Can Apple please bring back the ability to send audiobooks to my iPhone?

Ever since my first iPhone I have used it to listen to audiobooks that I downloaded from by local city library (usually using the Overdrive service).

In recent years the process went like this:

• I downloaded the audiobook after checking it out.
• I went to iTunes (windows version) and added the folder containing the audiobook to my iTunes library.
• It came in as music, so I adjusted the info (the metadata) to denote it as an audiobook.
• Finally I went to my audiobook library (in iTunes still), selected the audiobook, right-clicked and chose to send the files to my phone.
• This same process worked with audiobooks that I owned and ripped from old CDs.

This no longer works, because iTunes no longer recognizes the phone. Only the new Apple Devices app does that (I'll get to that in a minute).

I think the easiest solution here is to bring back the ability for iTunes for Windows to recognize my phone, and to bring back the send to device function.

The new Apple Devices app does recognize the phone - but it does not allow me to add data to my library. (In other words, if I want to add a new audiobook to my computer's apple library, I still need iTunes app to do that). But if I use iTunes to add the book, the Apple Devices app will see it.

However - there is no "send to device" function.

Instead - there is a sync function. The problem with sync is that I fully expect it to delete all the books that i have on my phone currently. I really don't want to sync - because I had a bad experience with it 10 years ago.

There are a lot of ways to fix this. You could put back the ability of iTunes to connect to my phone. It you could allow Apple Devices to send specific files to the phone without risking a sync. Oy you could allow me to use an older version of iTunes. Or you can simply credit me for the cost of getting all my audiobooks through apple music - if they are still there - but I don't think that would work for you. Or I could throw away my apple phones (I actually own a few in my business, and listen to books on all of them).

Regardless - this is a problem that is caused by choices Apple made, and can change. Please change it ASAP. I have been a loyal user, and I am sure I am not the only one facing this issue. I also live in Southern California where listening to books is really meaningful to me on all the local freeways.

My questions for you:

1 - will you fix this?

2 - when will you fix it?

3 - is there a work-around using current apps?

I hope to see a response quickly.