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iOS 7 and Audiobook Chapters

iOS 7 seems to have removed the ability to view individual audiobook chapters in the music app. It has also replaced the chapter length with the length of the entire book in the time scrubber. When tapping the top right-hand corner to access the list of chapters, now it only shows one file for the whole book, whereas before it listed all the chapters, just like it lists all the songs in an album. This change applies to my own audiobooks created using the Mac Audiobook Builder app and to Audible downloads. I haven't tried it on an iTunes purchased audiobook.


If I manage to lose my place, scrubbing (even using quarter-speed or fine) through a 30+ hour audiobook is...let's be polite and say "challenging." I really liked knowing where I was in a chapter, being able to see how much time was left, being able to view the list of chapters, etc. My hope is I'm just missing something here and some iOS 7 wizard can show me how to correct this. But I suspect Apple's just updated the app.

iMac, Macbook, iPhone, Mac OS X (10.6.1)

Posted on Sep 18, 2013 2:34 PM

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Oct 31, 2013 11:19 AM in response to tasa

Tasa,


Unfortunately, that doesn't work for me.


I believe it may be that the book format is the problem. The books I am downloading are in WMA format. The iPhone tells me it cannot download these books.


Instead, I have to download onto a computer, and then use iTunes to translate into iPhone compatible (maybe mp3) format and transfer to the iPhone.


I have done this a few more times now. More problems.


Books are merged in iPhone: if you download two books, you get mixed files due to poor sorting. The iPhone does not recognize they are separate books. Before 7.0.3, it did. In the "audiobooks" tab, the iPhone used to put the book cover and the title. Now there is just an empty place to touch to take you to the list of "parts".


I can look at the "parts" in iTunes, and resort them in iTunes when my phone is connected to the computer. But resorting in iTunes has no effect on the iPhone order. Syncing doesn't help.


This *****.

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Oct 31, 2013 11:49 AM in response to lkmckin

Ikmicin


When you connect the phone to iTunes, can you copy the files from the phone into iTunes? If so, then perhaps you can convert the files to mb4 format and reorder them.


I'm not sure iTunes can import wma files, however. That may be the stumbling block. There are third party apps (for the Mac) that enable one to bypass iTunes and transfer data (photos, music, etc) to and from an iPhone. Using one of these apps would get the wma files onto your computer, where any number of freeware apps exist to translate wma to mp3. A lot of hoops to jump through, I'm afraid.

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Oct 31, 2013 4:42 PM in response to lkmckin

Apple products can not handle DRM-restricted .wvm files. It is how Overdirve delivers them, in accordance with their license with the publishers.


I have tried to get iTunes to convert these .wvm lifes but it also refused. I gave up and formated a iPod nano to windows and use iTunes to load them.


I find that on CDs the publisher seem to mangle the small segment file names to confuse the play order. When I import them, I make each disc a separate book with the sort name (Title) 01_08 and sync these to the iPhone. Again the parts, (Title) 0#_0#, don't always show up in order on the iPhone, but it is workable, since it will not continue to the next part.

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Nov 3, 2013 4:56 AM in response to ecdc05

The History of M4B audiobooks are terrible and reduced the usibility nearly by every Update.


Now on iOS 7 no chapter list are available in Musik.app/iPod.app.


I have many audiobooks and made M4B audiobooks with love using AudioBook Builder. Chapters are individual named like the book chapters for better orientation.

- All OK on iPhone using iOS 4.x

- Chapters with same name merged on iPhone with iOS 5.0

- Chapters loosing individual names on iPhone with iOS 5.1

- Chapternames comming back in iOS 6, but merged like iOS 5.0

- No chapterlist are available for M4B Audiobooks.


Show on

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3466004

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3788012

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Nov 8, 2013 10:26 AM in response to ecdc05

Frustrating as ****. The lack of audiobook chapters in iOS 7 + the bug that makes it keep losing my place and returning to the start of a book are just two more things that make iOS 7 terrible. None of the suggested fixes works. Apple has to fix these bugs.

