Can you play Libby audiobooks in another app?
Last reviewed 30 October 2026
At a glance
- Libby audiobook loans cannot be imported into Audely. Listen through Libby’s mobile app or supported browser player.
- For offline listening, download the loan inside Libby. Audely is for separate audio files you can access in Files or Finder.
Listen offline in Libby
Libby says its audiobooks cannot be transferred to MP3 players or iPods. Use its mobile app for offline listening, or its browser player while online.
In the Libby mobile app, open Shelf, then Loans, and use the title’s download control if it is not already downloaded. Wait for the download to finish before going offline. See Libby’s manual-download instructions.
For automatic downloads, open Menu, then Downloads in the Settings section. Libby’s download settings let you choose when loans download, including whether to use mobile data. These settings are not available in the browser version.
Downloading a loan this way keeps it inside Libby. It does not create an MP3 folder for Audely.
When can you use Audely instead?
Use Audely when you have a separate, accessible audio file from a source that provides downloads. For example, LibriVox offers downloadable recordings. Check that the edition you want is actually available there.
The slideshow shows a separate local-file library in Audely, not imported Libby loans.
Play a separately obtained audiobook file
Keep all parts in one folder. In Audely, open Settings › Library › Add folder on iPhone or iPad, or Audely › Settings › Library › Add folder on Mac. Select the folder and choose Audiobooks.
Open Library › Audiobooks › Books, check the part order, and select the book to listen. Audely reads the source files without moving them. If they live in iCloud Drive, download every part to the device before going offline.
For a borrowed Libby title, continue using Libby. For a collection of your own downloaded files, compare audiobook sources and their download options.