Audible Won’t Start Playing? 9 Common Issues (Solved)

By / Audible, Streaming / Last Updated: October 5, 2023

Audible is seen as the number one platform when it comes to audiobooks. It’s no surprise when you consider their massive range, and with their app and cloud player, users can listen to their favorite audiobooks almost anywhere and at any time.

However, you’d be forgiven for being a little frustrated if you’ve found that your Audible audiobook won’t play. It’s one of the most common problems with the Audible platform.

Thankfully, in this article, you can take a look at the reasons why your audiobook isn’t playing in your ears, and better yet, the solutions you need to get it working. 

Headphones, mobile phone and books on a blue background. Audio book concept. Play audio playback of literary, educational books.

The Audiobook You’ve Downloaded Is Corrupted (Or Maybe Incomplete)

We love to take audiobooks on the go with us, whether it’s a long car journey, a commute, or even on the plane.

We don’t always have a WiFi connection when we’re on the move and that’s why downloading audiobooks to play offline is a great way to ensure you can listen no matter where you are.

However, if your downloaded audiobook won’t seem to play the issue might be with the download itself.

Sometimes a downloaded file doesn’t make it onto your device as it should do:

  • The download can end up being corrupted.
  • The download may not finish downloading, resulting in an incomplete file.

In either one of these cases, you need to re-download the audiobook.

Luckily, this is the same across all devices so just take the following steps:

  1. Launch the Audible app on your device.
  2. Open ‘My Library‘.
  3. Find and select the ‘Delete‘ option.
  4. Select the audiobook you wish to delete.
  5. Now re-download the audiobook again.

Audible Needs The Cache To Be Cleared In Order To Play Your Audiobook

The Audible app stores what’s called ‘cached data’ and usually this shouldn’t cause you any issues, in fact, it is meant to enhance your experience whilst using the app.

However, as reported on TechNewsToday.com:

“(…) sometimes the cached version of the data and the latest data may not match, and that creates conflict. This makes the app misbehave.”

A misbehaving app can result in your Audible audiobook not playing when you want it to.

Clearing the cache is easy and below you’ll find how to get your cache cleared on both Android and iOS.

Here’s How To Clear The Cache On iOS Devices

Grab your iOS device to get started.

  1. Open up your device’s ‘Settings‘.
  2. Search the list for the Audible app and then select it.
  3. Search for the option to ‘Clear Cache‘ and select it.
    • This will now automatically clear the cached data for the Audible app.

You should also try clearing the data for Audible, too. It’ll take you no time at all!

  1. Once again, open the ‘Settings‘ for your device.
  2. This time you need to select ‘General‘ followed by ‘iPhone/iPad storage.
  3. Find the Audible app from the list and then give it a tap.
  4. Select the option to ‘offload‘, which will remove all the data that Audible has stored.

Read our blog here about why is Audible not playing?

Here’s How To Clear The Cache On Android Devices

Clearing the cache on Android devices is just as simple:

  1. Open up your device’s ‘Settings‘.
  2. Select ‘Apps‘.
  3. Find the Audible app.
  4. Now select ‘Storage‘.
  5. Find the option to both ‘Clear cache and data files‘.
    • That’s it, cache cleared!

Please also read our easy answer guide to typical questions about Audible and Android.

Audible Won’t Play Because Of Your Geographical Location

Audible is available in almost every part of the world, which means almost anybody can discover the joys of audiobooks.

However, similarly to other streaming services, such as Netflix or Amazon Prime, some content is region specific.

  • Not all Audible books are available in every country and you may find that the catalog will differ from place to place.
  • Content is restricted to whether a license could be obtained to stock specific audiobooks in certain countries.
  • Each country has its own licensing laws and restrictions which affect which books are in Audible’s catalog for that region.
  • There is, however, a way that anyone anywhere can access everything that Audible has to offer – the solution is a VPN.

VPNs allow you to connect to a server in whichever country you choose.

By connecting to a server in another country you can then access the catalog that the region has access to.

There are many VPN options to choose from, but they all work in the same way.

Simply download the VPN of your choice onto your device – Nord VPN or Private Internet Access are great options.

Once you’ve downloaded their app you can choose to connect to a server, such as one in the USA, and then just open your Audible app to have access to, and play, any content that is available.

Audible Audiobooks Won’t Play Because Your ‘Sign-in’ Needs Resetting (iOS Only)

Audible customer services have recognized an issue that sometimes occurs within the Audible app when using an iOS device.

On rare occasions, the user will need to reset their sign-in on the Audible app.

To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Audible app.
  2. Select Profile.
  3. Tap the Settings icon.
  4. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and you will see some small print that identifies what version of Audible is running, e.g. Audible 3.65.1(703).
  5. Press and hold the text for at least 5-10 seconds, any shorter and the prompt will not appear.
  6. A ‘Reset Sign-In’ prompt will appear, tap Sign-Out.
  7. Next, restart your iOS device.
  8. Re-launch and sign back into the Audible app.
  9. Try playing the audiobook again, the problem should now be resolved.  

