Review Insights · App Store
Audible: Audiobooks & Podcasts
Audible, Inc. · 5,506,647 ratings · ★ 4.9
4.9
★★★★★
5,506,647 ratings
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Top complaints - extracted from 23 negative reviews
Recurring phrases mined from 1-2★ reviews. The bigger the percentage, the more users have the same problem. Fix the top 2-3 in your version and you have product-market fit on day one.
1
"audible"
9 negative reviews mention this · 39% of all complaints
★★★★★ "NOPE. This app is the worst. I’ve been a member for years, more than a thousand books in my library, and I’ve never seen the app be this visually cluttered and difficult to navigate. Also, when searching my books for a particular title, audible …" - heron68
2
"find"
8 negative reviews mention this · 35% of all complaints
★★★★★ "I used to like it. It is worse with every iteration. I once deleted this app from my library, but I have grudgingly reinstalled it. All of the comments I wrote below still apply, but in the 2026 context it is now a more or less ordinary example of post-mercantile surveillance capitalism. If …" - autnagrag
3
"books"
8 negative reviews mention this · 35% of all complaints
★★★★★ "I used to like it. It is worse with every iteration. I once deleted this app from my library, but I have grudgingly reinstalled it. All of the comments I wrote below still apply, but in the 2026 context it is now a more or less ordinary example of post-mercantile surveillance capitalism. If …" - autnagrag
4
"listen"
6 negative reviews mention this · 26% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Functionally Unusable. Subscription status does not update from browser to app, so there is no way to listen to anything" - 84829017466319
5
"book"
6 negative reviews mention this · 26% of all complaints
★★★★★ "I used to like it. It is worse with every iteration. I once deleted this app from my library, but I have grudgingly reinstalled it. All of the comments I wrote below still apply, but in the 2026 context it is now a more or less ordinary example of post-mercantile surveillance capitalism. If …" - autnagrag
6
"credits"
6 negative reviews mention this · 26% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Be careful!. I clicked on the next book in the series that I was listening to and inadvertently purchased 9 credits that I have no need for - I tried to reached out within 18 hrs but Audible would NOT refund. It was a single click and at no point did I…" - nickname peter alfonso
7
"library"
5 negative reviews mention this · 22% of all complaints
★★★★★ "I used to like it. It is worse with every iteration. I once deleted this app from my library, but I have grudgingly reinstalled it. All of the comments I wrote below still apply, but in the 2026 context it is now a more or less ordinary example of post-mercantile surveillance capitalism. If …" - autnagrag
8
"every"
4 negative reviews mention this · 17% of all complaints
★★★★★ "I used to like it. It is worse with every iteration. I once deleted this app from my library, but I have grudgingly reinstalled it. All of the comments I wrote below still apply, but in the 2026 context it is now a more or less ordinary example of post-mercantile surveillance capitalism. If …" - autnagrag
9
"listening"
4 negative reviews mention this · 17% of all complaints
★★★★★ "I used to like it. It is worse with every iteration. I once deleted this app from my library, but I have grudgingly reinstalled it. All of the comments I wrote below still apply, but in the 2026 context it is now a more or less ordinary example of post-mercantile surveillance capitalism. If …" - autnagrag
10
"money"
4 negative reviews mention this · 17% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Rip off. Standard membership gives you ONE book to listen to per month but if you stop your membership you lose access to that book and any others. Might as well spend your money on a physical book and never worry about losing access, or download th…" - TheAbleGeek
11
"harry"
3 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Terrible suggestions. I can’t get rid of Harry Potter. I don’t want Harry Potter." - KCS3435
12
"potter"
3 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Terrible suggestions. I can’t get rid of Harry Potter. I don’t want Harry Potter." - KCS3435
📋 All 23 negative reviews
Every 1-2★ review we fetched. Use the copy button to grab them all for your own analysis (paste into ChatGPT/Claude with a prompt like "summarize core user problems, group by theme, ignore bugs, focus on missing features").
Terrible suggestions
I can’t get rid of Harry Potter. I don’t want Harry Potter.
Functionally Unusable
Subscription status does not update from browser to app, so there is no way to listen to anything
I used to like it. It is worse with every iteration
I once deleted this app from my library, but I have grudgingly reinstalled it. All of the comments I wrote below still apply, but in the 2026 context it is now a more or less ordinary example of post-mercantile surveillance capitalism.
If you want to listen to audiobooks, flee from this app, which used to be good.
If you want to read silly intrusive popup windows and interact with them instead of listening to audiobooks, this is the app for you.
If you want to have the function of the app change from enabling you to listen to audiobooks to trying to be a web browser, and to sell you something during most moments when it is not actively annoying you, this is the app for you.
If you want an app that combines the worst features of iTunes and/or the iPhone’s Music.app with the worst most megalomaniacal features of Amazon software, this is the app for you.
If you want to listen to audiobooks, find another app.
If you want to listen to audiobooks, flee from this app, which used to be good.
If you want to read silly intrusive popup windows and interact with them instead of listening to audiobooks, this is the app for you.
If you want to have the function of the app change from enabling you to listen to audiobooks to trying to be a web browser, and to sell you something during most moments when it is not actively annoying you, this is the app for you.
If you want an app that combines the worst features of iTunes and/or the iPhone’s Music.app with the worst most megalomaniacal features of Amazon software, this is the app for you.
If you want to listen to audiobooks, find another app.
Rip off
Standard membership gives you ONE book to listen to per month but if you stop your membership you lose access to that book and any others. Might as well spend your money on a physical book and never worry about losing access, or download the audio book from a site that doesn’t keep it on cloud storage.
