The Audible app for Windows has been discontinued. The popular audiobook streaming platform has sent users an email to inform them about the program's removal.
The app in question, which debuted in 2015, is called Audiobooks from Audible. It was discontinued on January 13th, but the listing for the UWP app is still up on the Microsoft Store, though it does carry a message that mentions the app is currently not available.
Audible app for Windows has been discontinued
What about users who already have the Audible app on their computer? A screenshot of the email message shared by a user, reveals that people who currently have the app installed cam continue to use it until July 31st, 2022. I have it installed in my laptop and it still works.
If you want to side-load the Audible app, you can use the ad-guard website to pull the AppxBundle from the Microsoft Store, and install it manually after enabling the Developer Mode from the Windows Settings app. But there is a caveat. The company will no longer allow users to access their audiobook library through the app beyond the said date.
The audiobook platform is recommending users to switch to the Audible mobile app on iOS or Android, as a means to access their purchased content. The other alternative to it, is to use the Audible Cloud Player, which is the web-based solution offered by the service that you can use from any web browser. The AudibleSync app is available from the official website, you can use it to download your audiobooks and transfer it to other devices.
It seems a little odd for the Audible app to be pulled from the Microsoft Store, considering how other companies have been bringing their apps to the app storefront. Even Amazon, which owns Audible Inc, has brought its app for Windows 11. I can only speculate that the move to discontinue the app could be due to the fact that Windows 11 supports Android apps natively, so users could run the mobile version on their computer, or maybe a newer version will be released in the future. Or perhaps a new DRM is in place via the web-player, that they didn't want to add to the desktop program?
A canned response from an Audible representative was met with criticism from users. It's never a good idea to kill an app without having a proper alternative in place. There are many reasons why people prefer to use a desktop program for their entertainment. In this scenario, you could have the audiobook player running in the background while you work, browse or while playing games, etc. The app offered a simpler and more efficient way to manage the library as well, something which cannot be said of the website, it's quite clunky.
Audible for Windows alternative
Users who are on the lookout for an alternative for the Audible app for Windows, you may try OpenAudible or Libation, both of which are open-source programs. The latter is exclusive to Windows, while the former has versions for Windows, macOS and Linux. Both tools allow you to download audiobooks from your library, convert them to MP3 files and remove the DRM for unrestricted usage.
Do you use the Audible for Windows app? Will you use switch to web player, mobile app, or a third-party tool?
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