If you have an Audible membership, you can now access more than 600,000 Audible originals, audiobooks, podcasts and other audio programs from within the Google-owned Waze.
Audiobook
New HomePod beta lets you set third-party audio services as your defaults
Alongside second betas of iOS 14 and other operating systems that were seeded to developers yesterday, Apple also introduced a second beta of the upcoming HomePod software update which is being available on an invite-only basis to a selection of AppleSeed beta testers.
The new Apple Books for Authors website offers rich resources for writers
Apple has a new website at authors.apple.com that is packed to the gills with useful resources aimed at writers looking to publish their content on the Apple Books platform.
Apple Books offers free stay-at-home read-alongs for kids, cozy mysteries and audiobooks
Apple is offering a timely stay-at-home collection of free read-alongs for kids, cozy mysteries and audiobooks for the whole family on its Apple Books service.
How to stop Audiobooks from automatically downloading to Apple Watch
When Apple introduced the Audiobooks app on Apple Watch with watchOS 6, it was another great addition to the wearable. You can listen to your books on a walk, run, or while working out instead of music.
But like music, books take up space. And you might not realize that your Watch automatically downloads Audiobooks when it’s charging. While this may be fine for some, it may not be okay for others. If you’re one of the "others," we’ll show you how to stop Audiobooks from automatically downloading to your Apple Watch.
macOS 10.15 will bring standalone Marzipan-built apps for Music, Podcasts, TV & Books
macOS 10.15, the next major update to the desktop operating system powering the Mac, will rock standalone apps for Music, Podcasts and TV, plus a redesigned Books app.
How to change the skip seconds for Podcasts and Books on iOS
If you use your iPhone or iPad to listen to podcasts in the Podcasts app or audiobooks in the Books app, then you probably know about the skip feature. You can skip back a few seconds to catch something you missed or skip forward to move past something you already heard.
The thing about this skip feature is, you may not want it as low as 10 seconds because it might not be enough, and you have to keep tapping. At the same time, you may not want it is as high as 60 seconds because you might skip way too much.
Here’s how to change the skip seconds for Podcasts and Books on iOS.
Apple reportedly redesigning iBooks with App Store styling, Reading Now, audiobooks & more
Apple is allegedly working on a major redesign for its iBooks app for iPhone and iPad and iBooks Store, bringing a few new features like a Reading Now section, audiobooks and more.
Google is now selling audiobooks on Play Store, available on iOS as well
Google today announced that it's Play Store is now carrying audiobooks in addition to existing content such as apps, movies, music, TV shows and electronic ebooks.
How to convert music tracks to Audiobook in iTunes
Venturing into the depths of iTunes is no longer an activity for the faint-hearted, as Apple’s gold mine is famously becoming more convoluted with every update. It is by no means impossible to keep up with the changes, but staying on top of every small cosmetic shift does pose a decent challenge today.
As somebody very fond of the spoken word on iTunes, I can attest that this general rule holds true for audiobooks as well. So as I was fiddling around with some old school CDs the other day and trying to move audio files within my iTunes library to the Audiobooks tab, I noticed my old methods were already outdated again. If you’re not up to speed on iTunes, here’s a refresher on how to get your talking book to properly identify as Audiobooks inside the application, followed by an encore for CD enthusiasts with regard to joining tracks during import.
How to fine-tune the skip and replay intervals for audiobooks in Books
If you consider yourself a fan of the spoken word and bank on Apple’s own Books service to listen to your favorite books, you might have been frustrated by some of the app’s design choices before. Especially when it comes to manipulating the play time of your audiobook on the fly, be it on your Lock screen, in Control Center or on Apple Watch, the experience can be inconsistent and altogether suboptimal at times.
What all those interfaces have in common however is a nimble skip forward and skip back button, both of which are pegged at a pretty arbitrary plus and minus 15 seconds per touch.
This brief tutorial is going to remind you of a trick to customise those buttons and better fit them to your skipping habits by shortening or prolonging the time jumps. After all, what’s the use of 15 second skip intervals in the middle of a J. R. R. Tolkien marathon?
Apple enables redownloads of audiobooks, iOS 9.3 to add audiobooks to Automatic Downloads
Thanks to the iTunes in the Cloud feature, Apple customers have long been able to re-download apps, movies, TV shows, music, music videos, books, ring tones and tones purchased on the iTunes Store, but not audiobooks. As per Apple's newly updated support document, customers in 22 countries total can now re-download any audiobook.
This feature is available in iBooks on an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch with iOS 8.4 or later, or in iTunes on a Mac or Windows PC. In addition, previously downloaded audiobooks, free or paid, are now listed in your Purchased history in iBooks and iTunes.