How to Listen to Audible on Garmin Watches [Forerunner/Fenix]

By Ivan Scott Updated on 2024-10-16 / Update for Audiobook Tips

Q: "Is there any way to help listen to Audible on Garmin Watch, no matter for Fenix 6/7, Forerunner, Venu, or Vivoactive? I thought I could easily connect Audible to my Garmin Watch to enjoy audiobooks. But surprisingly, there is no Audible app for Garmin Watch, which left me a little overwhelmed."

In fact, Garmin Watches have a built-in player allowing users to enjoy audiobooks and music. However, there are still some necessary things you need to do while playing Audible on this wrist. Here, this article will share 3 effective ways with you to make Garmin Audible integration work so that you can put Audible books on Garmin Watch for listening easily.

See also: How to Use Amazon Music on Garmin Watches

audible on garmin watch

Part 1. Can You Get Audible on Garmin Watch

The answer is NO. There is no official integration between Audible and Garmin Watch. That means Audible doesn't roll out a specific Audible app for Garmin Watches. Currently, you can only listen to Audible audiobooks on the Galaxy Watch and the Google Pixel Watch directly through the Audible Watch app.

Garmin Watch-Supported Audio Formats

Audible encrypted all of its content in special AA/AAX/AAXC format. However, Garmin Watch supports a variety of audio formats, including common AAC, MP3, WAV, M4A, WMA, etc. Please look at the following table to check that.

Audible Books Format AA, AAX, AAXC
Garmin Watch Supported Format MP3, AAC, M4A, M4B, WAV, ADTS, M3U, M3U8, PLS, WPL, ZPL

Part 2. How to Listen to Audible on Garmin Watch via Audible Manager/AudibleSync

The Audible app is not available on a Windows PC now. But Audible released the Audible Manager and AudibleSync app for Windows users to download Audible books to their PC. Then they can transfer audiobooks to Garmin Watch and other devices for playing.

Audible Manager is an older software which is compatible with Windows 7 and Windows 8. While AudibleSync is a newer software on Windows 10 and Windows 11 to sync Audible audiobooks to devices. If you are Windows 10/11 users, you'd better use AudibleSync. But for Windows 7/8 users, Audible Manager is your best shot.

Without further ado, please walk through the following step-by-step instructions to play Audible books on Garmin Watches.

Note: These methods may not work well and have limitations because of the compatibility issue with Garmin Watches and Audible AA/AAX/AAXC formats. Besides, the process is quite complex. If you mind these, you can skip to Part 3 to get an easy method.

Listen to Audible Audiobooks on Garmin Watch via AudibleSync [Windows 11/10]

Step 1. Head to Audible.com. Scroll down to the bottom and hit the 'Install AudibleSync' button on Windows.

Step 2. Launch AudibleSync on your computer and sign in to your Audible or Amazon account to access the Audible library.

Step 3. Find the titles you want to listen to on the Garmin wrist and click on the 'Download' button to download Audible books.

download audible titles for garmin on audiblesync

Step 4. Connect your Garmin Watch to your computer via a USB cable. Once connected, a device icon will display on the left sidebar of AudibleSync. Tap on it and then press the 'Activate Device' button at the top right to activate your Garmin Watch.

activate garmin watch on audiblesync

Step 5. Select the downloaded titles and hit the right 'Copy to Device' button to import the titles to your wrist.

copy audible titles to garmin watch via audiblesync

Listen to Audible Books on Garmin Watch via Audible Manager [Windows 7/8/10]

Step 1. Navigate to the Audible official website. Download and install the Audible Manager app on your computer.

Step 2. Connect your watch to your computer via the USB cable and launch the Audible Manager app.

Step 3. Tap on the top-right 'File' tab > 'Add Audio Files' option to add your downloaded audiobooks to Audible Manager.

add audiobooks to audible manager

Step 4. Click on the 'Device' > 'Add New Device' option. Then select your wrist in the pop-up window to add your watch to Audible Manager software. Then tap on 'OK'.

add garmin watch on audible manager

Step 5. Right-click on your wearable from the left panel and select 'Activate'. Then just log into your Audible account.

activate garmin watch on audible manager

Step 6. Now, you can transfer your Audible books to Garmin Watch. Simply select the Audible book you like and touch on the 'Add to device' button. Wait a moment and you'll be able to play Audible books on the watch smoothly.

add audiobooks to garmin watch via audible manager

Part 3. How to Listen to Audible on Garmin Watch Through AudFree Audible Converter

As mentioned above, Garmin Watches come with a built-in music player that supports several common audio formats like MP3, M4A, M4B, AAC, WAV, etc. But Audible books are encoded in AA and AAX audio formats, which are not compatible with the wrist. Moreover, the above methods are only supported on Windows. So, to make Garmin Audible integration on both Windows and Mac, you urgently need the help of a professional Audible converter.

