Audible is a popular audiobook platform, where users can download and listen to a wide range of audiobooks.
They feature popular books that have been converted into audio form, as well as more unique audiobooks. The app is a great alternative for podcast listeners, or those who love stories but have difficulty reading.
The app is easy to use, but there is no in-built tutorial for new users, and the process is a little different than adding books to your Kindle. We’ll go through some of the basics of using the app, including how you can download books on the app.
How to download books on Audible app
Downloading books on the Audible app is a fairly easy task to accomplish – you can usually download Audible books without much hassle.
However, some books are unavailable for free users. It can be difficult to discern which books are unavailable at first glance. You must click into a book to find out if it’s available for download. We’ll go through these details, and what you can do if a book is unavailable, in the instructions below.
Firstly, we’ll go through how you can download a free audiobook.
Open the Audible app, and press the discover icon on the bottom row.
Search for the audiobook you want in the search bar. Find the audiobook you want, and press on it.
If the audiobook is free, it should have an ‘add to library’ option. Press it to add the book to your library.
You can also press the ‘sample now’ option to play a sample of the audiobook. You can do this prior to purchasing the audiobook, in order to try the audiobook out. You can use this method to discern whether the audiobook is worth adding.
Despite the audiobook being free, the app will still require you to have a working payment method added to your device. Otherwise, an error will pop up when you press the ‘add to library’ option.
If this error pops up, it means you either haven’t got any payment methods added to your device, or your existing payment methods aren’t verifiable. You can add or edit your payment methods, and try adding the audiobook again.
How to add or edit payment methods in Audible
Adding a new payment method to your Audible account is required for you to make a complete purchase.
How you add and edit payment methods vary across different devices. We’ll go through how you can manage payment methods on both iOS and Android devices.
For iOS
First, we’ll go through how you can add or edit payment methods on iOS devices.
Go to Settings, and press on your profile picture.
Then, press ‘payment & shipping’.
You may be prompted to sign into your account if you haven’t done so recently. Sign into your account if so.
Finally, you should be shown a list of your payment methods. Press on a payment method to edit it.
If you don’t have any payment methods added, or you wish to add another, press the ‘add payment method’ option to do so.
Then, try adding the Audible book to your library again.
For Android
Now, we’ll go over how you can add or edit payment methods on Android devices.
Open the Google Play app, and press your profile picture.
Press ‘payments and subscriptions’.
Press ‘payment methods’. This should show you a list of your payment methods. Press on a payment method to edit it.
Or, if you want to add a payment method, press one of options under ‘add payment method’.
Subscribing to Audible Premium
Some audiobooks are not available for those who are not subscribed to Audible Premium. These audiobooks usually cost money, a.k.a. they’re not free.
If you do have an Audible membership, then this section does not apply to you.
If an audiobook is not free, it will have a ‘sign up for premium plus’ option instead of an ‘add to library’ option.
If you wish to add the audiobook, you will have to subscribe to Audible Premium. You can easily do so by pressing the ‘sign up for premium plus’ option. This should take you to the membership page.
Next, press the ‘sign up for premium plus’ option on the membership page. This should prompt a notice to pop up. It will give you some details about the subscription.
Finally, press the ‘subscribe’ option to finalise your subscription.
How to cancel an Audible Membership
If you’re worried about subscribing to Audible Premium, or you wish to cancel a membership, you need not worry too much.
The process is fairly simple to do. You can either cancel a membership through the app, or do it through their website.
If you want to cancel an Audible membership through the app, press on the profile icon in the bottom right. This will open up your profile page.
Press ‘your account’ to open up the ‘manage membership’ settings. You should be able to find your existing membership on this page. Press ‘cancel membership’ to cancel your Audible membership.
For information on how you can cancel an Audible membership through the website, or for further details in general about the process, go to: https://help.audible.com/s/article/how-can-i-cancel-my-membership?language=en_US.
Conclusion
To conclude, downloading audiobooks Audible can be a simple process for those subscribed to the platform.
However, if you’re a free user, the process is a little more complicated. They are limited to free audiobooks, as non-free books require you to have a subscription before you can download them.
Fortunately, the subscription process is a very simple one to accomplish. Cancelling a membership also seems to be of a similar nature. This makes subscribing to the platform appear less daunting, and worth doing if you want to download Audible books onto your device.
