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All you have to do to start listening to audiobooks on your iPad or iPhone is pick up the app that suits your needs the most.
You are reading: Audio books for ipad mini
The days of audiobooks being sold on CD are gone forever. now all you need is a smartphone or tablet.
many platforms offer audiobooks, you don’t have to limit yourself to the apple books app. All other major audiobook services offer iOS and iPad apps that are frequently updated. therefore, your main task will be to decide which platform you like the most and download the corresponding application.
It is worth noting that an increasing number of applications combine e-book reader and audiobook player functions. Thanks to that, there is no need to change the application if you want to switch from reading to listening.
The thing to keep in mind is that audiobooks take up a lot more space than ebooks. An iPad or iPhone doesn’t have a memory card slot, so you can only rely on iCloud, a third-party cloud service, or the audiobook platform’s own ecosystem.
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each hour of audiobook recording requires approximately 15mb when played at standard quality. therefore, an average audiobook is 8-10 hours long. be prepared that ten downloaded audiobooks can get 1 gb of internal memory.
Another thing to note is that on your ipad or iphone you will have limited options to purchase audiobooks directly in the apps. Audiobook services have eliminated in-app purchases to avoid paying Apple’s 30% markup on every digital content you buy, whether it’s an ebook, audiobook or subscription. you can only add specific titles to your wish list, but you will need to visit the audiobook platform’s online store to complete the purchase.
what is the best audiobook player for ipad and iphone? I am sure that in the list below you will find the application that meets most of your needs.
10 best audiobook apps for ipad and iphone
1. apple books
Apple offers its own book-reading application, and for many dedicated iPad and iPhone fans, it’s sufficient for all their audiobook-related needs.
a completely redesigned app offers better library management and easier access to the audiobooks you’ve purchased.
If you’ve recently listened to an audiobook, it will immediately appear in the reading now section. here you’ll also find all the books you’ve added to your wish list, plus some audiobook and ebook recommendations from the bookstore.
A significant advantage of Apple Books over other book and audiobook apps is that you can purchase directly in the app. makes discovering and purchasing new audiobooks much easier.
what you need to know is that apple audiobooks are available in certain countries.
Benefits: in-app audiobook purchases, simple and well-designed player, carplay supportcompatibility: ipad, iphoneprice: free
⇢ apple books
2. audible
If you have tried modern-day audiobooks (the ones available for streaming or downloading, opposite to CDs), and realized you might easily become a heavy user, you should try the Audible app for iPad and iPhone.
audible platform works with amazon. is the world’s largest and most advanced audiobook service. offers the widest selection of audiobook titles, including those published exclusively for the platform.
but audiobooks are not the only thing that can be digested in audible. here you can find original audio programs or short stories. for example, you can listen to A-list celebrities narrating their favorite stories.
audible allows you to choose the preferred way to get the content. You can buy audiobooks the traditional way (one by one) or get them through one of the Audible subscriptions: Audible Plus or Audible Premium Plus. The great thing about subscriptions is that you can download and enjoy audiobooks at any time without having to switch to a browser to complete the purchase.
Once you decide to try Audible, anything you’ve ever downloaded for free or purchased will be instantly accessible on your Audible iOS app.
The app is free and ad-free, and syncs audiobooks in your account across all connected devices. you can listen to audiobooks even if you are offline.
The player provides premium quality audio without interruptions, allows you to adjust the speed of the narration, and allows you to fast-forward or rewind.
Benefits: Connect to the world’s largest selection of audiobooks, without compromise: the app is optimized for audiobooksCompatibility: ipad, iphonePrice: free; in-app purchases starting at $17.99
⇢ audible
3. libby
Why should you buy ebooks or audiobooks if you could borrow them from the library? And why should you use different apps for different libraries, if you could use Libby?
Developed by overdrive, libby is a next generation application for managing content that you borrow from not one, but multiple libraries. it is possible because you can register more than one library card.
After signing up, it only takes a few taps to search and borrow an ebook or audiobook. You can download audiobooks for offline use, but you can also stream them if you prefer to save space on your iPhone or iPad.
The great thing about libby is that all content from different libraries appears on a unified shelf, no matter what format they are in. so if your connected libraries offer audiobooks, you can borrow them just like ebooks. and you can play them within the app.
unlike apps that offer access to free classic books, libby is a great way to listen to free audiobooks of newly released books and popular bestsellers.
See Also: Free Printable Coupon Books For Kids To Make As Gifts – Simply Kinder
The catalog of e-books and audiobooks your public library offers may not be as extensive as you might hear (and you may have to queue to borrow the most popular titles), but it’s a simple way, enjoyable and more importantly legal listening to free audiobooks.
Benefits: Read e-books and play audiobooks from public libraries, log in to various librariesCompatibility: ipad, iphonePrice: Free
⇢ libby
4. google play books
Google Play Books app is a great option to try for everyone who is a dedicated user of Google services or has just switched from an Android-powered tablet or smartphone.
After launching Audiobooks on Google Play Store in January 2018, Google’s iOS Reading App is now an all-in-one tool for digesting different types of digital content: e-books, audiobooks, textbooks, or comics.
google play store catalog of books and audiobooks is not as big as amazon & audible, but it’s bigger than ibooks. a significant benefit is that you can buy audiobooks one by one; no need to buy the subscription.
if you used google play books on android before, download the ios app on your ipad and iphone, sign in with your google or gmail credentials and all your previous content should start syncing.
Audiobooks are also synced. You can start listening to an audiobook in a browser on your laptop and continue from the last location in your Play Books app on your iPad. i tried it on a free audiobook from google play store and it works wonderfully.
good news for those who love to listen to audiobooks in their car: the google play books app allows you to control audiobooks directly through carplay.
benefits: all kinds of digital books in one place, easy to use, synchronization between connected devices, audiobooks without subscription, compatibility with carplaycompatibility: ipad, iphone price: free
⇢ google play books
5. kobo
If your major source of digital content is Kobo, you should look no further.