There are various Audible converters on the market. After comparing, we handpicked the powerful AudFree Audible Book Converter for Windows and Mac. This expert tool is capable of downloading Audible AAXC/AA/AAX to MP3, WAV, M4A, M4B, and other formats supported by Garmin Watch. As a result, you can add audiobooks from Audible to Garmin Watch all series and other devices for offline playback.

Also, this powerful tool maintains lossless quality while getting Audible downloads on your computer. With the excellent built-in editor, you can customize the ID3 tags of the output Audible books, including title, cover, artist, genre, and more. It is worth mentioning that you can split large audiobooks into smaller sections by chapter, fixed time, or segments in an ideal way. Thus, with the aid of this comprehensive converter, Audible on Garmin becomes the perfect reality.

AudFree Audible to Garmin Converter

audfree audible book converter
  • Losslessly convert Audible audiobooks to MP3 and other Garmin-supported files
  • Convert not only Audible but also iTunes audiobooks, Apple Music, etc.
  • Split Audible audiobooks into several small clips by chapters
  • Play Audible books offline on Garmin Watch, Fitbit Versa/Ionic, and so on

Section 1. How to Download Audible Books to Garmin Watch

This powerful converter available on both Windows PC and Mac computers is reliable and legal to use. Please download audiobooks from Audible with your current Audible account. Then upload the downloaded audiobooks to iTunes. Subsequently, you can look into the detailed user guide to convert Audible for Garmin Watch.

Step 1Add Audible Books to AudFree Auditior
add audible books to audfree auditior
Hit on the first 'Load iTunes Library' button from the bottom-left corner of the AudFree Auditior's main interface. It will pop up a window, in which you can select audiobooks from the iTunes library. And then, selected Audible files will be loaded to the main interface of AudFree tool automatically. Besides, by hovering over an added item, you can see the 'Edit' icon. With it, you are allowed to edit ID3 tags, split audiobooks by chapters, fix audiobook time intervals, and so on.
Step 2Define Audible Output Parameters for Garmin Watch
set audible output format for garmin
Please click the 'Format' icon to customize basic audio parameters according to your requirements. It's able to change the output format to a Garmin Watch-supported one, including MP3, AAC, WAV, M4A, etc. On top of that, you can also customize the bit rate, sample rate, audio codec, and audio channel for better playback. It is mentionable that, if you tap on 'Keep lossless quality (AA, AAX)', the Audible AA books will be converted to MP3 automatically while the AAX audiobooks will be converted to M4A format.
View also: How to Convert Audible AAX to M4A
Step 3Convert Audible Books for Garmin Watch
convert audible books for garmin watch
Now, you can tap the 'Convert' button to convert added Audible files for Garmin Watch. All added Audible audiobooks will be converted to MP3 or other compatible audio files you select. It's able to download and convert Audible books to the Wear OS without limits. In general, the total conversion time depends on how many audiobooks you have added. After the conversion, check the 'History' section to locate the Audible audiobook files on your computer.

Section 2. How to Sync Audible to Garmin Watch on Mac/PC

Now, you've got the Audible files for Garmin Venu, Forerunner, Fenix, Vivoactive, and all other Garmin Watches. It's time to listen to Audible books on Garmin Watch. Here we list some methods for you to make it.

Via SD Card

Garmin Wear OS supports lots of SD cards, from 4GB to 16GB with an SD Adapter. Thus, it couldn't be much easier to save Audible books to an SD card. Then you can connect and play Audible audiobooks on Garmin Watch via an SD card.

listen to audible on garmin via sd card

Step 1. Connect the SD card to your computer via the SD card reader.

Step 2. Click on the 'File' icon on your computer to find the converted Audible book in the target folder. Then copy and move the file to a new folder on your SD card.

Step 3. Once you have moved Audible books to the SD card, insert the SD card into your wrist. This way, you will be able to sync Audible for your wearable without any problems.

