How to Sync Audible Audiobooks to the Books App on Mac/iPhone/iPad/iPod

By Adam Gorden Updated on March 10, 2023

add audiobooks to itunes

Audible attracts most audiobook listeners, but not all the listeners like the Audible app. There are always some errors appearing suddenly and stopping the listening, such as Audible audiobook not playing, Audible app not working, and so on. Maybe you don’t want to use the Audible app but you cannot give up Audible audiobooks. Why not look for another app to play Audible audiobooks? Apple Books app is an app of Apple, which is called iBooks in the past. It can be used to read e-books or listen to audiobooks. It is a good choice for iOS users.

But a question comes – how to listen to Audible with Apple Books app? Just check the 2 methods in the following parts.

Part 1. How to Sync Audible Titles to Books App on Mac

On the Mac computer that runs MacOS 10.15 Catalina or later, Apple has transitioned from iTunes to Apple Books. While listeners can still listen to their Audible titles in the iTunes app on their computer that runs MacOS 10.14.6 Mojave or earlier, you'll need to sync your Audible titles to the Apple Books app.

Step 1. Identify the MacOS version you're using [Optional]

If you're not sure about the MacOS version you are using, you can check for it.

  1. Open the Apple menu in the corner of your screen.
  2. Choose About This Mac.
  3. You should see the macOS name, such as macOS Ventura or macOS Monterey, followed by its version number. You'll want to update your macOS to the latest by System Settings/Preferences > Software Update > Upgrade Now, which make it easier for you to sync your Audible library to the Apple Books app.

Step 2. Authorize the Amazon/Audible account to Books app

For starters, make sure you've authorized your Amazon or Audible account that you use to access your Audible library. For convenience, you may wish to merge your Audible account in to your Amazon credentials by Account Details > Merge now on the Amazon desktop site.

  1. On your Mac, open the Books app.
  2. Choose Account > Authorizations > Authorize This Computer. If you haven't authorized your Mac to get purchases from the Audible desktop site, sign in using the same Apple ID you use on your other devices.

Step 3. Download Audible titles from the Audible desktop site

Once you authorize your Mac to play audiobooks purchased on Audible, just head to audible.com to start download the titles you want to play in the Books app. Or if you have a selection of AA/AAX audio files already, you can choose to import those files to the Books app.

To download Audible titles to the Books app:

  1. On your Mac, open a compatible web browser (ex: Google Chrome/Firefox) to open the Audible desktop site.
  2. Make sure you sign in to audible.com.
  3. sign in audible web

  4. Open Library from the top Navigation bar.
  5. library audible web

  6. Browse or search for the titles you want to add to the Books app, then click Download.
  7. From here you can open the Downloads folder directly. When prompts in the Books app, just allow it to add that downloaded title to your Books library.
  8. authorize mac to audible

To import downloaded Audible titles to the Books app:

You can import the downloaded Audible audiobooks to the Books app if you already have your downloads on your Mac.

  1. In the Books app on your Mac, choose File > Import.
  2. In the Open dialog, select the downloaded Audible audiobooks you want to import.
  3. Click Import. You can also drag and drop those AA or AAX audio files to the Books app to import.
  4. If you haven't authorized your Mac to play the imported Audible audiobooks, you'll be asked to do that.

Step 4. Access the downloaded Audible titles in the Books app

  1. In the Books app on your Mac, select Audiobooks under Library in the side menu.
  2. Browse for the imported Audible titles you want to play in the Books app, double-click it.

Part 2. How to Import Audible Titles as MP3s to Books App on Mac

You cannot use the Apple Books app on a Windows computer. If you have a Windows computer rather than a Mac or find the operation above is too complicated, there is an easier solution for you.

Audible audiobooks are encrypted and they cannot be played outside the Audible app in most instances. That’s why tons of Audible users decide to convert Audible AA/AAX audiobooks. In this case, this is also a suggested solution.

To do the converting, it is necessary to install an Audible converter. Here I suggest ViWizard Audible Converter for Windows/Mac. It can convert Audible AA/AAX audiobooks to MP3, M4A, M4B, FLAC, AAC, WAV with 100X faster speed. Want to keep the 100% quality of the original audiobooks? You can select the Lossless option. And it can keep the ID3 tags of Audible audiobooks and split the chapters for you. You do not need to authorize the iTunes account or install the Audible app, which is necessary for other converters. You just need to download Audible files to your PC and install this converter.

audible audiobook converter

Key Features of ViWizard Audible Audiobook Converter

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* Security verified. 5,481,347 people have downloaded it.

  • Convert Audible audiobook to unprotected audio formats like MP3
  • Split Audible book into several smaller segments by chapter or by time
  • Support playing Audible audiobooks on any device or media player
  • Handle the conversion of Audible audiobooks up to 100× faster speed

Step 1. Convert Audible AA AAX to MP3s with ViWizard

This is a brief guide for using ViWizard to convert Audible audiobooks. There are only 3 steps.

Step 1Import audiobooks to ViWizard

add audible audiobooks

Launch ViWizard Audible Converter. Click the Add File button to load Audible files.

Step 2Choose the target format

choose output format

Click the Format button and the format you need. You can also adjust the codec, channel, and other parameters of the output files here. Click the OK button.

Step 3Convert Audible Audiobooks

download audible audiobooks

Just click the Convert button to convert your audiobooks and wait for a few seconds. Click the Converted button to find your converted Audible audiobook files. Now you can play on any other apps or devices.

Step 2. Import Audible audiobooks as MP3s to iTunes or Apple Books

You can upload the converted audiobooks to iTunes and then transfer them to the Apple Books app on your iOS devices.

  1. Open iTunes and choose the file button. Click the Add File to Library option.
  2. Locate the Audible files on your computer and click the Open button.
  3. Connect your iOS device with a computer and click the device icon on iTunes.
  4. Click the Audiobooks section and sync your audiobooks. Click the Apply button.
  5. Open the Apple Books app on your iOS device. Go to Library > Collections > Audiobooks to play Audible on Apple Books app.

Part 3. How to Transfer Audible Titles to Books App on iPhone/iPad/iPod

You can access the books and audiobooks in the Books app on other devices such as your Mac, iPad, iPod touch. For this, you can choose to enable the iCloud Drive to sync or the setting that allows automatically download purchases made on other devices.

Sync Reading Now, Library, and collections:

  1. On your iPhone, iPad or iPad touch, make sure to sign in with the same Apple ID.
  2. Go to Settings > *YOURUSERNAME* > iCloud > iCloud Drive.
  3. Turn on Sync this iPhone.
  4. Tap Cloud, then tap Show All and turn on Books.

Automatically download purchases made on other devices:

  1. On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, sign in with the same Apple ID you use with the Apple Books app on your Mac.
  2. Go to Settings > Books.
  3. Turn on Purchases from Other Devices.

Summary

When you feel the Audible app is hard to use, the Apple Books app is a good alternative for listening to Audible audiobooks. To listen to Audible with Apple Books, you can upgrade Mac OS to add Audible books to Apple Books or convert Audible with ViWizard Audible AA/AAX Converter to play on any app or device including the Apple Books app.

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