How to Listen to M4B Audiobooks on iPhone and Android

You have an M4B audiobook file, perhaps from a converter like LibriTalk, a DRM-free store, or your own rips, and you want it on your phone with working chapters and resume. Here is exactly where to put it, app by app. (Not sure what an M4B is? Start here.)

iPhone and iPad

BookPlayer (free, open source): our recommendation

One thing to know upfront: the built-in Books app cannot import an M4B directly on the iPhone. Audiobooks only appear in Books after syncing from a computer (details below). BookPlayer removes that hassle entirely, which is why we recommend it first. It is free, open source, and built for exactly this.

1. Install BookPlayer from the App Store.
2. Get the M4B onto your phone: download it in Safari, AirDrop it from a Mac, or save it to the Files app from anywhere.
3. Open BookPlayer and tap the + button to import from Files, or share the file to BookPlayer from the share sheet. AirDropped files can be opened straight into it.
4. That's it. You get the chapter list, per-book progress, playback speed, sleep timers, and bookmarks. No computer involved.

Apple Books (built in, but needs a computer)

Apple Books plays personal M4Bs well once they are in your library, with chapters, speed control, and a sleep timer. The catch is getting them there. As of iOS 18, there is no way to import an M4B into Books on the iPhone itself; the Files app and AirDrop will not add audiobooks to it, and iCloud syncs only ebooks (EPUB and PDF), not audiobooks. You need a computer:

• On a Mac: open the Books app and drag the M4B into it. Then connect your iPhone (cable or Wi-Fi sync), select it in Finder, and sync audiobooks onto the phone.
• On a Windows PC: use iTunes (or the newer Apple Devices app), add the M4B to the library, then sync it to the iPhone the same way.

You will need to repeat the sync each time you add new books. If that sounds tedious, that is because it is; use BookPlayer instead.

Android

Smart AudioBook Player (free core, small one-time unlock)

The long-standing favorite. Copy your M4B files into a folder (for example /Audiobooks) via USB cable or a cloud-drive app, point Smart AudioBook Player at that folder, and it picks up the chapters, remembers position per book, and offers speed, bookmarks, and a sleep timer. No computer or account required.

VLC (free)

VLC plays M4B with full chapter support on Android (and everywhere else). It is less audiobook-shaped, with no per-book library niceties, but it is already on many phones and it just works.

Self-hosted libraries (both platforms)

• Audiobookshelf: if you run a home server, this is the best self-hosted audiobook library going. Drop M4Bs into its folder; its iPhone and Android apps stream or download them, reading the embedded chapters and metadata directly.
• Plex + Prologue (iOS): store audiobooks in a Plex music library and play them through Prologue, which restores proper audiobook behavior (chapters, resume, speed) that Plex's own apps lack for M4B.

Quick troubleshooting

• No chapters showing? The file may genuinely have none; this is common with converted MP3s renamed to .m4b. A proper converter embeds them. Chapters from EPUB conversions mirror the book's table of contents.
• M4B not appearing in Apple Books after saving it to Files? That is expected; iOS Books cannot import audiobooks on-device. Sync from a computer, or open the file in BookPlayer instead.
• File shows up as music? The audiobook media-type flag is missing. Players like Smart AudioBook Player and BookPlayer do not care; Apple Books does.
• Progress not saved? Use an audiobook app rather than a music player; resume position is an audiobook-app feature.