iOS 8.4 Audiobooks Issues

I am SO with you. How about the fact that with the update the audiobook files are no longer reading as "played" even after syncing in iTunes, so you literally have no clue where you're at. I tried a workaround where I converted my audiobooks into music to keep them as playlists, the music app no longer remembers position when it kicks out of the file, which it does quite frequently. So sad that functionality is taking such a downward turn.

We're just other users like you. You can request features, point out bugs, etc, at Apple Feedback pages.

I've got the same problems, first I had to reset all settings on my iPhone before the audiobooks in iBooks were accessible at all, now it stays on 0:00 all the time and loses it's position 😟 I now use my old iPhone 4s for Audiobooks which I didn't update yet and consider to downgrade to 8.3 to be able to use my audiobooks again.

I've never seen something worse in usability to listen to audios.

How about the fact that with the update the audiobook files are no longer reading as "played" even after syncing in iTunes, so you literally have no clue where you're at.

Oh man, I hadn't even noticed that bug. I'm seeing that too - lots of my audiobooks were originally podcasts (changed to audiobooks because the Podcast app remains a nightmare for any material you want to keep in your library), and they're in smart playlists based on what's been played and what hasn't. But now those aren't updating at all, and those lists are no longer renewing with material I haven't yet listened to.

Wow. This is a mess.

I too am having the exact same problem, I am extremely disappointed in the way audiobooks are now handled. One work around I've found was to download the Audible app which has a section that allows you to play the audiobooks which were added to the phone from iTunes, at least this app will remember where you're up to in the audiobook. Apple, please pick up your game and fix this ASAP.

Yeah, except that with Audible all of my files are called "File 0," and I can't tell what has been listened to.

Count me in as having the same problems. It is maddening that the book randomly restarts in another location.. The scrubbing counter being at zero all the time doesn't help either. I think the engineering department was so focused on getting Apple Music out ($$$$$$$$$$$$) that no one bothered to really test iBooks with audiobooks prior to release.

As another poster commented, this is a mess. It has ruined my audiobook listening experience on my iPhone!

I did downgrade to iOS 8.3 only to realise that after downgrading the audiobooks were not accessible at all, they couldn't be deleted and as soon as you went to the audiobooks section in music the app crashed.

I did upgrade to 8.4 again ad deleted them there. Wanted to downgrade again when I found in a German forum someone who was raving about the program mp3 books. I got the free version, liked it very much and bought the pro version. The advantage is, it will play all formats, so you can just import the whole mp3 folder and it will handle it like an audiobook. Get the free version until Apple gets it's game together.

Elizabeth, what is the name of the program you're talking about? Who is the publisher? I didn't see anything on the App Store that matched what you were describing.

Thanks.

OK, I think I found it. The app is from BIOM, it's available in the app store, it is called MP3 Audiobook Player and it does, indeed, work very well. The issues with it are minor. First, each book has to be loaded manually, either via iTunes (which I still haven't figured out) or via a web browser, which worked quite well. The second issue is the app costs $1.99 after the trial, and another 99¢ to remove the ads. Still, it's worth it considering how badly Apple screwed things up with audiobooks in iBooks. Now I can listen to books again while exercising and driving and have them behave the way they used to in iTunes.

Apple engineering, if you're reading this post, get iBooks fixed! I can't believe that you've broken functionality that has been working since the iPhone 1! It's outrageous that users have to purchase a third-party app to get audiobooks to function correctly.

Good catch, Elizabeth!

Boca, the program works with the free version if you are not going over a certain size, but I thought it's not too much money to spend.

in iTunes go into applicatins and in the window at the bottom you can choose the application and then just dump the folders into the right window. Sorry for the vague explanatin, I'm at work and don't have my iTunes here.

What a joke. The new audiobooks functionality cannot have been tested at all without these massive issues being blatantly obvious.

Audiobooks totally and needlessly crippled for the sake of a radio station and the option to pay to stream music. Great.

Apple has made me feel like a moron for trusting them. Future updates badly need to list what has been removed from the user experience rather than just what has been added.

same here. ibooks lags like crazy. i end up pressing a lot of buttons, crashing the app. the app also randomly stops for no reason at all. the forward function works like its hit and miss...

I have to agree with what everyone else on this forum is saying. The bugs are so numerous and so obvious that I find it hard to believe that this new feature was tested at all. So far I have only tried to listen to a single audiobook and it has been a complete nightmare. The app does not remember the playback position most of the time. So every time I launch iBooks I have to go to the chapter I am on and then scan to the position in that chapter. But even that is nearly impossible because the position always reads 0. And if I go a little too far the skip back (and skip forward) buttons do nothing at all. PLEASE FIX THIS APPLE!

Hi

Well I guess I am not alone. The new ibook/audiobook is a disaster. How can a audiobook app not remember the position. Also every time I push "skip 15sec" it jumps to a random chapter. THIS HAS TO BE FIXED.