iPod How to restart audiobook from where you left off on ipod nano?

[sun surfer]

Hi, I have a 7th gen ipod nano and just starting using it to listen to audiobooks. It works great except for one important thing. Obviously I'm not going to wait until I finish an entire audiobook before I listen to some music in-between here and there, but the problem is that once I switch to music, I can't get the audiobook to resume from where it left off when I go back to it.

The weird thing is that when I go into audiobooks, it will show me how far I am into the audiobook! So it obviously remembers where I am. But I can't start it back from there! Instead, when I try to click on the audibook it opens the list to chapters (and it will even show the "now playing" signal by which chapter I'm on), but when I click that chapter, it starts over from the beginning of the chapter.

Something is wrong there. Either I'm missing something or something's really wonky with ipod audiobook controls. To be clear, even though it shows how far I am into the audiobook and "now playing" by the correct chapter, after I've listened to music, in the general "now playing" it's always the music I just listened to and there's no way to easily start the audiobook where I left off. Or is there?

 

[gnasher729]

Hi, I have a 7th gen ipod nano and just starting using it to listen to audiobooks. It works great except for one important thing. Obviously I'm not going to wait until I finish an entire audiobook before I listen to some music in-between here and there, but the problem is that once I switch to music, I can't get the audiobook to resume from where it left off when I go back to it.

The weird thing is that when I go into audiobooks, it will show me how far I am into the audiobook! So it obviously remembers where I am. But I can't start it back from there! Instead, when I try to click on the audibook it opens the list to chapters (and it will even show the "now playing" signal by which chapter I'm on), but when I click that chapter, it starts over from the beginning of the chapter.

Something is wrong there. Either I'm missing something or something's really wonky with ipod audiobook controls. To be clear, even though it shows how far I am into the audiobook and "now playing" by the correct chapter, after I've listened to music, in the general "now playing" it's always the music I just listened to and there's no way to easily start the audiobook where I left off. Or is there?

If you check in iTunes, do you have one or few huge files, or lots of small files? Audiobooks purchased from iTunes will usually come as a large file of several hours, books over 7 or 8 hours split into few files. Audiobooks that you record from your CDs will usually come in many files of a few minutes, and iTunes won't remember which of the small files you were playing. Audiobook Binder on the Mac app store can turn many small files into one or few large ones.

 

[sun surfer]

If you check in iTunes, do you have one or few huge files, or lots of small files? Audiobooks purchased from iTunes will usually come as a large file of several hours, books over 7 or 8 hours split into few files. Audiobooks that you record from your CDs will usually come in many files of a few minutes, and iTunes won't remember which of the small files you were playing. Audiobook Binder on the Mac app store can turn many small files into one or few large ones.

It's not that. This audiobook is from iTunes, and others I've tried on the nano have the same result. It's no problem like that because the nano actually does remember where I was at - I can see it! After listening to music then going back to audiobooks, it still shows how far I am time-wise into the audiobook and what chapter I'm on. The problem is - I can't start it from there! It only shows it. The only way I can start it back is going into the audiobook, selecting the chapter again, and then fastforwarding to find the point I was at, which is silly to have to do. Either there is some way on the nano to start it back from where I left off or this feature is sadly and sorely missing from the nano for some inexplicable reason (I can't imagine I'm the only one listening to audiobooks on the nano - it's perfect for it otherwise and after all Apple do sell audiobooks so they should want them to work well on their devices).

 

[peridot]

I don't know about iPods, but I have the same issue with my iPhone. It's very frustrating. The best solution I have found so far is to use a program like pp mentioned to turn the book into one file, so that you don't have to scroll through hundreds of small tracks to find where you left off.

 

[7thson]

This might help. In iTunes, select the audiobook, select Get Info from File in menu bar or right click and select Get Info. In the Info window, go to Options and select Remember Position to display Yes, click OK or hit return. You can do this with the file on the iPod, I believe, but will want to do it to files in iTunes as well. Hope that helps.

 

[sun surfer]

I don't know about iPods, but I have the same issue with my iPhone. It's very frustrating. The best solution I have found so far is to use a program like pp mentioned to turn the book into one file, so that you don't have to scroll through hundreds of small tracks to find where you left off.

I don't think that would work for me. The file is a large file, though when I put it on my nano, I can select by chapter, and even after turning on music I can still see where I left off the audiobook which is important, even if I have to manually go back there to start it again. Without that I'd always forget where I was I'm sure.

On the other hand, if I just make a large file out of it that's not a proper audiobook file (though it already is a large file anyway...), then it might not show me where I left off when going back, and it surely would be much harder to get back to the right spot because I'd be fastforwarding through hours of the "one large file" each time instead of selecting the chapter and then just fastforwarding through that. Am I missing something? How is creating one large file better?

