With a little help from iOS 12 and watchOS 5, you can partake in a lot more entertainment opportunities, and one of those is listening to audiobooks offline via Audible's app for iPhone. You can now sync your favorite books to your Apple Watch and leave your iPhone behind while you take your imagination on an adventure.
Products used in this guide
- Apple: iPhone ($449+)
- Apple: Apple Watch ($399+)
- Audible: Audible Account ($15/m)
- App Store: Audible app (Free)
The Guide
Step 1: Update everything
In order to take advantage of Audible's new feature, you'll need to have all the things up to date.
- Update your Apple Watch to watchOS 5.
- Update your iPhone to iOS 12.
- Update your Audible app to version 3.0.
Once you're up to date, you're ready to sync your audiobooks.
Step 2: Add Audible to your Apple Watch
If you don't already have the Audible app on your Apple Watch, you'll need to add it.
- Launch the Watch app on your iPhone.
- Tap the My Watch tab.
- Scroll down to Available apps and tap Install next to the Audible app.
Once Audible is installed on your Apple Watch, you can add audiobooks from the Audible app on your iPhone.
Step 3: Sync audiobooks from Audible to your Apple Watch
Now that everything is updated and Audible is added to your Apple Watch, it's time to pick a book and sync it.
Make sure your Apple Watch is on its charger while you are syncing books. Otherwise, you'll have to keep the Audible app open on your Apple Watch during the entire syncing process.
- Launch the Audible app on your iPhone.
- Tap the Library tab.
- Tap the more button next to the book you want to sync to your Apple Watch. It looks like three dots.
- Tap Sync to Apple Watch. *Remember to keep your Apple Watch on its charger while the book syncs. This step takes about 20 - 25 minutes.
Step 4: Listen to Audible books on your Apple Watch
Your Apple Watch doesn't have a wired headphone port to plug in a set of earbuds. Instead, it sends audio wirelessly. The watch supports any headphones or headset that connects via Bluetooth 4.0.
In order to listen to your favorite Audible audiobooks, be sure you've got a pair of Bluetooth headphones connected to it.
Once you've paired your headphones (or a Bluetooth speaker, if you prefer), you can take your Apple Watch and audiobooks offline and into the wild.
- Launch the Audible app on your Apple Watch.
- Tap the audiobook you want to listen to.
- Tap the listening device you want to use if you haven't already paired your headphones.
- Tap play on the audiobook.
How to remove Audible books from your Apple Watch
Once you've finished an audiobook, you may not want to keep it on your Apple Watch. You can un-sync it to remove it.
- Launch the Audible app on your iPhone.
- Tap the Library tab.
- Tap the more button next to the book you want to remove from your Apple Watch. It looks like three dots.
- Tap Remove from Apple Watch.
It only takes a second to un-sync a book from your Apple Watch.
Our top equipment picks
In order to listen to Audible audiobooks offline on your Apple Watch, you'll need a few things.
The largest library of books you can fit on your wrist.
Audible brings the world of audiobooks to you with nearly a half-million titles for a low monthly price.
With Audible, you've got hundreds of thousands of books at your disposal across hundreds of genres. Each month, you get one credit (two with the platinum plan) to put toward an audiobook. Whatever you buy is yours to keep even if you cancel your subscription. Plus, even if you're out of credits, you can get 30% off of any Audible books you want.
The most advanced smartwatch on the market today.
With Apple Watch Series 4, you'll be able to take advantage of the larger 40 or 44mm screen, faster processor, and great battery life.
Series 4 is our pick for the best model Apple Watch for syncing your Audible audiobooks offline specifically because of that larger screen. On-screen buttons are easier to find and tap, content is easier to access, and the time it takes to sync your books is just a little bit faster.
The best iPhone with the fastest processor.
The iPhone XS is Apple's latest and greatest and supports the most up-to-date software, the most current Apple Watch, and runs lightning fast.
You need an iPhone in order to use an Apple Watch, so why not get the best model available? The iPhone XS and XS Max are Apple's most advanced phones yet. You'll have the fastest processor, the brightest screen, and support for your Audible account for longer than any iPhone model before it.
A different plan
If you don't want to wait every month for your credits to accumulate (you can only carry over five credits with a monthly subscription) so you can buy multiple books at once, there's another option.
One-Year Audible subscription ($150/y)
With an annual subscription, you'll get all 12 of your credits (24 if you buy the platinum plan) at once. You can buy three books in one month and none in another. If you can front the cost, it's a more flexible option.
