# SoundLeaf

> A native iOS client for Audiobookshelf, the self-hosted audiobook and podcast server. Audiobooks, podcasts and ebooks on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and CarPlay, with offline downloads, podcast transcripts and an ebook reader that follows the narrator.

SoundLeaf talks to an Audiobookshelf server that the reader runs themselves; it is not a store and it hosts no content. The docs below cover the app, and the server guides cover Audiobookshelf itself, mostly problems people hit while self-hosting it.

Every link here is the markdown copy of a page. Drop the `.md` for the
page a person would read, for example https://soundleafapp.com/docs/apple-watch/

## Docs

- [Getting Started](https://soundleafapp.com/docs/getting-started.md): Set up SoundLeaf and connect to your Audiobookshelf server
- [CarPlay](https://soundleafapp.com/docs/carplay.md): Listen to your audiobooks while driving with CarPlay support
- [Podcasts](https://soundleafapp.com/docs/podcasts.md): Follow the shows on your Audiobookshelf server, work through the episode list, queue what's next, and read the transcript while it plays
- [Apple Watch](https://soundleafapp.com/docs/apple-watch.md): Listen to your Audiobookshelf audiobooks and podcasts on Apple Watch: browse your library from the wrist, download to the watch, and play offline with the iPhone left at home
- [Ebook Reader](https://soundleafapp.com/docs/ebook-reader.md): Read the epubs in your Audiobookshelf library, search inside a book, and jump to the page your narrator is on
- [Widgets and Siri](https://soundleafapp.com/docs/widgets-and-siri.md): Home screen widgets, the sleep timer on your lock screen, and Siri Shortcuts for resuming a book hands-free
- [Sleep Timer](https://soundleafapp.com/docs/sleep-timer.md): Stop playback at the end of the chapter or after a set time, with a fade out, a night window that arms it for you, and a countdown on the lock screen
- [Cloudflare Access Setup](https://soundleafapp.com/docs/cloudflare-access-setup.md): Connect SoundLeaf to your Audiobookshelf server behind Cloudflare Zero Trust
- [Tailscale & VPN Setup](https://soundleafapp.com/docs/tailscale-vpn-setup.md): Connect to your Audiobookshelf server through Tailscale or other VPNs
- [Home and Away Server Addresses](https://soundleafapp.com/docs/server-addresses.md): Use your local server address on your home Wi-Fi and a tunnel or VPN address everywhere else, with SoundLeaf switching by itself
- [Connection Troubleshooting](https://soundleafapp.com/docs/connection-troubleshooting.md): Fix common connection issues when connecting to your Audiobookshelf server

