How to Fix Disappeared Audiobooks on iPhone

Audiobooks have become an essential part of our digital lives, offering a convenient way to enjoy books while multitasking.

If your audiobooks have disappeared from your iPhone, don’t worry, this is a common issue with several potential solutions.

This guide will walk you through how to recover your missing audiobooks on your iPhone.

Things You Should Know

• App Location: On iOS 7 or earlier, audiobooks are found in the Music app. From iOS 8.4 onwards, they reside in the Apple Books app.
• Purchase Requirement: The Audiobooks section may not appear until you’ve purchased or downloaded at least one audiobook.
• Sync Issues: Missing audiobooks can result from syncing problems, iCloud settings, or app glitches.

Method 1: Re-login to Your iTunes Account

One of the most common causes of missing audiobooks is when your iTunes account does not synchronize perfectly with your iPhone. This can happen if you recently updated your iOS, synced your device, or changed your Apple ID password.

What you should do is confirm that you’ve enabled audiobook syncing in iTunes on your computer. Open iTunes on your PC or Mac, go to the Books tab, and make sure Sync Audiobooks is selected. Apply the changes and sync your iPhone.

After you have applied changes on your PC or Mac, open your iPhone and launch the iTunes Store app.

At the bottom, tap the Music tab. Scroll down and tap your Apple ID, then choose Sign Out. 

Next, you’ll need to hard reboot your iPhone: 

• On iPhone 6s or earlier, press and hold the Home button and Sleep/Wake button together until you see the Apple logo.
• On iPhone 7/7 Plus, press and hold the Volume Down button and Sleep/Wake button simultaneously.
• On iPhone 8 and later, quickly press and release the Volume Up button, then the Volume Down button, and then hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.

After your iPhone restarts, open the iTunes Store app and sign in with your Apple ID.

After logging in, navigate to Audiobooks → Purchased → Audiobooks. You should now see your purchased audiobooks listed.

Method 2: Refresh the Apple Books App

Sometimes the Books app itself needs a refresh to display your purchased or downloaded audiobooks properly.

First, go to Settings → Books on your iPhone and turn off the Sync Collections option. This disconnects the app’s syncing temporarily.

Then, open the Books app and tap the Featured tab at the bottom. Scroll down and tap your Apple ID, then select Sign Out to log out.

Next, perform a force reboot using the same steps described earlier, depending on your iPhone model.

Once your iPhone is back on, return to Settings → Books and turn Sync Collections back on. Open the Books app again, tap Featured, scroll down, and tap Sign In to log in with your Apple ID.

Finally, go to the Purchased section inside the Books app, tap Audiobooks, and you should now see your missing audiobooks restored.

Method 3: Reset All Settings

If the previous methods fail, resetting all settings on your iPhone can often help.

Go to Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Reset → Reset All Settings. Confirm your passcode if prompted, then tap Reset All Settings again.

This process won’t delete your personal data (like photos or messages), but it will reset system settings such as Wi-Fi passwords, display preferences, and network settings.

After your iPhone restarts, open the Books app and check if your audiobooks have reappeared.

Method 4: Enable iCloud for Books

Enabling iCloud Drive and Books syncing ensures that your audiobooks are available across all your Apple devices.

Open Settings, tap your Apple ID at the top, then go to iCloud → iCloud Drive and make sure it’s turned on. Scroll down and check that Books is also toggled on.

With iCloud enabled, go to the Books app, tap Library → Audiobooks, and check if your audiobooks have synced across from other devices.

Method 5: Unhide Hidden Purchases

It’s possible that your audiobooks were accidentally hidden from your purchase history.

To check, open the Books app and go to the Home tab. Tap your profile picture or Sign In button at the top, then choose Manage Hidden Purchases. If prompted, log in with your Apple ID. Find the hidden audiobooks and tap Unhide next to each title.

Once unhidden, they should reappear in your Purchased section. 

Method 6: Use Third-Party Apps for Non-iTunes Audiobooks

If your audiobooks weren’t purchased from iTunes or Apple Books (for example, they were downloaded from Audible, Librivox, or another service), you can use third-party apps to play them.

Apps like BookPlayer, SmartBook, and Bound allow you to import MP3 or M4B audiobook files directly into the app, bypassing Apple’s ecosystem. Simply download one of these apps from the App Store, follow the app’s instructions to import your audiobooks, and enjoy seamless playback.