Audiobooks on Apple Watch

I guess i'm going to resurrect this thread.

I just purchased the new iwatch and not being able to listen to audiobooks is a really pain. I can copy them over as mp3 files, but the watch will randomly switch to another book or track. It is nearly impossible to fast forward to where you were in the chapter. The watch will begin the chapter anew if you dare to listen to anything else between workouts.

Leave it to apple to force you to make in app purchases to get your books to work.

I am patiently waiting for this feature before buying the watch. I only listen to podcasts and audiobooks from audible and almost no music. So the only way I'll buy the Apple Watch is if it lets me listen to those on the watch itself. This way I can leave my big and bulky phone at home and go for a run. Until this functionality exists I'll prefer to stick with my smaller fitbit which gives me better battery life and the same fitness tracking abilities.

It is very annoying. I just heading out for a run and had to restart my iWatch 3. It dropped the bluetooth connection to my backbeat fit. I don't know why. I hadn't updated either. Restarting also reset my place in the book i was listening to. Then it takes several minutes to try to find where the book left off. Of course you can't simply fast forward through the book either. You have to have siri fast forward or rewind for you. Its like apple is trying to make it as difficult as possible. I was just thinking how sorry i am that i sold my garmin. Why no audiobooks apple?

I've noticed that as well. Initially I though it was because Audible licenses your mac or other device and iPhone only but I was able to transfer the .aax file to any iPods. I hope this is just an oversight from Apple. The other option is to hopefully see an update to the Audible app to include the Apple watch .

I found an interesting work around but not ideal for .AAX files from Audible. It looks like if I start the audiobook on the iPhone the watch can control the book remotely and I can listen to the book via my bluetooth headphones linked to the watch. but this means a) same Wi-Fi network or b) in range of iphone. I would like to keep the phone in the locker when I work out. This also doesn't help if you run miles away from your starting point :-(

I am able to control the audible book via the watch once I've started it playing on my phone. Not sure how Audible's player would work, but can't see that it is available either.

I'm also stuck not being able to do anything with podcasts. Pain!

I've talked to Apple support, as well as Audible.com support techs. The problem is Audible files are .aac (or is it .aax?)files and you can only store MP3 files on the watch. (You can no longer download MP3 files from Audible.com due to new methods of protecting the author's copyright, according to their techs.) You can listen to and control an Audible.com book from your watch as long as you are either attached via a wi-fi network or in range, but you can't store the actual audio book on the watch. A sales rep at the Apple Store told me yesterday that the watch OS 2 will allow apps to run directly from the watch, which will be helpful when Audible comes out with a compatible app, but the watch's OS 2 is only loosely scheduled to come out in "the fall" according to Apple's web site.

I intend to return mine and will purchase another once I know the technology is in place. At the moment, I can't see spending so much money on a watch that doesn't do the one thing I wanted it to do.

Great discussion. For me, being able to listen to an audio book from Audible on my Apple Watch (and keeping it in sync with the iPhone copy) would be the killer app that would have me buy the Watch today. I hope Apple and Audible are working on this. And I hope Apple is reading this!

dedelstein wrote:

I hope Apple and Audible are working on this. And I hope Apple is reading this!

No, they're not. However, you can let them know here:

http://www.apple.com/feedback

AmyM2012. I use headphones and have my phone in my pocket - I would love to learn of a way to use an Apple Watch as a remote to my audible app - so I can pause, play, switch book... With out taking out my phone and battery pack out of my pocket. Is that possible? Do you know of a way

What control do you use on the Apple Watch to control the iPhone audible app once you start a book playing on the iPhone?

Pathetic! one has to use a workaround to listen to audiobooks and podcasts on an Apple watch! https://www.imore.com/how-play-podcasts-or-audiobooks-your-apple-watch

You might have to extend you patience as Audiobooks are also not available on Apple TV...despite numerous feedbacks years ago!