Kobo added audiobooks to its eBook store in September 2017. This means now at this single online destination for both eBooks (including comics and textbooks) and audiobooks. and kobo for ipad and iphone is a single app for everything you’ve bought from the kobo online store.
The app works the same way as other combinations of ebooks and audiobooks. it is a book reader or audiobook player, with shared library. one thing to keep in mind is that audiobook playback is not perfect. new app updates are intended to fix issues related to audiobooks.
The kobo app audiobook player is very well designed and extremely easy to use. a good slider makes it easy to navigate through the book with just one touch. the player displays information on how much time is left, and you can slow down or speed up the narration at any time.
There is no information about carplay compatibility, so we have to assume there isn’t.
Benefits: all in one place: ebooks and audiobooks, beautiful audiobook playercompatibility: ipad, iphoneprice: free
⇢ kobo
6. corner audiobooks
For people who are determined to use the Barnes & Noble ecosystem, there is a special app designed to play Nook audiobooks. However, it’s a different app from the regular book-reading Nook app.
in other words, unlike google, ibooks or kobo, you need two corner apps for your digital content from barnes & noble store.
On the other hand, having a dedicated audiobook app should ensure a seamless and bug-free experience. however, based on various user reviews, the nook audiobook app is not reliable or stable enough.
When it comes to features, the nook app connects you to the nook audiobook store offering over 100,000 books, some available at discounted prices. you can try most audiobooks by downloading their free samples.
Benefits: 100,000 corner audiobooks, free samplescompatibility: ipad, iphoneprice: free
⇢ corner audiobooks
7. librivox audio books
LibriVox is a volunteer-powered service that offers free audiobook versions of classic books that entered the public domain in the US.
librivox audio books for ipad and iphone were developed by another company (book design llc). however, it also offers free audiobooks from the librivox catalog.
The app is a great way to test if audiobooks are your thing. librivox is free to use and offers unlimited access to over 50,000 free audiobooks.
In the librivox catalog you will find recorded audiobooks in more than 30 languages. the app is a premier destination for literary classics, but you can also view biographies, history books, short stories, and poetry here.
Having 50,000 titles on hand, you can easily get lost. that’s why librivox offers a robust search function. you can search by keyword; browse by title, author or genre; check out recently added audiobooks.
The app provides a sleep timer (in case you like to listen to audiobooks before bed) as well as unlimited bookmarks.
Benefits: a large collection of free audiobooks, in-app access to all titles, carplay supportcompatibility: ipad, iphoneprice: $2.99
See Also: Reading To Improve: Spanish Chapter Books – Becoming Bilingual
⇢ librivox
8. audiobooks.com
Are you looking for an audiobook service that gives access to both free titles and paid bestsellers? Audiobooks.com app is the right thing to test on your iPhone or iPad.
The audiobooks.com platform offers over 100,000 premium audiobooks. over 8,000 can be downloaded for free. the company claims that hundreds of new audiobooks are added to the catalog every week.
You can access all your tracks using the audiobooks.com ios app designed for iphone, ipad and apple watch (carplay not yet supported).
The app allows you to adjust the speed of the narration or set a sleep timer. The unique feature of the app is the ability to chat live with customer service directly within the app.
The audiobooks.com service is subscription based. your first book is free, and after the 30-day free trial, you’ll pay $14.95 per month (same as for audible).
Benefits: wide compatibility, advanced player, instant access to customer supportcompatibility: ipad, iphoneprice: free
⇢ audiobooks.com
9. write
Scribd is a refreshingly different subscription-based digital content platform.
If you’re looking for audible alternatives, you should sign up for scribd and try the platform during the 30-day free trial.
For a flat monthly fee starting at $8.99, scribd offers unlimited access to different types of digital content: e-books, audiobooks, newspapers, and magazines.
and the scribd app for ipad and iphone lets you dig into whatever you want, no matter the format. It could be the latest audiobook or a featured article from the New York Times. it means the app is more versatile than google play or kobo as these apps don’t give you access to newspapers and magazines.
The platform claims that paid subscribers can listen to an unlimited number of audiobooks per month. however, sometimes you will have to deal with this: “occasionally, we have to limit the titles you can access within a specific content library in a 30-day period.”
Benefits: e-books, audiobooks and magazines in a single application; unlimited downloads for subscriberscompatibility: ipad, iphoneprice: free; subscriptions from $8.99/month
⇢ write
10. amazonkindle
Amazon Kindle is one of the most popular book-reading apps for iOS, staying in the Top 3 of the “Books” category almost constantly.
The application does not offer an audiobook player function as such, but it provides another interesting solution that gives the user the opportunity to listen to books.
unlike google play books or libby (which can be a book reader or an audiobook player), kindle offers something much more flexible. it is aimed at people who are not into audiobooks.
In the Kindle Store, you can buy an eBook and add a companion audiobook later, for a fraction of the regular audiobook price. thanks to that, you have a book in two formats.
whispersync for speech technology allows the user to switch between reading and listening with a few taps. the location of the last read is synchronized between versions of the book and your devices. you can start reading on your ipad on the way to work and switch to listening on your iphone at night.
the kindle app with the option to add companion audiobooks is a good solution not only for readers who want the freedom to choose the format that suits their mood, but also if you share your kindle library with members of the family.
benefits: ability to add companion audiobooks for kindle ebooks, whisper sync for voice technologycompatibility: ipad, iphoneprice: free
⇢ amazon kindle
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