tell you, that series is mild compared to others, like [content creator] Naudio. I had to hit pause for a bit because I couldn’t stop smiling!” Devika shuffles between platforms like Quinn and Dipsea, but says she prefers the “unlimited platter” of the latter. She admits that visual content has its perks, but audio gives her freedom and ease.
Indeed, audio erotica has the ability to blend physical arousal with a deep emotional kick, kind of like a romance novel. Unlike visual porn, which can sometimes feel like a one-size-fits-all t-shirt, audio erotica is all about personalisation. You can pick your genre, scenario, even the voice that makes your heart flutter—and most importantly, it’s your own imagination that is the limit. “It’s like having a menu of erotic delights right at your fingertips,” says Megha*, a 39-year-old data scientist from Bengaluru, who was dissatisfied by the standard body types that porn videos have homogenised. “Audio feels more inclusive,” she explains.
It's clear that Indian audiences are all for this new, breathy brand of sex positivity: over the past year alone, Spiegel shares Quinn’s Indian audiences racked up a whopping 38 million minutes of listening time. That’s a 138 per cent rise in listening time, with user sessions surging by 490 per cent. Still, given that sex, porn, and smut remain taboo topics in mainstream Indian society, the subculture operates mainly through murmurs in friendly circles. (In fact, most women we spoke to were excited to talk about the medium, but only on conditions of anonymity).
Even so, homegrown audio erotica, too, has found its own niche of creators and listeners. When adult audio erotica creator Garima Surana first mentioned her interest in working in this genre back in 2021, she felt like she had asked for a crazy flavour of ice cream, like pickle and pineapple. “‘You want that?’ they asked,” recalls Surana, who hosted her pleasure podcast, Whispers in the Dark, on IMBesharam.com from 2021-22. Detractors be damned, the podcast was a game-changer, racking up over a million listeners—it is still available on Spotify, Apple, and Gaana. “I was determined to make it inclusive, so we’ve got eight episodes covering everything from straight-up romance to LGBTQ+ experiences and every possible kink. We handpicked writers to keep things respectful and made sure we didn’t turn it into a stand-up comedy routine about sex,” she adds. “The coolest thing about audio erotica is that it is super accessible—it’s a win for anyone who’s visually impaired or doesn’t want to deal with visuals. Plus, it’s a more ‘custom-fit’ experience.”
Like smut lit and porn, audio erotica has subgenres and tropes that help narrow down your personal fantasy. In India, the most popular categories on Quinn are Mdom, boyfriend, and praise. “It’s like your favourite romance novel, but with some extra spice,” says Shefali*, a 24-year-old stylist from Delhi. “You get to craft your perfect scene without being stuck with someone else’s idea of what’s hot.”
And, it turns out, there’s a strange power to erotica that feels real and satisfying. Spiegel explains, “We get messages every day from users telling us how Quinn has transformed their lives—saved marriages, healed body image issues, shattered their feelings of sexual shame and internalised misogyny, and even helped them tackle trauma—it’s incredible.”
That may, indeed, be the best part about audio erotica. That every story here begins and ends with you as the star.