Your Anti-Virus Software Is Stopping Audible From Playing (Or Working At All)

Anti-virus software is meant to protect our devices from external threats, but sometimes they go a step too far and prevent our (perfectly safe) websites from working properly.

Some users have found that their anti-virus software interfered with the Audible website and prevented them from playing their audiobooks on their computers.

If you’ve found that you can’t get onto the Audible site and/or can’t play your audiobooks, then the following steps may hold the solution you’ve been looking for.

Read our blog here about Audible skipping & glitching.

Toggle Your ‘Real-Time Protection’ To Play Audible Audiobooks

If your anti-virus has mistaken Audible to be a dangerous website then try disabling Windows defender:

  1. Hit the Windows key on your keyboard and then type ‘Windows Security‘ and select it from the search results.
  2. Now choose ‘Virus & threat protection‘ from the left-side panel.
  3. Select ‘Manage settings‘.
  4. Toggle ‘Real-time protection’ from on to off.

Your Audible Audiobook Won’t Play Because You Have An Outdated App

Sometimes when the Audible app starts acting up and your audiobook isn’t playing properly it means that the current version of the app is outdated.

Apps need to be regularly updated in order to work at their best and Audible is no exception.

Updating the Audible app will help in 3 ways:

  1. Fix any bug issues
  2. Keep you up to date with new user features and design elements
  3. Increase security

To update the Audible app on your device follow the steps below:

How To Update Audible On iOS

  1. Go to the Home Screen on your iOS device.
  2. Tap on the App Store icon.
  3. On the bottom of your screen, you will see 5 icons, tap Search.
  4. Type “Audible”.
    • If the app is in need of updating, you will see an update option.
  5. Tap Update and the Audible app will begin updating.

Once complete you can open the app and see if it has solved the problem.

Here’s a handy pointer – if you tap the Account icon in the top right of your screen whilst on the App Store, you will be given a list of all of the apps you need to update.

From here you can either select “Update All” or update them individually, which ensures every app you own is running the most up-to-date version.

How To Update Audible On Android

  1. Open the Google Play Store.
  2. Locate the search bar, and search for Audible.
  3. Next to the Audible icon, you will see an update option if there is a new update.
  4. Tap this and the Audible app will begin updating.
  5. Once it is complete, reopen the app and see if the glitches have been fixed.

You Need To Reinstall The Audible App Before Your Audiobook Will Play

If your audiobook isn’t playing whilst using the Audible app there may be an issue within the app itself.

When this happens you may need to delete the app from your iOS or Android device, and then reinstall it.

To do this, follow the steps below:

How To Delete And Reinstall Audible On Android

  1. From the Home Screen tap on the Google Play Store.
  2. Locate and tap on the profile icon in the top right of your screen.
  3. Scroll and tap on Manage Apps & Devices> Manage.
  4. Find Audible and tap Uninstall.
  5. Go back to the Google Play Store Home Screen and type “Audible”.
  6. Tap Install and the app will begin installing onto your device.

How To Delete And Reinstall On iOS

  1. Find the Audible icon on your device’s Home Screen.
  2. Tap and hold until a drop-down bar appears.
  3. At the bottom you will see “Delete App”, tap this option.
  4. Open the Apple App Store.
  5. Tap search and type “Audible”.
  6. Next to the Audible app icon tap Install.
  7. Audible will begin installing on your iOS device

Your Android or iOS Device Needs Updating In Order For Audible To Play Audiobooks

For your device to run smoothly, without encountering any problems whilst running the installed apps, you have to make sure that the operating system is up to date.

Outdated operating systems can also leave your android or iOS devices vulnerable to potential security breaches or malware.

When you continue to use your device with an outdated operating system, certain apps including Audible can potentially crash and malfunction.

To avoid this, follow the steps below to update your operating system.

How To Update The iOS Operating System

Ensure you are connected to the internet before beginning this procedure.

  1. From the Home Screen tap on Settings.
  2. Scroll down and select General.
  3. The second option should be labeled as Software Update.
  4. Tap this, and your device will search for any software updates.
  5. Select Download and Install
  6. Your iOS device will now begin its software update.

For more on Audible and iOS, check out our easy answer guide to common questions!

How To Update The Android Operating System

Always begin by ensuring you are connected to a stable WiFi.

  1. On your Home Screen, locate and tap the Settings app.
  2. Choose About Phone.
  3. From here you can see if there is an update available by tapping Check For Updates.
  4. If there is one available, select Install.

Audible Won’t Play Because You Are No Longer Connected To The Internet

You need an internet connection in order to stream or download the audiobook you want to listen to from Audible.

  • Without an internet connection, it is not possible to stream or download audiobooks.
  • Check if you have a connection by either checking your WiFi connection on your device or seeing whether you have a mobile connection.
  • You can also try opening up a website in your web browser to test your connection.

Sources

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