Apple Watch can not play audiobooks

[Robbenisland]

Tried to copy over a playlist with songs and two audiobooks (bought from iTunes). The songs arrive fine and play, but the audiobooks do not. Quite a bummer, as I always listen to books while running and I hoped that the Apple Watch could serve as tracking (after the GPS calibration run with the iPhone) and playback device. Well, back to the iPod I guess.

 

[Jayne Doe]

Synch the audiobook via iTunes. Cue it upon the phone. Then the "now playing" glance controls the audiobook. Cumbersome, but it's a workaround until there is an Audible app or change in iTunes.

 

[tgwaste]

I really want to be able to play audio books through the watch speaker

 

[mercurysn]

What about using the Apple Watch to select audiobooks to play from the phone? Sort of using the watch as a remote to select audiobooks.

 

[Robbenisland]

The point is that I do not want to carry the iPhone when doing sports. Just the Apple Watch with Bluetooth headphones. I did one run with the iPhone and now I could do runs without carrying the iPhone 6 Plus with me, as the Apple Watch calibrated the steps length and can do distance stand alone. But it can only play music and not audiobooks from iTunes. I guess MP3s of audiobooks would work. So no incentive for people who purchase through iTunes.

 

[NAYo2002]

This is a bummer as that was my main motivation to get an apple watch. Hopefully when native watch apps launch next month, audible will have an app with local storage for books.

Right now I've been running with a running belt to carry the phone since I hate arm bands. I was hoping to ditch that after getting my watch.

 

[Robbenisland]

I have created a work around. I buy the audiobook on iTunes and then use Tune4Mac to convert it to MP3, which I can sync with the Apple Watch. I then run with audiobook playing and using the fitness app from Apple on the Watch to track my distance. I do not carry the phone any more, as I have calibrated the watch and can now run without lugging the iPhone 6 Plus with me. Works OK, would prefer ability to play audiobooks directly through the AW rather than doing the manual conversion.

This is a bummer as that was my main motivation to get an apple watch. Hopefully when native watch apps launch next month, audible will have an app with local storage for books.

Right now I've been running with a running belt to carry the phone since I hate arm bands. I was hoping to ditch that after getting my watch.

 

[Gjwilly]

Audiobooks are moving from iTunes into iBooks with the next iOS so things may change shortly.

 

[Robbenisland]

which will make it likely even worse. As clearly no commitment to see audiobooks in the same category than music. Makes you wonder how iBooks will sync with iPods which many still use for sports.