iOS 7 and Audiobook Chapters

I agree, this is so annoying. I am changing from a very happy user into a grump. Do they want us to move over to android????? This feels so like (sorry guys) Windows....

Well, this does not help with the chapters issue in Music.app, but I have found a work around for most audiobooks. The problem is iTunes 11.1 and better is choking on the DRM.

You can sync non-DRM audiobooks as audiobooks, but for Audible, use the Audible.app to move them to your iPhone and play them.

Overdrive Media Console adds some DRM controls when you transfer the audiobooks to iTunes, so don't. Use Overdrive.app to move them to your iPhone and play them.

The Audible & Overdrive apps deal with chapters like we are used to.

I am so glad that I am not the only one complaining about the changes to audiobooks. I love the new look but I am missing the chapters. Audiobooks is the most used part of my iPhone. I listen at work, in the car, cleaning house, taking a shower, and I use it to fall asleep. It is extremely cumbersome to find my place now. I know that some nice programmer can make this very easy fix and make all your users happy.

Welcome to our commisseration group. As you might know, Apple doesn't consider our messages on this board to be complaints. You have to send your complaint/request directly to Apple.

Completely agrees with you guys.

I also would have the chapter feature back. Please apple, my major use of the phone is as an audiobook player, and I am missing the chapters.

Duke, everything you say about your Bookmobile app sounds great. Is there any way you can create a free trial version so people can see for themselves before buying? Judging by all the complaints in this thread, you're almost guaranteed that people will give it a try. Myself, I like to try apps before buying them. I think you'd have more success if you had a trial version.

And by the way, I'm also one of those people who've considered just buying from Audible in the future. I just chat with their customer support today and he said that you can download a copy of any audiobook to 3 compatible devices and 4 computers. So if you're used to downloading to your computer first to keep a backup, then transferring to your device(s) later, then Audible works. You wouldn't need to use iTunes at all for audiobooks in that case. I haven't tried it out yet though. What I did do recently was buy an Audible book but I bought it through iTunes and I've experienced the missing chapters that everyone else has been posting about, even in the Audible app (although in the default iphone Music app, you can still press Skip Back or Skip Forward to go chapter by chapter).

I also found that alot of 3rd party apps can't even locate the audiobook I just purchased (probably because it was purchased & synced through iTunes). A few apps do play the audiobook but they lack alot of features and that's why I'm curious to see the Bookmobile app. By the way, the Audiogopher app does work and it separates the chapters, although it'd probably still be hard to navigate to an exact spot within a chapter because of the small space. If anyone comes across a good recommendation for any other audiobook app, please feel free to share it here. I think alot of people would appreciate it.

Hi InquisitiveOne,

That's a great idea, and I'm doing exactly that! The next version (or perhaps the one after next, but within a month) will be Free with an In-App Purchase to use it with more than 3 audiobooks or podcasts.

One thing I don't think I made clear before, Bookmobile works fine with chapters in M4B audiobooks. It's just the DRM ones from iTunes and Audible that don't have chapter information exposed.

Speaking of iTunes and Audible, as part of integrating access to the iTunes Store into Bookmobile, I discovered a lot of audiobooks go on sale with seemingly no promotion (at least that I can find anywhere). They seem to change daily, so I've started showing a list of these here: http://freshmowed.com/audiobooks.html

Most of them are $5.95, which is usually much cheaper than Audible.com.

-Duke

I, too, have gone back to using the Audible app. You can find things by chapters. It also has a cool timer so you can set it for a certain amount of time or to shut off at the end of the chapter for those of us who are sure we won't fall asleep...........but we do.

Oh I just found where Apple is promoting the $5.95 audiobooks. Many are movie adapations, which are being promoted now in the iTunes Store. Some of them just showed up on sale before the promotion.

-Duke

Yes please fix the chapters in Audiobooks!

Has anyone tried IOS 7.0.3 yet? Did they fix the missing Chapters problem in this latest update or is it still the same?

I am still using IOS6 on my personal iphone and can't update until this gets fixed.

Yes, I installed it this morning. And no, unfortunately they still haven't fixed it. Don't forget to go to www.apple/feeback to leave a complaint. They don't read these boards - so we need to keep complaining on a board that they actually look at!

If everyone would go to apple/feedback and post maybe they will fix the broken ITunes app.

apple/feedback is the place

With this problem and another battery life on MBP. I believe that Apple have no real interest in solving them.