How to Use Smart Audiobook Player Like a Pro (Quick Guide)

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Smart Audiobook Player is my favorite app for listening to DRM free audiobooks on Android.

It combines simplicity and powerful features to bring the best listening experience.

In this Smart Audiobook Player tutorial, I will show you how to set up the app, organize your library, and control playback so you can use it confidently.

Let me show you how to use Smart Audiobook Player like a pro.

• How to Install Smart Audiobook Player
• How to Add Books to Smart Audiobook Player
• Understanding the Library Section in Smart Audiobook Player
• How to Play Audiobooks in Smart Audiobook Player
• Smart Audiobook Player Free vs Pro
• Settings and Customization Most Users Miss

How to Install Smart Audiobook Player

Smart Audiobook Player is available on the Play Store. You can search and install it on your Android mobile with single tap.

After the app finishes installing, locate it in your apps and tap on the icon to open it.

How to Add Books to Smart Audiobook Player

Let’s see how to add an audiobook to Smart Audiobook Player. When you open the app for the first time, it immediately asks you to add the root folder.

The root folder is simply the main folder where all of your audiobooks are stored. In the screenshot above, you can see the recommended folder structure:

Audiobooks/Author Name/ Book Title/*.mp3.

I strongly recommend following this structure because it helps the app organize, recognize, and display your audiobooks correctly.

Here’s how I set it up. First, we will create a folder called Audiobooks. Inside this folder, we will create a separate folder for each author. Then, inside each author’s folder, we will have individual folders for every book title.

Even if a book has only one audio file, I still place it inside its own folder. It may sound a bit complicated at first, but it’s actually a simple one-time setup that saves a lot of hassle later.

On your Android phone, go to My Files and tap on Internal Storage. This is where we will save the audiobooks.

Next, tap on the three dots in the top-right corner and tap on the Create Folder option.

Name the folder Audiobooks and tap on Create.

The Audiobooks folder will now appear in the Internal Storage of your mobile.

Next, open the Audiobooks folder and create subfolders for each author. For example, here is a folder for Chris Guillebeau.

In my case, I have created two author folders: one for Chris Guillebeau and another for Dave Ramsey.

I purchased two audiobooks by Chris Guillebeau, The $100 Startup and Side Hustle, and one audiobook by Dave Ramsey, Baby Steps Millionaires.

I bought these audiobooks from Libro.fm, which is one of the best platforms for DRM-free audiobooks, and downloaded the MP3 files.

For each book, I created a dedicated folder and copied the audio files into it. Once completed, the folder structure looks like this:

This setup allows Smart Audiobook Player to recognize each book as a separate title and organize them properly in the library.

Smart Audiobook Player supports the following audio formats: MP3, M4A, M4B, AAC, WMA, OGG, FLAC, AWB, and Opus. It also supports chapter information for MP3 and M4B files.

Once all the folders and audiobook files are ready, open Smart Audiobook Player and tap OK to add the root folder.

Select the Audiobooks folder you just created.

The app shows all available subfolders. Tap on USE THIS FOLDER to continue.

Next, the app asks for permission to access the audiobooks in the selected folder. Tap ALLOW to proceed.

That’s it. All audiobooks are now visible in the Library section of Smart Audiobook Player.

Understanding the Library Section in Smart Audiobook Player

The Library section is clean, simple, and easy to navigate. This is where all of your audiobooks are organized.

The app organizes audiobooks into three categories: New, Started, and Finished.

The New section shows audiobooks you haven’t started yet, the Started section shows what you are currently listening to, and the Finished section contains the audiobooks you have completed.

To change the status of any audiobook in your library, long press on the book cover and choose an option to mark it New, Started, or Finished.

There is also a Search cover on the internet option, which is useful for audiobooks without cover art. Adding a cover improves the visual look of the Library section.

In the top-right corner, you have three options: Folder View, Full Scan, and More Options.

The Folder View option lets you change how audiobooks appear in the Library. You can switch between folder, grid, or list views.

The Full Scan option rescans the root folder and updates the library. Use it after adding or deleting audiobooks, or changing the folder structure.

The More Options button opens Settings, Playback Statistics, and Help. To customize the Library, tap Settings.

From here, you can change the root folder and add extra buttons to the Library section for quick access to additional features.

