BookPlayer: One of the best apps for listening to MP3 Audiobooks on iPhone or iPad

Today, I had a challenge: I’ve got an MP3 audiobook! Imagine that: one receives an audiobook, and one immediately has a challenge! Weird, one would say, but no, it’s not weird if you’re used to subscription-based audio media only, e.g., Spotify, Storytel, etc. Then, you do not think about “what I’ll use to listen to those”: you get their software (even if it’s crappy, you have no other choice), and then you listen.

However, when you get an unprotected audiobook, you must find a way to listen it. And that’s when I hit a rock-solid ground. I searched for more than one hour (trust me, in my world of searches, that’s a lot), and I was still unable to find the right iOS software to listen to this audiobook. Simple, eh? Just a collection of MP3s. Good, ol’ WinAmp-style. Yes, it’s simple, but it was not easy to find software that does it.

And then, a friend saved me.

She recommended BookPlayer, a great, open-source app (BookPlayer at GitHub), which saved the day.

In two easy steps, this app allowed me to import my book (already uploaded to iCloud) and start listening to it with the same easiness and comfort the “professional” audiobook apps provided. Given that it’s a community project, it contains way more features than the “standard” ones. It’s ironic very often happens: a commercial, paid (and paid for!) app is way weaker than its open-source counterpart…

BookPlayer also has a “Pro” mode, a subscription-based service that offers a bit (but just a bit) more functionality than the free app. I have not (yet) signed for it, and I don’t think I will. But if one regularly uses the app, they’d probably consider buying Pro.

Instead, I decided to apply for a translator. I love contributing to open-source projects, and if they approve my request, I’ll be happy to help them with the Bulgarian translation. I remember when I was KeePass’s main translator (10–15 years ago?)… then I stopped because I stopped using the software. I firmly believe in the rule that “one should not translate (or develop, for that matter) an app which one does not use themselves.”

Anyway, I’m pretty happy that I resolved an issue in the best way possible: by finding a great app to do so.

Images are from the description of the BookPlayer project.

Originally published at https://doncho.net on October 17, 2023.