EarMuse Help

EarMuse is a player for your own Audiobookshelf server. It streams and downloads the books and podcasts in your library, keeps your place, and reports your progress back to your server. It runs on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, with CarPlay, Siri, and Lock Screen support along the way.

Getting started

EarMuse needs an Audiobookshelf server to talk to. It does not host any content of its own; it plays what is on the server you run.

Signing in

Enter your server's web address, your username, and your password. EarMuse signs in, loads your libraries, and opens to the Listen hub. Your address, username, and login tokens are stored securely on your device and sent only to your server.

Your libraries

The sidebar lists the libraries on your server, with book libraries first and podcast libraries after. Select one to browse it. Switching between libraries reuses data already loaded, so it does not re-fetch each time.

Finding things

The search bar covers titles, authors, series, narrators, and tags. A few letters is usually enough. Search runs on your server, so it reaches your whole library, not just what is on screen.

Audiobooks

Tap a book to play it. If you have listened before, EarMuse resumes from your saved position. The Continue Listening shelf gathers what you have in progress so you can pick up where you left off. Podcast episodes use the same player and controls below; see Podcasts for what is specific to shows.

Speed: Choose from 0.8×, 1.0×, 1.25×, 1.5×, 1.75×, and 2.0×. The active speed is checked in the menu.
Skip: Skip back 15 seconds or forward 30 seconds. These intervals are fixed and match the Lock Screen and headphone controls.
Chapters: For books with chapter marks, a chapter list lets you jump to any chapter, and the next and previous chapter buttons step through them. On the Lock Screen, next and previous track move by chapter.
Sleep timer: Set it to Off, 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, or 60 minutes, or End of Chapter when the item has chapters. Minute timers show a live countdown and pause playback when they reach zero.
Bookmarks: On audiobooks, mark a spot and return to it later from the item's detail page. Bookmarks are for books, not podcast episodes. They work offline and sync to your server when you reconnect.
Smart Rewind: When you resume, EarMuse can step back a few seconds first, and a little more after a longer pause, so you catch the thread again. Turn it on or off in Settings.

Downloads

Download books and podcast episodes to listen without a connection. Each download stores the audio, the cover, and a small manifest, so it plays on its own with nothing to fetch. Downloaded content also feeds CarPlay.

Where downloads work: Downloads are kept on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. The Apple TV app streams only and does not download.
If you do not see a download button: Downloading needs the download permission on your server account. Without it, the button is hidden, but you can still stream.
Managing storage: Settings shows how much space downloads use, with Manage Downloads to remove items and Reset Local Cache to clear the on-device library cache. Signing out or switching servers removes downloads too.

Up Next

Up Next is your play queue. Add to it with Play Next and Add to Queue from an item's menu. The queue plays from the front; open Up Next to reorder, swipe to remove, tap to jump, or Clear Up Next to empty it.

Across your devices: Up Next can sync through your own iCloud so it stays in step on your Apple devices signed in to the same iCloud account. It is scoped to your server and user. Turn the sync off, or reset the stored queue, in Settings. Your listening progress syncs through your server, not iCloud.

Podcasts

Podcast libraries show a Latest Episodes shelf and keep your place per episode. When you finish an episode, EarMuse continues to the next one in publish order.

Adding and managing podcasts: Search feeds and add a podcast, pick episodes to fetch, and adjust per-podcast settings. Audiobookshelf makes podcast management admin-only, so these controls appear when your server account is an admin.
Discovery: In a podcast library, admins see a discovery shelf built from Apple's public podcast charts. Dismiss a podcast you are not interested in with the ×, and un-hide dismissed ones from Settings.

Playlists & collections

Create playlists and collections, rename them, add or remove items, and delete them when you are done. They live on your server and sync like the rest of your library.

CarPlay

CarPlay shows a Continue Listening section and a library list built from your downloaded books and episodes. It plays downloaded content only, so download the books and episodes you want before you drive.

Streaming and browsing the full server library are not available in CarPlay; it is scoped to what you have downloaded on your phone.

Siri & Lock Screen

Siri & Shortcuts: Ask to "Resume listening in EarMuse" or "Play {title} in EarMuse". These read your local library, so they work offline.
Lock Screen & Now Playing: Play, pause, skip, scrub, and move by chapter from the Lock Screen, Control Center, and your headphones. On Mac, EarMuse can also show now playing in the menu bar, with the spacebar for play and pause.

Apple TV

The Apple TV app browses and streams your library. It is deliberately thin: no on-device cache, no downloads, and no queue sync.

Signing in with your phone: The TV shows a QR code. Open Settings on your iPhone, choose Connect Apple TV, and scan it. The credential transfer is end-to-end encrypted over your local network, and the TV signs in to your server with its own tokens.
Signing in on the TV: You can also enter your server address and account directly on the Apple TV.

Settings

Appearance: Theme follows the System, or set Light or Dark. Choose what EarMuse opens to: Listen, Audiobooks, Podcasts, or Stats.
Playback: Toggle Smart Rewind. Toggle Sync Up Next across devices, and Reset iCloud Queue Data if you want to clear the stored queue.
Podcasts: Show Hidden Top Podcasts brings back discovery podcasts you dismissed.
Storage: See how much space downloads use, open Manage Downloads, and Reset Local Cache.
Account: See the server and user you are signed in as, Connect an Apple TV, and Sign Out. Signing out clears the on-device cache and downloads for that account.

Privacy

EarMuse has no accounts of its own and does not collect analytics, track you, or send your library to its developer. It talks to the Audiobookshelf server you configure. The exceptions are Apple's public podcast charts when you browse discovery, and optional iCloud sync for your Up Next queue.

Full details are in the Privacy Policy.

FAQ

Do I need an Audiobookshelf server?: Yes. EarMuse is a client for a server you run. It does not host books or podcasts of its own.
Do I need an account with the developer?: No. You sign in to your own server. EarMuse has no developer accounts and sends nothing to the developer.
Can I listen offline?: Yes. Download the books and episodes you want first. Your progress is saved on the device and reconciles with your server when you reconnect.
Can I change the skip intervals?: Not currently. Skip is fixed at back 15 seconds and forward 30 seconds.
Why is there no download button?: Your server account may not have the download permission. You can still stream in that case.
Why can't I add a podcast or see discovery?: Audiobookshelf makes adding and managing podcasts admin-only, so those controls show for admin accounts.
Does my queue sync?: Optionally, through your own iCloud, across your Apple devices. Your listening progress syncs through your server instead.