A MacRumors forum member has discovered that Apple has made changes to the way iOS handles audiobooks in iOS 8.4 beta, which seems to be part of the revamp of the Music app.
Apple has moved the playback of audiobooks to the iBooks app from the Music app.
Currently in iOS 8.3 or lower, users have to access and listen to their audiobooks from the Music app, which used to be confusing for some users as they expected to access the audiobooks in the iBooks app itself. So it is good to see Apple has finally addressed that issue in iOS 8.4 by consolidating all books in the iBooks app.
Since iOS 7, listeners could not view or select the chapter titles. Though the chapter titles can now be selected, the iBooks app in iOS 8.4 beta still doesn’t display the chapter titles. As you can see in the screenshot below, they’re listed as “track numbers†instead.
Full release notes:
- All-New Design. Music app has a beautiful new design that makes exploring your music collection easier and more fun. Personalize playlists by adding your own image and description. Enjoy stunning pictures of your favorite artists in the Artists view. Start playing an album right from the album list. The music you love is never more than a tap away.
- Recently Added. Albums and playlists you’ve recently added are now at the top of your library, making it effortless to find something new to play. Simply tap play on the artwork to listen.
- Streamlined iTunes Radio. Discovering music with iTunes Radio is easier than ever. You can now quickly return to your favorite stations in Recently Played. Choose from a selection of hand-curated stations in Featured Stations, or start a new one from your favorite artist or song.
- New MiniPlayer. With the new MiniPlayer, you can see what’s playing and control playback while browsing your music collection. To open Now Playing, just tap on the MiniPlayer.
- Improved Now Playing. Now Playing has a stunning new design that showcases your album artwork the way it was meant to be. In addition, you can begin wirelessly streaming your music using AirPlay without leaving Now Playing.
- Up Next. It’s now simple to find out which songs from your library will play next — just tap the Up Next icon in Now Playing. You can even reorder, add, or skip songs whenever you like.
- Global Search. You can now search from anywhere in the Music app — just tap the magnifying glass. Search results are conveniently organized to help you quickly find that perfect song. You can even start an iTunes Radio station right from Search.
