How to listen to audiobooks from your phone even when there is no internet

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Audiobooks are a real salvation when it seems that among everyday activities there is absolutely no time to read. Lifehacker talks about the Storytel app, which was so lacking for book lovers.

What is Storytel

Storytel is an application with a huge collection of audiobooks in Russian in professional voice acting. Now the library has 2,500 publications of different genres: classics, fiction, non-fiction and biographies, detective stories, books on business and psychology, publications for children.

This year the catalog of publications will grow to 15,000 books in Russian. Also, the creators of the service promise to supplement the library with literature in English in the near future.

Thanks in large part to Storytel, audiobooks have become very popular in Sweden, where this application appeared. Many people do not even know that while running, or washing dishes, or on the way to work, they will enjoy listening to books. But one has only to try, and it is impossible to stop. Especially when there is a huge selection of literature at hand.

How to find the book you want

The application has a built-in search, and you can also search for interesting books by category or see recommendations among novelties, bestsellers and popular books. From the list of upcoming releases, books can be saved to a wishlist.

Each book has a card with detailed information: annotation, duration, information about the author and reader. Also attached to the description is a sample excerpt so that you can evaluate the quality of the recording and the manner of reading.

All books are dubbed in recording studios by professional announcers and actors.

The catalog contains both classics and books by contemporary authors. But the choice is not limited only to works of art: the library is constantly replenished with new popular science literature. For example, you can listen to "Someone is wrong on the Internet" by Asya Kazantseva or books from the "Learn in 30 Seconds" series on architecture, philosophy, physics and other sciences.

All books are stored on your personal shelf, where you can see how many titles you have already listened to and which are in the process. The entire library is automatically synced across devices.

Storytel features

The application impresses with the fact that a variety of scenarios for its use are thought out, for example, when the Internet does not work or you want to listen to a book before bed. Let's dwell on the features of this service in more detail.

Listening to books without the Internet

A very useful option if you are going to listen to a book during a long trip, when Internet interruptions are possible. Once you've added a book to your bookshelf, you can save it and listen to it offline. To do this, select the "Save offline" option in the menu, and the book is downloaded to your smartphone.

Sleep timer

The "Sleep Timer" function will really appeal to those who like to listen to a book for half an hour before bedtime. If you set the time during which you plan to listen to the book in advance, playback will stop automatically.

Book Notes

Notes are the best way to remember what you read. Storytel has the ability to leave your comments while listening. To do this, you need to click on the bookmark and leave a note. Subsequently, you can easily return to this place.

Speed regulation

Just as with normal reading, we all pick up information at different rates. Someone is more pleased to listen to fast speech, someone - slow and smooth storytelling. In this application, you can set a comfortable pace for yourself.

Free trial period

To understand if you are comfortable using the service, Storytel provides 14 days of free listening to books. The subscription will be renewed every month, but if you wish, you can unsubscribe or suspend it at any time.

There is a bonus for Lifehacker readers: when registering using this link, the Storytel service can be used for free for 30 days instead of the standard two weeks. You can copy the link and send it to your friends.

How to create an account with Storytel

To get unlimited access to books, you need to subscribe. To do this, go through a simple registration: create an account in the web version and install the application.

1. Register in the web version: enter your email or log in with your Facebook account. Also, when registering, you must specify your card details, but the money will be debited only after a month of paid use (not counting the free trial period). Until then, the subscription can be canceled.
2. Install the Storytel app for Android, iOS, or Windows Phone. If you want to listen to audiobooks on your computer, install the Windows 8 or 10 desktop app in the Windows Store.
3. Select books and add them to your personal shelf. Activate the subscription, the first 14 or 30 days it is free. Then the fee will be automatically debited - 450 rubles per month. A letter will be sent to the specified mail to confirm the subscription.