Earlier today, Apple seeded the first iOS 8.4 beta, which includes a revamped Music app, to developers. MacRumors forum user pazimi has found that Apple has also made changes to how it handles audiobooks in the new beta, moving playback from the Music app to the iBooks app.

audiobooks8.4

Audiobooks in iBooks in iOS 8.4 beta.

Currently, in iOS 8.3, a users' audiobook library is divorced from their ebook library, forcing users to use two different apps to access their entire digital book library. The new update consolidates all books in Apple's iBooks app and also fixes another longstanding issue with audiobooks on iOS. Since iOS 7, audiobook listeners have been unable to view chapter titles or even select them. However, pazimi points out that while chapters are now selectable in iOS 8.4, they do not list the actual chapter titles, as they're listed as "track numbers".

Finally, Apple has added a new fast forward and fast rewind feature, allowing users to easily scrub through an audiobook chapter. Users simply have to drag the book cover art to the left or right and hold to jump back or move forward further within the audiobook.

Update: iOS 8.4 also adds a standalone Audiobooks app to the CarPlay interface.

Related Forum: iOS 8

Top Rated Comments

The Doctor11 Avatar
106 months ago
That's where it should have been in the first place. Glad it's fixed now.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arn Avatar
106 months ago
MacRumors could have credited the first person to bring this up in the other thread.

They chose not to.

Garry - we did. pazimi posted it before you did. He/she also submitted it via the tips@macrumors.com email, which also gave us a heads up on it.

arn
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
garylapointe Avatar
106 months ago
App store app.

Now if we could get an App Store app and get the apps out of iTunes.

I wouldn't mind getting iTunes U out of there too....

Gary
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Icaras Avatar
106 months ago
Awesome, glad to see Apple cleaning up it's stores. This makes so much more sense now.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jeaz Avatar
106 months ago
Hopefully this means audiobooks are covered by iCloud now. Oddly the last remnant that you can't easily redownload.

Something like WhisperSync would be an awesome addition.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dugbug Avatar
106 months ago
Next app: videos. Oh please fix the videos app
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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