## Audiobookshelf server guides

- [Quickstart](https://soundleafapp.com/server/quickstart.md): Get an Audiobookshelf server running in under 5 minutes with Docker
- [Set Up Audiobookshelf with Docker](https://soundleafapp.com/server/server-setup-docker.md): Install and run your own Audiobookshelf server using Docker or Docker Compose, the most common and recommended method
- [Audiobookshelf on Linux (Without Docker)](https://soundleafapp.com/server/server-setup-linux.md): Install Audiobookshelf directly on Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL, CentOS, or NixOS without Docker
- [Audiobookshelf on Synology, Unraid & TrueNAS](https://soundleafapp.com/server/server-setup-nas.md): Install Audiobookshelf on popular NAS platforms: Synology DSM, Unraid, and TrueNAS
- [Reverse Proxy Setup](https://soundleafapp.com/server/server-reverse-proxy.md): Expose your Audiobookshelf server to the internet with Nginx, Caddy, or other reverse proxies
- [How to secure your Audiobookshelf server](https://soundleafapp.com/server/how-to-secure-audiobookshelf-server.md): A practical guide to securing a self-hosted Audiobookshelf server: HTTPS, rate limiting, Cloudflare Access or Tailscale, Docker permissions, API keys, and backups.
- [Why Audiobookshelf keeps logging you out](https://soundleafapp.com/server/audiobookshelf-server-frequent-logouts.md): Fix the frequent re-login problem in Audiobookshelf v2.26+ caused by JWT session management, reverse proxy timeouts, and lost refresh tokens
- [Audiobookshelf won't start after a Docker upgrade](https://soundleafapp.com/server/audiobookshelf-docker-upgrade-crash.md): Fix the Cannot find module /index.js crash after upgrading Audiobookshelf Docker to v2.22.0+ by removing working_dir and recreating the container
- [New audiobooks getting the wrong metadata in Audiobookshelf](https://soundleafapp.com/server/audiobookshelf-wrong-metadata-new-books.md): Fix the bug where newly added audiobooks steal metadata from existing books due to inode collisions on NAS and network shares
- [Audiobookshelf stops playing between chapters on iOS](https://soundleafapp.com/server/audiobookshelf-ios-background-audio-stops.md): Why audiobook playback stops at the end of each track on iOS Safari and how to fix it with single-file M4B books or a native app
- [Why Audiobookshelf library scans take hours on network storage](https://soundleafapp.com/server/audiobookshelf-slow-library-scans-nas.md): Fix slow Audiobookshelf scans on CIFS, SMB, NFS, and NAS setups caused by transient inode values triggering unnecessary ffprobe re-scans
- [Audiobookshelf audio goes silent after the first chapter](https://soundleafapp.com/server/audiobookshelf-m4b-silent-after-chapter-1.md): Fix M4B audiobooks that play Chapter 1 fine then go silent when the channel count or sample rate changes between chapters
- [Audiobookshelf stops working after a reboot](https://soundleafapp.com/server/audiobookshelf-not-working-after-reboot.md): Fix Audiobookshelf failing to load or stream books after rebooting a Docker host by making Docker wait for your external drive or NAS mount.
- [Audiobookshelf won't import books from LibbyRip](https://soundleafapp.com/server/audiobookshelf-libbyrip-books-not-importing.md): Why Audiobookshelf scans fail or skip LibbyRip-ripped audiobooks, and how to fix the metadata.json so the books show up.
- [Running Audiobookshelf as a non-root user in Docker](https://soundleafapp.com/server/audiobookshelf-docker-non-root-user.md): Fix EACCES permission denied errors when running Audiobookshelf Docker with user: 1000:1000 by pre-creating config and metadata directories
- [Audiobookshelf crashes after a quick match and won't stay up](https://soundleafapp.com/server/audiobookshelf-server-crashes-after-quick-match.md): Fix the SequelizeUniqueConstraintError on bookSeries that crashes Audiobookshelf into a Docker restart loop after a quick match
- [Audiobookshelf still shows books after I deleted them from disk](https://soundleafapp.com/server/audiobookshelf-missing-books-after-deleting-files.md): Why Audiobookshelf keeps removed files as 'missing' items and how to clear them using the Issues filter in the web client
- [Why seeking in Audiobookshelf jumps back to the start](https://soundleafapp.com/server/audiobookshelf-seeking-resets-to-beginning.md): Seeking a podcast or large single-file audiobook resets playback to the start in mobile Audiobookshelf apps. Why it happens and how to fix the file.
- [Audiobookshelf crashes with JavaScript heap out of memory](https://soundleafapp.com/server/audiobookshelf-javascript-heap-out-of-memory.md): Why adding a podcast episode to an Audiobookshelf playlist crashes the server with a JavaScript heap out of memory error, and how to work around it.
- [Audiobookshelf won't add new books to your library](https://soundleafapp.com/server/audiobookshelf-library-scan-not-adding-books.md): A library scan that quietly adds nothing is usually one book with a duplicate author tripping a database constraint. Here's how to find and fix it.
- [Audiobookshelf won't recognize xHE-AAC audiobooks from Libation](https://soundleafapp.com/server/audiobookshelf-xhe-aac-books-not-recognized.md): Why Audiobookshelf skips xHE-AAC (USAC) m4b files from Libation, and how to fix it with a Docker update or your own ffmpeg binaries.

## Optional

Release notes and announcements. Useful for what changed and when, skippable when reading about how the app works.

- [SoundLeaf 2.1 for Audiobookshelf: Apple Watch, an Ebook Reader, and Gapless Playback](https://soundleafapp.com/blog/soundleaf-v21-audiobookshelf-apple-watch-ebook-reader.md): An Apple Watch app for Audiobookshelf, a free epub reader that can jump to the page your narrator is on, gapless multi-file playback, rebuilt offline downloads, and a library that works with the server switched off.
- [Podcasts Are Coming to SoundLeaf](https://soundleafapp.com/blog/soundleaf-podcasts-coming-soon.md): Podcast support has been the number one request since launch. It's almost here. Here's what I've been building.
- [SoundLeaf v1.5 & v1.6: The Stability Update (and Some Nice Touches)](https://soundleafapp.com/blog/soundleaf-v15-v16-stability-series-fixes.md): Series ordering fixed, offline progress syncing, smarter session handling, chapter navigation in the player, a docs section, and a bunch of reliability fixes under the hood.
- [SoundLeaf v1.4: CarPlay, Cloudflare Access, and a Smoother Ride](https://soundleafapp.com/blog/soundleaf-v14-carplay-cloudflare-headers.md): CarPlay finally arrives. Plus Cloudflare Access support, bookmarks, new themes, and a bunch of player improvements.
- [SoundLeaf v1.2: Background Downloads, Better Player, and Connection Fixes](https://soundleafapp.com/blog/soundleaf-v12-background-downloads-better-player.md): Major update brings background downloads, improved player controls, better connection handling, and dozens of fixes based on your feedback.
- [How to Set Up Your Own Audiobookshelf Server for SoundLeaf](https://soundleafapp.com/blog/setup-audiobookshelf-server-soundleaf.md): The complete guide to setting up Audiobookshelf - from one-click deploy to home server. Get your audiobook library running in minutes.
- [SoundLeaf: Beautiful iOS Client App for Audiobookshelf](https://soundleafapp.com/blog/soundleaf-ios-client-audiobookshelf-launch.md): Discover SoundLeaf - the premium iOS client app for Audiobookshelf server users. A native iPhone & iPad app with offline listening, smart downloads, and beautiful themes.