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SoundLeaf can't connect to Audiobookshelf: fixes for iPhone

SoundLeaf can't reach your Audiobookshelf server? Check the address and http or https, Local Network access, proxy headers and certificates, in that order.

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On this page
  1. Check whether Safari can reach Audiobookshelf
  2. ”Could not connect with HTTPS or HTTP”
  3. ”Network error: Cannot connect to server”
  4. Does SoundLeaf need Local Network permission?
  5. It works in Safari but not in the app
  6. ”The address did not return an Audiobookshelf status response”
  7. ”No Audiobookshelf server was found at this address”
  8. ”Invalid username or password. Check both and try again.”
  9. ”Request timed out”
  10. ”Secure connection failed” or “Server certificate is not trusted”
  11. ”Too many requests. Please wait a moment and try again.”
  12. Why do I keep getting signed out?
  13. Works at home but not away
  14. Behind a reverse proxy
  15. Work or school Wi-Fi
  16. Still not working?

When SoundLeaf can’t connect to your Audiobookshelf server, start by checking the address, the iOS Local Network permission, and any proxy in front of the server. Open the same address in Safari on the phone first: if Safari can’t reach it, the app can’t either.

Find the message you see below. Every message the app can show is on the error messages page.

Check whether Safari can reach Audiobookshelf

  1. Open Safari on the iPhone, on the same Wi-Fi or mobile data you’re using for SoundLeaf.
  2. Go to your server address, for example http://192.168.1.20:13378.
  3. If the Audiobookshelf sign-in page loads, the server is reachable. Next, check SoundLeaf’s Local Network permission, the address you typed, and any proxy sign-in page. If Safari can’t load it, fix the server or the network first. Audiobookshelf app can’t connect covers the server side.

”Could not connect with HTTPS or HTTP”

You typed the address with no http:// or https://, and both tries failed. SoundLeaf tries https:// first, then http://, and shows what went wrong with each.

  • Check the port. Many setups use 13378, unless you changed it or put a proxy in front. See which port Audiobookshelf uses.
  • Type the protocol yourself, so SoundLeaf only tries the one you mean:
# Works, but SoundLeaf has to try HTTPS first, then HTTP
192.168.1.20:13378

# Right: a plain server on your home network
http://192.168.1.20:13378

# Right: a server behind a reverse proxy with a certificate
https://books.example.com

What to type as your server address has more examples.

”Network error: Cannot connect to server”

The phone couldn’t open a connection to that address at all.

  • Check the phone is on the network that can reach the server (home Wi-Fi for a local address, Tailscale switched on for a Tailscale address).
  • Check the iOS Local Network permission (next section).
  • If you’re away from home with a local address like 192.168.x.x, it won’t work. You need a way in from outside. See listen away from home.

Does SoundLeaf need Local Network permission?

Yes, for local addresses like 192.168.1.20. The first time SoundLeaf connects to something on your home network, iOS asks whether it may find and connect to devices on your local network. If you tapped Don’t Allow, local addresses fail with no other warning.

To turn it back on, open the iPhone Settings app, go to Privacy & Security > Local Network, and switch on SoundLeaf.

Connections to public internet addresses don’t need it.

It works in Safari but not in the app

Check these in order:

  1. Local Network permission. Safari can reach local addresses without it. SoundLeaf needs it (see above).
  2. The exact address. Copy it from Safari, including http:// or https://, the port, and any path after the host name, such as /audiobookshelf.
  3. A proxy sign-in page. If Safari showed you a Cloudflare, Authelia or other sign-in page before Audiobookshelf, the app can’t get past that page. See the next section.

”The address did not return an Audiobookshelf status response”

SoundLeaf couldn’t read the reply as coming from Audiobookshelf. Usually that’s a sign-in page added by Cloudflare Access, Authelia or Authentik in front of the server, or a wrong path.

  • Cloudflare Access: follow the Cloudflare Access guide to let SoundLeaf through.
  • Other proxies that ask you to sign in in a browser: let Audiobookshelf’s own address through without that page, and use Audiobookshelf’s OpenID sign-in instead. SoundLeaf can’t get past a proxy sign-in page.
  • Check the path. If the server lives at https://example.com/audiobookshelf, type that whole address.

”No Audiobookshelf server was found at this address”

The server answered “not found”. The address is close but not right, usually a missing or extra path after the host name. Copy the address from the browser tab where Audiobookshelf works.

”Invalid username or password. Check both and try again.”

The server is fine; the sign-in isn’t.

  • Passwords are case-sensitive. Check for a stray space too.
  • If your server uses OpenID (single sign-on), use the OpenID button instead. A server set to OpenID only has no password to type. See OpenID sign-in.
  • SoundLeaf doesn’t support API key login.

”Request timed out”

The server took too long to answer. Check it’s running and not busy with a big library scan, then try again. On a slow away-from-home link, try again on Wi-Fi.

”Secure connection failed” or “Server certificate is not trusted”

The HTTPS connection to your server failed. “Server certificate is not trusted” means the iPhone doesn’t trust the certificate, often because it’s self-signed. “Secure connection failed” can mean that too, or another HTTPS problem on the server or proxy. SoundLeaf needs a certificate your iPhone trusts. You can:

  1. Use http:// on your home network or over a VPN like Tailscale.
  2. Get a free certificate from Let’s Encrypt through a reverse proxy such as Caddy or Nginx Proxy Manager.
  3. Put the server behind a Cloudflare tunnel, which gives you a trusted certificate.

”Too many requests. Please wait a moment and try again.”

Audiobookshelf limits how many sign-in tries it accepts in a short time. Wait up to ten minutes before you try again, unless your server admin changed the limit.

Why do I keep getting signed out?

If SoundLeaf asks you to sign in again and again, server settings or a proxy can be the cause. Audiobookshelf frequent logouts goes through the causes and fixes.

When a saved account needs a fresh sign-in, SoundLeaf says “Sign in again to reconnect this account. Your saved content is still available.” Your downloads stay where they are.

Works at home but not away

A local address only works on your home network. To listen from anywhere, you need one of these:

  • Tailscale, a private network between your devices. See the Tailscale guide.
  • A reverse proxy (Caddy, Nginx, Traefik) on your own domain, with HTTPS.
  • A Cloudflare tunnel, with no ports opened on your router.

Listen away from home compares them. Then set up home and away addresses so SoundLeaf picks the right one by itself.

Behind a reverse proxy

If you use Nginx, Caddy or similar:

  1. Turn on WebSocket support. Audiobookshelf uses it for live updates.
  2. Pass the Host header through.
  3. Use a certificate the iPhone trusts.
# Nginx: pass Audiobookshelf through, with WebSocket support
location / {
    proxy_pass http://localhost:13378;
    proxy_http_version 1.1;
    proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
    proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
    proxy_set_header Host $host;
}

The reverse proxy guide has Caddy, Traefik and others. If the Audiobookshelf web page says “Socket failed to connect”, see socket failed to connect.

Work or school Wi-Fi

Some networks block ports other than the usual web ones. Try mobile data to check. If that works, serve Audiobookshelf on port 443 (standard HTTPS) through a reverse proxy or tunnel.

Still not working?

  1. Check your Audiobookshelf server logs for the failed request.
  2. Update both SoundLeaf and Audiobookshelf.
  3. Open an issue on GitHub with your setup and the exact message.