How to play audiobooks on iPhone and iPad without iTunes
At a glance
- Save your audiobook to a folder in Files or iCloud Drive. You do not need an iTunes sync.
- In Audely, open Settings › Library › Add folder and choose Audiobooks. Protected downloads from another app cannot be added this way.
Downloaded on your iPhone or iPad
- Open Files and look in Downloads, On My iPhone, On My iPad, or iCloud Drive.
- If the download opens in another app, use Save to Files when available.
- Put all parts of the book in one folder. If it arrived as a ZIP, extract it first and use the folder of audio files.
An accessible MP3, M4B, or M4A file is different from a book visible only inside Audible, Apple Books, or another service. Audely cannot open another app’s private storage or unlock protected purchases.
Still on your Mac or PC
Put the book’s folder in iCloud Drive and let the upload finish. On your iPhone or iPad, open Files › iCloud Drive and locate the same folder. Keep every numbered part together.
For a local-only mobile copy, use Files to copy the downloaded folder from iCloud Drive to On My iPhone or On My iPad. Keep the original audio backed up before reorganising your files.
Link the folder once
In Audely, open Settings › Library › Add folder, select the folder, and choose Audiobooks. Audely reads the supported audio where it already lives.
Open Library › Audiobooks › Books to check the result. Correct titles and part order in the library without rewriting the originals. The MP3 and M4B guide explains how single-file and multi-file books differ.
Make it ready for offline listening
A visible iCloud file may still need downloading. Make sure every part is on the device, then test playback offline before travelling.
Repeat folder selection on each listening device. Optional Audely Pro sync shares supported library data and progress, but it does not transfer your audiobook files or folder permission. See Audely on iPhone and iPad for the mobile experience.