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Connect SoundLeaf to your Audiobookshelf server on iPhone

Install SoundLeaf, type your Audiobookshelf server address, and sign in with your username and password or OpenID. Then play or download your first book.

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Getting started

Features

Advanced

Troubleshooting

On this page
  1. What you need
  2. First-run setup
  3. Sign in to your server
  4. Sign in with OpenID
  5. Behind Cloudflare Access or another proxy that wants headers
  6. Add more accounts or servers
  7. Switch library
  8. Play your first book
  9. Download for offline listening
  10. Can’t connect?
  11. Set up remote access, CarPlay and more

To connect SoundLeaf to Audiobookshelf, open the app and type your server address. Then type your Audiobookshelf username and password and tap Sign In. If your server uses OpenID (single sign-on), tap its sign-in button instead.

SoundLeaf is an iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch app for Audiobookshelf, a free audiobook and podcast server you run yourself. It also runs on Apple silicon Macs as the iPad app; see iPad and Mac.

What you need

  • An iPhone or iPad on iOS 17.6 or later
  • An Audiobookshelf server, and an account on it. Don’t have one yet? Start with the server setup guides.

First-run setup

The first time you open SoundLeaf, a short guided setup walks you through it. It starts with connecting your server. Then you can choose how the app looks, how far the skip buttons jump, your download settings and a listening goal.

After you sign in, you can tap Skip to finish setup with the choices you have so far. Everything there can be changed later in Settings.

Sign in to your server

  1. Open SoundLeaf.
  2. Under Server address, type the address you use for Audiobookshelf in your browser, for example https://books.example.com or http://192.168.1.20:13378.
  3. Wait a moment. SoundLeaf checks the address on its own and shows Connected with your server’s version when it finds it.
  4. Type your Audiobookshelf Username and Password.
  5. Tap Sign In.

If you leave off http:// or https://, SoundLeaf tries https:// first and then http://. If your server uses plain HTTP, type http:// yourself so SoundLeaf doesn’t try HTTPS first. Not sure what goes in the box? See what to type as your server address.

SoundLeaf doesn’t support API key login. Sign in with your username and password, or with OpenID.

Sign in with OpenID

If your server has OpenID (single sign-on) turned on, an OpenID sign-in button appears once the address checks out. It says whatever your server calls it, or “Login with OpenID” if it doesn’t say. Tap it and sign in the way you would in a browser.

Your server admin needs to add soundleaf://oauth to Allowed Mobile Redirect URIs in Audiobookshelf’s OpenID Connect settings. Keep any entries already there for other apps. This is an Audiobookshelf setting; your identity provider’s callback address stays the same.

Older versions of SoundLeaf used audiobookshelf://oauth. If you used SSO with an older version, add the new one before you next sign in.

On a server that only allows OpenID, the username and password fields are turned off. Use the OpenID button. The OpenID sign-in guide has more.

Behind Cloudflare Access or another proxy that wants headers

Tap Connection settings on the sign-in screen to add the headers before you sign in. See the Cloudflare Access guide.

Add more accounts or servers

You can save more than one account, on one server or several, and switch between them without signing out. Go to Settings > Servers and tap Add server, or open a server and add another account. See multiple accounts.

Switch library

If your server has more than one library, switch any time from Settings > Library, or press and hold the tab bar for the same list.

Play your first book

  1. Find a book on the Home or Library tab. Library browsing covers series, authors and filters.
  2. Tap it to see its details.
  3. Tap Play.

Your progress syncs with your Audiobookshelf server on its own.

Download for offline listening

  1. Open a book’s screen.
  2. Tap the round download button.
  3. Wait for it to finish.

Downloaded books play with no connection at all. Downloads are free for everyone. Before a trip, see listen offline, and how progress syncs if you listen on more than one device. Downloads covers Smart Downloads, mobile data and removing finished books.

Can’t connect?

Start with connection troubleshooting, or look up the exact message on the error messages page.

Set up remote access, CarPlay and more