Not working
Not working
NOPE
This app is the worst. I’ve been a member for years, more than a thousand books in my library, and I’ve never seen the app be this visually cluttered and difficult to navigate. Also, when searching my books for a particular title, audible presents only new editions in the hope that I will buy again a book I already have. Incompetent and sleazy. Welcome to Amazon!
Awful app propped up by a monopoly
The owners of this app no longer want it to be used to listen to audiobooks. I can’t find a book in my library or find information on the author. Imagine a world where we didn’t get pathetic versions of tools we pay for
Sad Story
I was completely put off knowing she wasn’t straight with the readers concerning her husband’s treatment.
I admire that we were told about this however. There was a big gap leading to her suicide.
I admire that we were told about this however. There was a big gap leading to her suicide.
Rip off
App tries to make me pay for books I already purchased if I want to listen again. I can see records of purchase but would need to purchase again to listen to.
Be careful!
I clicked on the next book in the series that I was listening to and inadvertently purchased 9 credits that I have no need for - I tried to reached out within 18 hrs but Audible would NOT refund. It was a single click and at no point did I get a warning that I had no credits remaining or options to purchase a single credit, 3 credits, or 500 credits.
Too difficult to access purchased library without having to search through suggested titles
This app was good when I could listen to purchased books without having to search through all the ads trying to sell books I’m not interested in. It is too difficult to find books I want to listen to when they are already purchased. Sometimes the books they try to sell me are already in my library.
Audible Plus books??? Where’d they go!?!
The app changes so often and now it’s impossible to find the Audible Plus catalog. I can only find like the top 10 books for the categories and it drives me insane. I know it wants to push the books that cost money or use credits but part of the reason I even pay for the damn app is for the extras and now you’ve made that impossible to fully use. Starting to think this app is just a waste of money.
AI
PLEASE AUDIBLE when browsing or searching. Please add the ability to exclude AI options.
Ai slop. Audible allowing AI generated books with a wave of all AI read books. Yes AI narrated books are marked. But AI generated books are not and people use their names on them even though they’re clearly AI written. Which you only find out after you’ve paid for them & can’t get your money back.
I’ve used and loved Audible for over a decade but the AI needs to stop.
It’s nothing but a cash grab and ruining great authors and voice actors. There for ruining great stories.
AI can’t perform a book the way a real human can. It can’t understand context. A narrator’s performance can make a break a book experience. AI can never understand the nuance of the human experience.
Ai slop. Audible allowing AI generated books with a wave of all AI read books. Yes AI narrated books are marked. But AI generated books are not and people use their names on them even though they’re clearly AI written. Which you only find out after you’ve paid for them & can’t get your money back.
I’ve used and loved Audible for over a decade but the AI needs to stop.
It’s nothing but a cash grab and ruining great authors and voice actors. There for ruining great stories.
AI can’t perform a book the way a real human can. It can’t understand context. A narrator’s performance can make a break a book experience. AI can never understand the nuance of the human experience.
Worst customer service
Wanna get hung up on? Be left on hold for over an hour and they never come back to you? Want to be told that you have to make a new Amazon account and lose all of your audio books and credits? They are happy to keep charging you - but once you need help they suddenly treat you like a criminal. It took over 3 hours and 5 phone calls to get my audible unlocked . Find a better listening app cuz these guys aren’t it.
Hate the new updates
Audible is pushing everyone onto a new style of membership without credits. If you have a legacy membership, the app just straight-up lies to you and says content is included but won’t play it. Also, they now show you Harry Potter every single time you open the app.
Badly organized
The podcasts are poorly organized and the recommendations are terrible
Hypnotherapy chapter
Link did not work
Thieves
I paid for 3 months of Audible to where I had 3 credits. Now that I cancelled my subscription they took the credits I paid for. This app is a scam and they steal your money now.
Intolerable lack of settings
While I do enjoy the plethora of titles available with Audible, I do not enjoy having to turn up my car stereo to max volume in order to hear what is being said. It is beyond baffling why you would design an application that deals specifically with the spoken word and yet have zero mechanisms to enable that spoken word to be understood. If you can find audio books anywhere else, do so. Save yourself the frustration of using this oxymoron of an app. This is not Audible.
Why can’t I see percentage completed?
What on earth do I have to do to get the percentage completed on the audiobook I’m listening to like every other audiobook app?
Update: I guess they have a robot responding to these because the only problem is that they refuse to offer a feature they are continually asked for. Signing out and back in won’t solve that.
Update: I guess they have a robot responding to these because the only problem is that they refuse to offer a feature they are continually asked for. Signing out and back in won’t solve that.
Stop showing me bad books
I am tired of being bombarded with ads for the new Harry Potter audiobooks. I get it, you can’t figure out what I like! But stop pretending a grown man needs to be read an infamous bigot’s tacky children’s series full of racist stereotypes by a bored all-star cast.
I Use to Love Audible
I have been using audible for years and loved it. It was easy and the recordings well done. However this year I have had the same issue twice now and have only been blamed for it by the third party customer service reps from India, who also refuse to send me to a higher up. Every once in a while I decide to buy book instead of using credit because it makes more sense. Twice now audible has charged an account I never opened through my work email even though I started the process in my app that is logged into my actual account.
Hard to navigate
The app is hard to find things. Also it’s hard to keep track of what you buy with credits. Help doesn’t answer questions very well. Stick with free library apps.
Sentiment summary
97%
Positive (4-5★)
2%
Neutral (3★)
1%
Negative (1-2★)