Audible is discontinuing their app from the Windows Store. The listing on the store has been removed and is not available to download. Users who already have the app installed on their PC or laptop will have it continue to work until July 31st, 2022. When this date has elapsed, the app will not work at all, and it won’t be possible to view your library of audiobooks or listen to them. Audible is encouraging users to use their apps for Android or iOS, or their login to their website with a browser and use their cloud player.
When users email Audible to ask about why the app has been discontinued, customer service is using the same canned response. “The changes we made in our Audible app and services are based on feedback we receive from our listeners. Please understand that we at Audible are obsessed with customer satisfaction and their experience with Audible and are always willing to make changes to our product and services to better fit the needs of our customers.”
There are many benefits to the native app made for Windows 10. You can listen to audiobooks offline, which is great for airplane mode or spotty internet connections. It also has a dark mode, which helps cut down on the bright white screen. There is also lots of keyboard shortcuts, such as being able to rewind 15 seconds or jump ahead.
I believe that Audible was simply looking at the metrics and found that only a small subset of users were listening to audiobooks with the Windows 10 app. Instead of allocating resources to providing enhancements and fixing bugs, it is easier to just kill the app. The priority at Audible has always been their mobile apps, where the vast majority of people are buying content and listening to it. Windows 11 will soon gain the ability to use Android apps, without any fancy workarounds. This will give users an official way to buy and listen to audiobooks on the computer, without having to rely on the browser.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