Via Garmin Express

The converted Audible books also work with the Garmin Express app. Therefore, you can transfer audiobooks to Garmin Express and play them well on the wrists. Here check the steps on how to listen to Audible on Garmin Watch via the Express app below.

Step 1. Install and launch the Garmin Express app on your computer running a Mac or Windows operating system.

Step 2. Please connect your Garmin Watch to your computer via a USB cable, after which the wrist will be auto-detected by Garmin Express. If not, please select 'Add a Device' > 'Add Device'.

add garmin watch on garmin express

Step 3. Please click 'Music' if you use a Windows computer while tapping 'iTunes' if you use a Mac computer. Browse your local audio folder and locate the common Audible audiobook folder.

music option on garmin watch

Step 4. Once you find it, please check the mark on the front of the audio files. Please select 'Send to Devices' to import Audible books to Forerunner 645 Music or other Garmin series. And then you can listen to Audible on your watch as you like.

send audible books to garmin watch via garmin express

Via USB Cable

As Garmin Watch has a built-in hard drive, you can transfer Audible audiobooks to it directly from your computer via a USB cable. Here is how to make it.

add audible audiobooks to garmin watch via usb cable

Step 1. Use a USB cable to connect your Garmin Watch and your Windows or Mac computer. Then open the Garmin Watch drive on your computer.

Step 2. Locate the converted Audible audiobooks from your computer's folder. Then copy and paste or drag and drop them to Garmin Watch.

Step 3. Once loaded, disconnect the connection between your computer and your watch. At last, you can enjoy Audible books on Garmin Watch offline easily.

📝 Tips: For other Garmin Watches, such as Venu, Fenix 6, Forerunner 945, Forerunner 245 Music, Vivoactive 4 watches, etc., the above steps can also be applied to them. Also, if you have installed a Spotify wearable app on your Garmin Watch, you can upload the converted audiobooks to the Spotify wearable app. Then you can enjoy the Audible audiobooks on the Spotify Garmin wearable app.

View also: How to Transfer Audible Audiobooks to Spotify

Part 4. Best 5 Garmin Watches Recommended for Audiobooks

Here is a table including 5 recommended Garmin Watches in the market. If you intend to purchase a suitable one for listening to Audible audiobooks or music, you can refer to this table. All those wearables can store music.

Garmin Watches Price Battery Life Unique Selling Points
Garmin Venu 2 Plus $449.99 9 days ✔Monitor body energy levels
✔Support both speaker and microphone
✔Work with phone's voice assistant
Garmin Vivoactive 4 $300 8 days ✔Full GPS for exercise tracking
✔On-screen music streaming and animations
✔Support Bluetooth headphones
Garmin Forerunner 955 $499 20 days ✔Gauge fitness and heart rate
✔With course creation and upload options
✔Extremely light
Garmin Fenix 6 Pro $650 16 days ✔Featured with GPS mapping
✔Support storage of up to 2000 songs
✔Monitor fitness situation
Garmin Fenix 7 Pro $799.99 37 days ✔With a built-in flashlight
✔Update a new heart rate sensor
✔Great battery cruising time

Part 5. FAQs about Garmin Audible Integration

Q1: Is There an Audible App for Garmin Watches?

A: Nope. Audible doesn't work with Garmin Watch now. There is only an Audible app for the Google Pixel Watch and Galaxy Watch 4/5/6.

Q2: Can I Get Audible on My Garmin Watch?

A: If you're one of the Audible members, you'd better try Audible Manager. It enables you to transfer the Audible book you've purchased to Garmin and other devices where the Audible app cannot be installed. In turn, you can play Audible on Garmin whenever you want.

audible compatible player

Q3: Can I Download Audible Books to Garmin?

A: As long as you use the AudFree Audible Book Converter properly, you can remove the Audible Book's restrictions and download them as local files. After that, it's convenient to sync Audible to Garmin without hassle and listen to Audible books offline on the smartwatch.

Part 6. In Conclusion

Although the Audible app is not available on Garmin Watch, there are still valid alternatives to listening to Audible on Garmin Watch as described above. To be fair, thanks to the AudFree Audible Converter, you can get local Audible audiobooks. Then you can play Audible on any Wear OS including your Garmin Watch. Take action to make Audible Garmin Watch integration work perfectly.

Ivan Scott

Ivan Scott

Staff Editor

(Click to rate this post)
Ivan Scott, an audiobook enthusiast with a passion for writing. He keeps up with information and tech skills related to iTunes and Audible audiobooks, and shares them with readers.