iOS 7 and Audiobook Chapters

I can't believe how long this fix is taking. While it may be interesting to some to talk about work-arounds, like using other apps, the fact is that until recently, we who used IOS6, 5, etc. had all these features that we are looking for now with other solutions. That is existed makes me think it could be added very simply again. I'm no programmer, but it isn't like there's a whole new slew of added features that overlapped the old features and get in the way or improved on the way the chapters existed.

There was such a public brouhaha when Apple ran into problems with their Maps rollout. It was a constant topic in the media; TV and press was constantly on the subject. People even, as I understand it, lost their jobs. And I wouldn't want anyone to get lost in a wheat field somewhere so I grant fixing Maps should be and was important. This chapter-fix means as much to me as fixing Maps.

I don't have a car. I commute to work by subway and bus. And every day I listen to my audio books using my iPhone. If there was a way to go back to IOS6 I would in a heartbeat just to have chapters back. I just finished a 26-hour book from Audible and there is no way that the intricate scrubbing works when the playback line has to encompass that much time. Every day, 3x a day minimum, I go to Notes to jot down the exact hours and seconds of where I leave off, in the event that the app playsback by itself, which it often does (it seems) when I inadvertently but it down on the countertop too hard (not sure why) but the playback will from time-to-time lose where it was and/or play by itself.

My wife uses our old iPod which is too old to use the new software upgrade, and I look longingly at the way her chapters are still intact. I find this a sad situation. Yes it needs to be addressed and it needs to be fixed.

I wish there were a "fix", but this issue has been developing since iOS 5. Essentially the Music app that is now provided on iOS 7 for iPhone has been on iPad since iOS 5 with the same non-support of audiobooks. It certainly looks like a long-term plan being executed. I'm not at all holding my breath.

May be it is a long-term plan or the software designer has forgotten to specify it, because many people do not known what the old Musik.app's features are.

I haven't checked audible AAX Files with DRM. The problem on losing chapter-titlelist also exists for Apple-DRM (FairPlay) audiobooks or DRM-free audiobooks using M4B extention. Example see above.

Overdrive is your work-around? I tried it, but im unable to Sync non-DRM M4B audiobooks to it.

I want to show to you, that Apples Desktop Apps can handle chaptermarks correctly.

MacinNW_Brent wrote:

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

Oh thanks, I was just venting and adding a +1 here, so people would know more of us are having these issues, and because at least one tech website has written about it so far, after seeing how many people have been posting here about them. (And yep, I know, thanks. I would've politely addressed Apple in the first rather than third person if I'd thought this was Apple support. 😉 ) I'd already written to Apple about these bugs.

As I mentioned in the other thread about the audiobook playback position bug: my audiobooks are purchased from iTunes then added to my iPhone after verifying they're set to "audiobook" with "Remember position" checked. I only resume playing from the app, not from the lock screen. Latest released iOS 7 & iTunes. None of the updates thus far have fixed these issues. Never happened before iOS 7. Again, none of the suggested fixes has worked. Bummer.

I think, someone do not understand the problem and what chapters/chapterlist meens. So i show you (and Apple!) some screenshot to illustrate, what is lost in iOS 7!

- 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

Cuted NON-DRM-M4B example:

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

On iOS 4.2.1

Recognize the List-Button on the upper right corner

- http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/7254/2883.png

- http://img547.imageshack.us/img547/2740/iwi0.png

On iOS 6.1.3

Recognize the List-Button on the upper right corner

- http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/5773/qrf2.png

- http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/3684/ex9w.png

On iOS 7

Recognize the List-Button on the upper right corner

- http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/4844/382s.jpg

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

I bought my first audiobooks yesterday from iTunes store only to find there are no chapters in ios7 and found this thread as I thought I was doing something wrong.

Strange omission by Apple.

I have an iPhone 5 and a samsung s4 but opted to buy the apple version of the books. The same books are also available on audible with the benefit of cross platform support for both my phones using the audible app and I may ask apple for a refund in order to buy the audible version if this is not resolved soon.

I use the Audible app since iOS 7 messed this up. I've been buying books from Audible for years and years, and find that they are generally cheaper than the iTunes store. But Audible was recently acquired by Amazon so this could get even more interesting.

You might want to give feedbact to Apple:

http://www.apple.com/feedback

Thanks for the feedback link @hot_spur. I'll give them some feedback...

This 'upgrade' to the music app is horrible and unusable for audio books and podcasts that I listen to. Or at least, listened to, until i went to iOS7.

As everyone else before said, it's very broken and it worked before.

AudibleApp only Shows chapters in their own DRM audiobooks, not in Free M4B!

You are correct. I was only refering to Audible.com books, as those are the only ones I posess, and I was replying to bouzoukikid, who was contemplating switching to Audible's books instead of iTunes books.

Thank you hot_spur for your reply and the Apple link. I will do.

Just updated iPhones 4S and 5S to iOS 7.0.4 -- nothing new, same problems with chapter lists.

R Luben

Copy that

we are ever optimistic