Let’s select all available options to enhance the Library.

Once enabled, the new buttons appear directly in the Library section.

• The Search button lets you quickly find audiobooks by title or author, especially useful for large collections.
• The Sort button helps you organize your library by path, title, recently played, length, or date added, making it easy to arrange books to fit your listening habits.
• The Book Queue button lets you create a queue of audiobooks, similar to a music playlist. Adding a book to the queue makes it the next one to play.

To add a book to the queue, long-press its cover and select Add to Book Queue.

This feature is ideal for continuous playback, letting you listen to multiple audiobooks without manually selecting the next one.

How to Play Audiobooks in Smart Audiobook Player

When you tap on an audiobook in your library, it opens the playback screen.This is where all the magic happens.

The playback screen includes several buttons and options that give full control over the listening experience. Let’s go through them one by one.

• Play/ Pause: Tap the audiobook cover to play or pause.
• Rewind/ Forward (10 Seconds): Skip backward or forward by 10 seconds (default). You can change this in the settings.
• Rewind/ Forward (1 Minute): For bigger jumps, you can rewind or move forward by one minute at a time.
• Chapters: Use Previous Chapter and Next Chapter to move between chapters, or jump directly to any chapter by tapping Select Chapter.
• Sleep Timer: Set a timer to stop playback automatically. There is also a motion tracking option that can stop playback when I fall asleep, more on that later.
• Boost Volume: This option increases the audiobook volume. I find it especially helpful when listening in noisy environments or when the original recording sounds too low.
• Equalizer: Fine-tune audio with several sound enhancement options to suit your preferences.
• Playback Speed: Adjust the narration speed according to your preference.
• Characters: Keep track of characters by adding names and short descriptions. Handy for audiobooks with many characters.
• Bookmark: Use this feature to save interesting sections by adding bookmarks, which remember the exact timestamp for easy reference.
• Lock: The lock button prevents accidental touches by disabling chapter changes and rewind or forward controls while the audiobook is playing.
• Opus: Convert audiobooks to Opus format to save storage space. Always back up files first, as conversion can reduce audio quality.
• ID3: The ID3 option cleans up confusing chapter names and replaces them with clear and readable titles. This is especially helpful when the original file names are messy or not descriptive.
• Rotate: Pauses playback when the screen is face down and resumes when it’s turned back up.
• Cast: Play the audiobook on other devices or screens.
• More Menu: Access app settings or return to the Library section.

Smart Audiobook Player Free vs Pro

The free version covers all the basic listening needs, while the paid (Pro) version unlocks advanced controls, audio enhancements, and features for power users.

I recommend upgrading to the Pro version. It’s a one-time purchase costing between $1 and $3, and it works on all phones linked to your account.

Here’s a comparison table showing what you get with the free version versus the paid version:

Settings and Customization Most Users Miss

To access the Settings and unlock more customization options, I tap on the More Menu option.

You have several options in the Settings menu.

Let me quickly walk you through the most important settings, starting with Playback Control.

In Playback Control, you can adjust the auto rewind option and choose whether playback should pause during incoming messages, navigation instructions, or when another media player starts playing.

There is also an option to force the player to stop after a long period of continuous playback, which can be set anywhere from one to four hours.

The next section in Settings is Sleep Timer.

In the Sleep Timer section, you can set a timer from 5 to 90 minutes by tapping the first option. You can also choose to stop playback at the end of a file or chapter.

One feature I really like here is Motion Tracking. This allows you to shake your device from time to time to let the app know you are still awake.

Each shake resets the sleep timer. If you do not shake the device and the timer runs out, the audiobook automatically stops playing.

You can also adjust the shake sensitivity, from very low to very high, to suit your preference.

Next, we move on to the Full Version Settings..

This section provides a wide range of customization options. You can add or remove buttons like Boost, Equalizer, Playback Speed, Bookmarks, Cast, Repeat, Rotate, ID3, Opus, Chapters, and Subtitles.

This makes it easy to keep only the controls you actually use on the playback screen.

The Wired Headphone Control and Bluetooth Headphone Control options let you manage playback directly from your headphones, perfect for listening on the go.

Related Article: 15 Common Smart Audiobook Player Problems & Fixes