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Nov 8, 2013 11:57 AM in response to Olio

Why don't you tell us a bit about your audiobooks and how you transfered them to your iDevice? What computer/OS are you running?


If you are syncing them to your iDevice with iTunes (version?), have you checked to see if the audiobooks is set to "Remember play back position"? A lot of settings got changed with recent updates, and speaking of recent updates iTunes 11.1.3 came out recently.


Where are your audiobooks from Audible, Overdrive, elsewhere?


And last but not least, you do realize this is a user discussion list and not an offical Apple support site?


Brent

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Nov 9, 2013 1:25 AM in response to MacinNW_Brent

- Audiobooks (M4B) source

1. Buyed it at iTunes store

2. Build by myself using AudioBook Builder (indivudial chaptermark names)

- Both (types) imported to iTunes

- Transfer them to iDevices using iTunes


On iTunes in Menu "Chapters" the list of marks with defined titles are shown

- http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/9726/x4lj.png


On QuickTime Player the list with defined titles shown using the chapter-menu at the lower right corner of the player window near the share-button/menu.

- http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/910/18px.png


On QuickLook a list of covers (same counts then chapatermarks are defined) shown at the left side of the windows. Individual names not shown

http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/6628/p7yy.png


Cuted example:

http://www.filefactory.com/file/6p4sk2bt9z5h/01_Das_verlorene_Labyrinth_-_Die_Ci te_-_Auf_dem_Berge.m4b

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Nov 9, 2013 11:51 AM in response to dieterfi

dieterfi,


My last response was to Olio. I'm sorry, but I can not help you with Chapters.


I have a copy of "Labryinth" by Kate Mosse, that I bought from Audible, and I can not get it to open with those other apps and show like your screen shots. And I can not get it to show the "chapters" when played in Audible.app.


Since these are audiobooks we are speaking of, other than being able to scrub back to the last chapter-mark, I don't care if I can see the chapter-mark titles.


The book cover they used in Europe is a lot better than the one they used in the US. BTW, google translation and I are confused. Are your screen shots in Dutch or German?


Sorry.


Brent

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Nov 9, 2013 1:02 PM in response to dieterfi

dieterfi,


The visual parts that you are showing me have nothing to do with the aural part.


I don't care about chapter-mark titles or visuals of them. I don't watch my audiobooks and since the image does not change other than the tites, I find it useless.


I don't listen to audiobooks on my Mac. I listen to them on either my iPhone or iPod, that is in my pocket.

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Nov 9, 2013 3:15 PM in response to MacinNW_Brent

MacinNW_Brent, Have you tried downloading your Audible title directly into the Audible app? Its quite good, shows the chapters and keeps your last-listened to place with no problem. I used it on my iPhone 4S with iOS 6.0.3 and now with mt iPhone 5c, iOS 7.0.3. If that's not working for you, try contacting Audible. Their Help response is fairly timely and helpful.


In fact, it seems to me that Apple is handing business to Audible by not properly supporting audiobooks. Can't figure out the rationale behind that (if there is one).

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Nov 9, 2013 5:08 PM in response to tasa

The Audible app is indeed a wonderful app for Audible audiobooks that you download directly to your iPhone or iPad from the Audible cloud.


The Audible app is much much less satisfactory for any audiobooks that are sync'ed to the iPhone or iPad and accessed from the shared library since the app can not present chapter information for those audiobooks (including Audible audiobooks that are sync'ed).


Further, Audible does not make use of chapter art or chapter titles (just chapter number is displayed) on any of the 500+ Audible.com audiobooks that I have.


On the other hand I have a number of non-Audible audiobooks that have chapter artwork and helpful titling and now these are not usable on iPhone with iOS 7 and haven't been usable on iPad since iOS 5.


I agree that Apple must be losing share to Audible; however, I think many of us are just plain s.o.l. because of Apple's approach of summarily deleting functionality with no recourse.

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iOS 7 and Audiobook Chapters

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