Once Upon an Ear app icon: a cream ear with sound reaching it

Once Upon an Ear

A calm audiobook player for the books you already own.

Coming soon to the App Store

Your books, your way

Bring your own files

Add M4B, M4A, MP3, and FLAC files, a whole folder, or a zip file. A folder of MP3 files becomes one book, with discs in the right order.

Built for long books

Twenty hours or more play and seek exactly. Chapters are read from your files, even when a book has hundreds of them.

Pick up where you stopped

Your place is saved as you listen. Close the app, restart your phone, and carry on at the same sentence.

Listen your way

Speed from 0.5x to 3x, a sleep timer that fades out gently, smart rewind, and bookmarks with notes.

Lock screen ready

Use the lock screen, Control Center, and your headphone buttons. Playback pauses when a call comes in.

iPhone, iPad, and Mac

One app for all three, including Apple silicon Macs.

Formats

Once Upon an Ear plays files without copy protection. It does not play audiobooks bought from stores that lock them to their own apps.

Private by design

There is no account, no store, no advertising, and no tracking. The app makes no network requests, and your books and your listening stay on your device. Read the full privacy policy.

Support

Questions, problems, or ideas? Write to support@onceuponanear.audio.