8 features I use to listen to any audiobook on Audible

Audible is one of the easiest media apps to use, which is probably why many users never delve into it. For most people, it’s really as simple as buying a book and pressing play. However, after years of using the app, I’ve learned to fine-tune the experience a bit.

I rely on Audible for everything from long walks to laundry, and it’s my occasional insomnia fix. Over time, I settled on a few settings and functions that I now adjust before starting almost any audiobook. None of them dramatically change the program, but they make listening smoother and sometimes force more self-control than I could on my own.

If you regularly listen to audiobooks at night, Audible’s Timer feature is one of the app’s most useful features, and it lives right on the playback screen. I usually estimate how long I’ll be awake, then I’ll hit about 15 minutes. This tampon gives me enough time to actually fall asleep, but prevents me from waking up before six chapters. I usually have to pull back a bit at the beginning of the next listen, but it’s quicker to find my place. In the settings menu, you can also enable Shake to Extend, which lets you add more time by shaking your phone instead of walking around the playback screen. If you shake too aggressively and accidentally start your phone on the wooden floor, it can wake up and startle your partner. i have heard

While Audible’s default timer is great for bedtime listening, I specifically use the End of Chapter option during the day. Instead of pausing after a set amount of time, Audible waits for the current chapter to end before ending playback. For me, it’s mostly a game of discipline to admit that I have other things to do, unfortunately, when I know I’m going to keep listening. If I’m cleaning, End of Chapter gives me a firm but satisfying stopping point and cuts me off before I find myself still sitting on the couch with headphones on doing nothing else.

Pour one in for the reading speed, which went through more painfully slow narration than I care to admit. The speed of the speaker varies greatly from book to book, and while some titles sound perfect at normal speed, others, like dense non-fiction books, can feel like a slog. I’d rather do boring content at a squirrel’s pace than crawl. Audible’s controls are very detailed, with several quick presets to choose from and a fine-tuning option in smaller 0.05x increments from there. I will warn you that speeding up books can be a little uncomfortable at first, but once your brain recalibrates, the normal speed starts to feel sluggish.

Page Sync is admittedly a somewhat niche-sounding feature, as it only works if you own both an audiobook and an audiobook. Kindle version of the same title. If so, it syncs your progress between formats so you can switch between reading and listening without having to manually search your place each time. I often read a few chapters on my Kindle before I start to feel tired, then brush my teeth and switch to audio while I go to bed. It’s also great for switching from the car audio to the Kindle version once you get home during the day. Amazon’s closed ecosystem can be downright frustrating at times, but this is one area where the Kindle and Audible integration really pays off.

Audible’s Car mode is far from groundbreaking, but I recommend it. You can even set Auto Car Mode in the Player Settings menu, so it starts as soon as your device connects via Bluetooth. The mode simplifies the playback screen with large controls that are much easier to see and touch while driving. I’m not trying to browse my library, adjust settings, or navigate menus at a traffic light. I just want big, obvious playback controls that don’t require me to click precisely when I have to pause my book because my baby is asking for Harry Styles.

Speaking of car rides, it’s easy to overlook the Audible Plus catalog, but I use it for listening on lower commitments, like when my current book is halfway through the journey. Instead of spending credits on books I’m slightly interested in, I’ll browse the included catalog for shorter non-fiction, Audio Originals, or genres I don’t normally read. The quality may be inconsistent, but the catalog has improved considerably over the years. Dungeon Crawler Carl is my latest find.

Audible’s clipping feature is one of the app’s most appreciated tools. It allows you to save short audio excerpts directly from an audiobook, essentially creating the equivalent of an audiobook highlighting passages on your Kindle. I mostly use clips to save helpful explanations, memorable quotes, tips, or sections that I know I’ll want to revisit later when talking about fan theory. This is one of the many buttons in my player menu and is more customizable than people realize.

Audible lets you change which buttons appear on your Player screen, which isn’t the flashiest customization in the world, but it makes the app feel noticeably more customized. First, you can select four shortcuts for playback controls at the bottom of the screen. Honestly, the defaults probably make the most sense for most people. You can also customize several other playback behaviors, including how far the skip forward and backward buttons jump, whether the progress bar shows chapter progress or overall listening progress, and how the remaining listening time is displayed. You can even customize the player controls on your lock screen.

Audible works perfectly if you never touch a setting. This is part of why many people never realize all the changes the app has to offer. But after years of daily listening, the above features are small details that I appreciate. Below are a few more quick tips worth mentioning.

• Dark mode: If, like me, you spend a lot of time browsing your library or listening at night, Audible’s dark mode is significantly easier on the eyes than the standard bright interface.
• Child Profiles: Audible lets you create separate kid-friendly listening profiles with age-appropriate recommendations and a more curated experience for any child in your home.
• Find: Audible’s Discover section gets noticeably better as you use the app, especially after it learns your preferred genres, narrators, and listening habits.
• Title Details: Before starting a book, I almost always check the title details page for details like narrator information, running time, series order, and whether the audiobook is part of the Audible Plus catalog. It also shows the book’s Goodreads rating.