Apps Apple Books audiobooks on Apple Watch 3

[jwpat40984]

I just purchased an Apple Watch 3 (all software up to date), and I can't find how to sync/download my Apple Books audiobooks onto my watch for offline listening. For that matter, I can't find an Apple Books app at all. Is this possible at all? I also have an Audible account with other books on it and I can listen to the books from Apple Books through audible on my iPhone, but I don't see how to sync them through Audible to my Apple Watch either.

Any advice or procedures I might be missing?

 

[winmaciek]

Afaik impossible.

 

[artfossil]

I just purchased an Apple Watch 3 (all software up to date), and I can't find how to sync/download my Apple Books audiobooks onto my watch for offline listening. For that matter, I can't find an Apple Books app at all. Is this possible at all? I also have an Audible account with other books on it and I can listen to the books from Apple Books through audible on my iPhone, but I don't see how to sync them through Audible to my Apple Watch either.

Any advice or procedures I might be missing?

1. As to Apple Books, @winmaciek is correct, again, AFAIK. Just one more reason why I jettisoned Apple Books years ago and use Audible and Kindle.

2. Yes, you can sync your Audible books to your Watch. In the iPhone app, download the book to your Library and then when you press on the three dots on the right, you'll see a "Sync to Apple Watch" option. (This is also how you delete a synced book from your Watch.)

CAVEATS: Syncing takes a while. 15 minutes or so depending on the length of the book. And sometimes it fails and ou have to do it again. And the Audible app isn't really ready for prime time (glitches syncing your position with the phone and resuming after being paused, etc) but that doesn't stop me from using it nearly every day as I really, really, really don't like to take my phone with me when I exercise.

 

[Significant1]

WARNING: Syncing takes a while. 15 minutes or so depending on the length of the book. And sometimes it fails and ou have to do it again. And the Audible app isn't really ready for prime time (glitches syncing your position with the phone and resuming after being paused, etc) but that doesn't stop me from using it nearly every day as I really, really, really don't like to take my phone with me when I exercise.

Have you tried turning off BT in phone settings (not just controlpanel), to force WiFi sync?

 

[artfossil]

Have you tried turning off BT in phone settings (not just controlpanel), to force WiFi sync?

I rarely have problems syncing the book to my Watch. My issues are using the app (it freezes/won't sync position/won't resume if paused) and as I use my AirPods to listen to my books, I must use Bluetooth. I've learned to allow some extra time to make sure the book will play before starting my exercise.

 

[Significant1]

I rarely have problems syncing the book to my Watch. My issues are using the app (it freezes/won't sync position/won't resume if paused) and as I use my AirPods to listen to my books, I must use Bluetooth. I've learned to allow some extra time to make sure the book will play before starting my exercise.

My point was, that it might not need to take 15minutes if you switches to WiFi (Theoretical 75-150 times faster).

 

[artfossil]

My point was, that it might not need to take 15minutes if you switches to WiFi (Theoretical 75-150 times faster).

Oh, I don't have any problem with the upload time.

ETA: I did try the wifi-only sync, and it was faster. Maybe 30% faster? So, thank you @Significant1 --that's a good tip to know.

My main issue with the Audible app remains the fact that it often does not respond when launched on my Watch. It just freezes. It may take six attempts before it actually opens and syncs. But I still use it, as I hate having to take my iPhone with me.

 

[MrDudeGuy]

If anyone at Apple is reading, I want to make sure they realize how important it is to have a seamless audiobook experience with the Watch:

If my audiobooks intelligently sync and update progress across my platforms, including my watch, then it's possible (if I upgrade to Apple Watch 4) to go for long runs, listening to audiobooks, while leaving my phone at home. For many people who enjoy listening to audiobooks on runs, this is quite a compelling possibility.

The underlying storage/syncing issue is slightly complicated, but should be solvable by Apple's teams of programmers who are so highly skilled at making complicated things have a simple, intuitive user experience.