This might help. In iTunes, select the audiobook, select Get Info from File in menu bar or right click and select Get Info. In the Info window, go to Options and select Remember Position to display Yes, click OK or hit return. You can do this with the file on the iPod, I believe, but will want to do it to files in iTunes as well. Hope that helps.

I'd already checked that and the Remember Position was already checked. And it does remember it - I can see that when I return to the audiobook on the nano! It shows me where I left off. The problem is, I can't start it back from there! Instead I have to manually choose the right chapter and then manually fastforward through the chapter to the right spot.

 

[gnasher729]

I just realised... Do you select them under "Audiobooks"? My iPod 5th gen shows audiobooks, I select one, then the first item in the menu is "resume", followed by the chapters.

But I never use it that way. I just have a playlist with audiobooks under "Music", and there you have no choice of chapters, but it just starts playing where it stopped the last time.

 

[sun surfer]

I just realised... Do you select them under "Audiobooks"? My iPod 5th gen shows audiobooks, I select one, then the first item in the menu is "resume", followed by the chapters.

But I never use it that way. I just have a playlist with audiobooks under "Music", and there you have no choice of chapters, but it just starts playing where it stopped the last time.

I've tried selecting them in all sorts of ways. Through the audiobooks section, through the music section which also has an audiobooks part (neither work to resume, either way I have to go find the chapter and then fastforward to the right spot), and also trying to just click the side physical play button on my nano in a variety of places including when in the audiobook section (it doesn't work anywhere; it just makes the music I had played start back even though in audiobooks the top of the screen shows as if the audiobook is the "now playing" item).

A "resume" option in audiobooks would be exactly what is needed! I wish it were so! But no, there is no resume option anywhere in audiobooks once you start playing music instead.

Also, even if you make an audiobook a playlist in music, I don't see how it would start back from where you left off after playing other music. I can't start any playlist back from where I left off once I play something else; I have to start it over again. So it sounds like it would be the exact same situation as I'm in now.

 

[7thson]

Sorry. It's been 2+ years since I used a nano. I remember this problem being a big downside to listening to audiobooks. I primarily imported from discs and occasionally the larger bundled iTunes files, had problems with both. I'm not sure what else to suggest. Maybe a call to Apple support and they'll throw you a bone. Also, have you tried a restore?

 

[gnasher729]

I've tried selecting them in all sorts of ways. Through the audiobooks section, through the music section which also has an audiobooks part (neither work to resume, either way I have to go find the chapter and then fastforward to the right spot), and also trying to just click the side physical play button on my nano in a variety of places including when in the audiobook section (it doesn't work anywhere; it just makes the music I had played start back even though in audiobooks the top of the screen shows as if the audiobook is the "now playing" item).

A "resume" option in audiobooks would be exactly what is needed! I wish it were so! But no, there is no resume option anywhere in audiobooks once you start playing music instead.

Also, even if you make an audiobook a playlist in music, I don't see how it would start back from where you left off after playing other music. I can't start any playlist back from where I left off once I play something else; I have to start it over again. So it sounds like it would be the exact same situation as I'm in now.

Appointment at an Apple Store with a genius... That's what they are there for!

It's weird because I have no problem doing this on a 5th gen iPod.

Anyway, the way I use my iPod I never see an interface that let's me choose chapters for the audio books, just the individual files.

 

[Canadauser]

Could you have two playlists. One with audio book with segments in order and one with music. Shuffle between the two?

 

[Keja76]

iPod nano / audiobooks

Hi, I have a 7th gen ipod nano and just starting using it to listen to audiobooks. It works great except for one important thing. Obviously I'm not going to wait until I finish an entire audiobook before I listen to some music in-between here and there, but the problem is that once I switch to music, I can't get the audiobook to resume from where it left off when I go back to it.

The weird thing is that when I go into audiobooks, it will show me how far I am into the audiobook! So it obviously remembers where I am. But I can't start it back from there! Instead, when I try to click on the audibook it opens the list to chapters (and it will even show the "now playing" signal by which chapter I'm on), but when I click that chapter, it starts over from the beginning of the chapter.

Something is wrong there. Either I'm missing something or something's really wonky with ipod audiobook controls. To be clear, even though it shows how far I am into the audiobook and "now playing" by the correct chapter, after I've listened to music, in the general "now playing" it's always the music I just listened to and there's no way to easily start the audiobook where I left off. Or is there?

I have exactly the same problem, did you manage to solve your difficulties? I would be grateful for any advice you could give me.

 

[Amelia7031]

iPod nano / audiobooks



I have exactly the same problem, did you manage to solve your difficulties? I would be grateful for any advice you could give me.

[doublepost=1504364971][/doublepost]Choose "Audiobooks", choose your book, on screen listing the chapters of your book, scroll up to the very top. You should find "Resume" as an option rather than clicking on a certain chapter.