Audible is Amazon’s audiobook service and the app used to play its catalog of audiobooks, Audible Originals and podcasts. The Audible app runs on iPhone and Android phones and tablets, Fire tablets, Apple Watch, Wear OS watches and Fire TV. You can also stream titles in a web browser on Windows or Mac through the Cloud Player. The app itself is free and needs only an Amazon account. Free and purchased titles play without a membership, while a paid Audible membership gives access to most of the catalog.
Your library and offline listening
Everything you own or have added sits in the Audible Library. You can stream a title straight away or download it for offline listening from its three-dot menu or by pressing and holding it. There is no bulk download. On Apple Watch, a title starts streaming and downloads in the background for offline listening.
Player controls and settings
The Audible player shows chapters or podcast episodes, a listening log and a progress bar that can measure either the current chapter or the whole title. Narration speed runs from half speed to 3.5 times normal. Each title keeps its own speed across devices, and a separate default speed applies to anything you start new. Player settings also set how far the skip buttons jump, along with auto-play and listening reminders.
The sleep timer stops playback after a preset or custom length. When it runs out, Audible offers to extend it by the same amount, and shaking the phone while the audio fades does the same.
Clips, bookmarks and notes
In the Audible app for Android and iOS, the Clip button saves the last 30 seconds of narration. You can then trim the clip to anything from 5 to 44 seconds and add a written note. Saved clips appear under each title. You can replay each clip on its own or use it as the point to resume listening.
Switching between reading and listening
When you own both an audiobook and its matching Kindle eBook, the Read & Listen feature (formerly Whispersync for Voice) keeps your place as you move between them. A toggle above the cover in the Audible app switches between plain listening and Read & Listen. The Kindle app has a matching “Listen on Audible” option. Immersion Reading plays the narration while highlighting the text as it is read.
Listening in the car and at home
Car Mode reduces the Audible player to four large buttons: Alexa voice control, play and pause, a 30-second rewind and a bookmark. It can open automatically whenever the phone connects to the car over Bluetooth. Audible also works through Android Auto, where Alexa handles voice commands, and through Apple CarPlay, where Siri takes that role. At home, Alexa speakers play audiobooks on voice request.
Membership plans and the Plus Catalog
In the US, Audible membership comes in two plans:
| Plan | What it includes | After canceling |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | One audiobook selected from the full catalog each month, kept for as long as the membership lasts | Selected titles lock until you rejoin |
| Premium | One credit a month for any title, the Plus Catalog of Originals, audiobooks and podcasts you can listen to without limit, and member discounts on extra purchases | Credit purchases stay; Plus Catalog titles lock |
A credit buys one audiobook regardless of its length or list price. Unused credits carry over from month to month and expire 12 months after they are issued. Titles bought with credits or money stay in the Audible Library after canceling.
