Sorting audio books in iBooks

Question

Level 1

14 points

Sorting audio books in iBooks

With the lasted iOS update all my audiobook CD's have been moved from the "Music" app to the "iBooks" app, an app I have never had any desire/interest/preference in using because I do not think it is user friendly and it is too difficult to see the title names due to print size and/or disc titles being too long to see the end of the title that indicates which disc it is. I have many book series on CD and the iBooks app does not give me the choice to sort by disc name so they play in the proper order. I spend 98% of my time listening to Audiobooks, if the format does not improve I may end up switching back to my old iPod, ditch my iPhone and get a different type of cell phone.

If Apple is going to FORCE people to use the iBooks app, they should at least make the app similar to the one it's being used in place of. I'm sure there's a method to the madness, however since I do not drink or use drugs it's not a method I can see.

iPhone 5, iOS 6.0.2, 16G

Posted on Jul 6, 2015 1:44 PM

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Answer 1

Bardfilm

Level 1

36 points

Jul 7, 2015 8:45 AM in response to Nanaia

Agreed. I suppose it was inevitable—ousting Podcasts from the iPhone Music app was one step.

Please, Apple, allow all media kinds to be played in the Music app. Allow users to choose where to listen to their audio files. That will enable playlists of podcasts and audiobooks for continual listening rather than having to start a new track at the end of every track. It will also allow mixed playlists of podcasts, audiobooks, and music. And it will allow smart playlists (for example, one continuing all unplayed podcasts or all unplayed audiobook files).

In the meantime, you could change the media kind of your audiobooks to "Music." [You may need to change the genre to "Alternative" or something other than "Books & Spoken," and you'll need to change that in iTunes on your computer as well as on the iPod or iPhone.] The benefit is that you can listen to your audiobooks in playlists in the Music app. The downside is that you cannot alter the speed. I listen to all audiobooks and podcasts at two times the speed.

Come on, Apple. You used to simplify tasks; now you've multiplied tasks by three.

Next year, I understand, they're going to release five separate apps for Opera, Country, Bluegrass, Alternative, and Pop. I, for one, can't wait.

—Bardfilm

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Answer 2

Bardfilm

Level 1

36 points

Jul 7, 2015 8:56 AM in response to Bardfilm

By the way, Apple seems to have turned off the ability to rate its apps. That's one way to raise customer satisfaction—take away the ability to express dissatisfaction!

—Bardfilm

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Answer 3

Nanaia Author

Level 1

14 points

Jul 7, 2015 9:09 AM in response to Bardfilm

I tried to change the media kind but it did not make a difference. They are still not available/visible in the Music app, only in the iBooks app. Heaven forbid if the disc ends when I'm driving or not in position to search for then start the next disc once I locate it. It's ridiculous. I would definitely only give it 1 (one) star if I could rate that iBook app-or a negative, if that were possible. I loathe iBook. They should not have forced us to use it until they'd perfected the app. If it worked like the Music app, I'd be fine with it. I don't really care which app plays my audiobooks, just so I can locate then listen to all 27+ discs in an unending stream instead of the hunt and peck method they've forced me to use now. I fail to understand why they would have a book app where people cannot read the font? If reading a book (instead of listening to) I use Kindle. I tried iBook when it first came out then shoved it into a folder of apps I never use because the setup, fonts, usability were not something I liked and would not use it.

Tonight I will be transferring everything to my old iPod. If they've made it so that doesn't work either I will be extremely unhappy with them and will find every avenue possible to make sure they know about it.

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Answer 4

Bardfilm

Level 1

36 points

Jul 7, 2015 9:14 AM in response to Nanaia

I have tried changing the media kind, and it did work for me--but it has to be changed in iTunes first, then put on the iPod / iPhone. Otherwise, it gets confused and the file simply doesn't show up in playlists on the Music app on the iPod / iPhone. As a precaution, I changed the genre to "Alternative" to try to fool the Music app, and that worked. If you don't mind not having the option of listening to your audiobooks at multiple speeds, that's probably the easiest workaround.

—Bardfilm

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Answer 5

Nanaia Author

Level 1

14 points

Jul 7, 2015 9:22 AM in response to Bardfilm

I used iTunes to change it, then sync'd the changes to my iPhone. Guess it didn't even occur to me to do it differently. What type of device did you sync to?

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Answer 6

Bardfilm

Level 1

36 points

Jul 7, 2015 9:31 AM in response to Nanaia

I put them on an iPhone 6. I deleted them from the device, changed the media and genre settings in iTunes, then put them on the iPhone. The app thought they were music and allowed them to be played in playlists!

Best of luck!

—Bardfilm

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Answer 7

Nanaia Author

Level 1

14 points

Jul 7, 2015 9:40 AM in response to Bardfilm

I'll try it again this evening. I made them "Acapella" instead of one of the pre-set choices. I'll try the Alternative like you did and see if it works. Would definitely make the listening experience more enjoyable. I spend about 10 hours a day listening and re-listening to audiobooks. Having to stop to first remember which disc I just finished, then find the next one is a royal pain. If the description of the update had been more specific (or if I had read it more closely-I didn't see anything about the change giving me problems) I would not have updated my iOS to 8.02.00. I got the iPhone so I didn't have to carry a cell phone plus an MP3 player, guess if I have to go back to that it'll be just like old times.

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Answer 8

Bardfilm

Level 1

36 points

Jul 21, 2015 6:12 AM in response to Nanaia

You can find a more complete solution at this post:

Playlists for Audio Books in iBooks

—Bardfilm

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Answer 9

Nanaia Author

Level 1

14 points

Jul 21, 2015 7:13 AM in response to Bardfilm

My apologies for not responding sooner. I did figure out what I'd done wrong. When I changed the genre of the books to alternate I neglected to go into either sorting or options in the Get Info screen (sorry, I don't have iTunes in front of me to remember which it was) to change it from audiobook to music. Before doing that the CD's only showed up as an audiobook on my device no matter what genre I made them and not as music making the playlists I created pointless. I couldn't even see my audiobook playlists to sync them to my device. Once I switched my audiobook CD's to music all my CD's showed back up in the music playlist I'd created and I am able to listen to uninterrupted stories like I used to before all this wonderful iOS 8.02.00 fun started.

Reviewing what was covered in the link you included, I have never had the desire to alter the playback speed of the audiobooks I listen to so I'm not crushed losing that. I'd never considered making it a podcast. Guess I don't listen to those enough to have considered it. Spending years listening to audiobooks as music because that's how iTunes designated them is something I'm more than accustomed to and am comfortable with keeping it that way. I kind of like being able to call them audiobooks for sorting purposes though, but oh well. I'll get over it. I guess if Apple continues to overcomplicate things in their attempt to simplify them I will more seriously consider a different device to play my music and audiobooks.

Thank you for the additional information and for all your help! I greatly appreciate it! If my initial search had turned up that thread I would not have started my own.

Regards

Nanaia

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