How to play an m4b audiobook

The M4B audio format is a relatively unknown file format. Yet, it's ideal for listening to audiobooks. In fact, it was even designed for that purpose.

Three advantages compared to the mp3 format:

  • better quality at the same file size,
  • a complete chapter structure,
  • a single file that does not need to be decompressed or filed in a folder.

The quality is well preserved with the AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) compression format, which is much more efficient and respectful of quality than the classic mp3 format.

Indeed, an uncompressed audio file is very large. Far too large for most internet connections. Compression, on the other hand, uses complex mathematical techniques to reduce the file size without significantly compromising the perceived sound quality.

You have the entire book in a single file. Simpler to handle and use, and lighter for superior quality .

You also retain the different chapters, which makes it easier to navigate the audiobook.

And it's a single file for an audiobook, rather than 36 mp3 files corresponding to successive chapters ;-)

How do I read the m4b audiobook format?

On Android

How do I deliver an audiobook in M4B format on Android?

Google's Music Player can almost play audiobooks in this format, but it's not very well suited because it doesn't save your place. Imagine, you're listening to a 15-hour book, you go to bed in the middle, and the next morning your player suggests starting over from the beginning… Ugh.

However, the free Smart Audiobook Player app is much easier to use on an Android smartphone or tablet and has all the features you'd expect from a good player. These include chapter navigation, automatic return to where you left off, and more. After testing it, it's the one I recommend for listening to audiobooks on Android.

On iPhone or iPad

On iPhone, I recommend the excellent free BookPlayer app, available in the App Store for iPhone and iPad. It allows you, for example, to easily retrieve your audiobook from your Dropbox or iCloud storage.

I use it by leaving an m4b file on my desktop (which is automatically synced with iCloud). Then, in the app, I go to Add, tap Import, and navigate until I find the m4b file.

The app is also perfectly suited for reading on an iPad. And this free app doesn't suffer from the usual drawbacks of free apps: no constant ads, no tracking of your activity.

You can also transfer files from a computer to your smartphone, but the instructions for that are far too long to read...

On a computer

Several applications can play this type of audiobook file in M4B format. These include Apple Music, the free multimedia player, as well asVLC and Windows Media Player. iTunes is probably the best solution for playing audiobooks, as it has been doing so since 2003 (15 years), with no ads and no spyware. It works very well on Windows.

If you're on Linux, I'm sure you'll be able to find an MB4 file reader on your own ;-)

All these applications are , of course, free .