For members
who own files
$4.99
iPhone · iPad · Watch
A player for the books you already own
Illiterati plays the audiobooks you keep — a Plex server, a NAS share, a folder of M4B files, or LibriVox. It keeps your place to the second across every device you own, and it never asks you to sign up for anything.
This is the second half of the site. The first half is the catalogue, and a DRM-free purchase from there is a file this app can open.
Not on the App Store yet — planned at $4.99.
iPhone and iPad · iOS 17 or later · No account, no subscription
Four ways in
No store, no DRM, no account
Pick it up where you actually left it
Every position is a point on the whole book, not an offset into file 14. Close the app mid-chapter, open it on the Watch, drive for an hour, come back — same second. Plex progress is written back to your server, and when the phone and the server disagree by more than two minutes, Illiterati asks you instead of guessing.
- One global timeline across every file in a book
- Two-way Plex progress sync
- Smart rewind sized to how long you were away
- Bookmarks with notes
Most listening happens with the phone in a pocket
So the controls that matter are the ones you never open the app for. Lock Screen and Dynamic Island, AirPods, a real Apple Watch app that works both as a remote and on its own with books copied over, a Home Screen widget, and Siri.
- Apple Watch app — remote when the phone is near, standalone when it is not
- Lock Screen, Dynamic Island, and AirPods controls
- Now Listening widget and a Watch complication
- “Hey Siri, resume my book” via App Intents and Shortcuts
Built for bedtime, driving, and the washing-up
A sleep timer that can end on the chapter instead of the clock, fades out rather than cutting, and can be extended with a shake. Speed from 0.5× to 3×. And when the timer does run out, Illiterati remembers where you were when you set it, so you can jump back to the last thing you actually heard.
- Sleep timer: durations, end of chapter, fade out, shake to extend
- “You fell asleep here” — jump back to where the timer started
- Playback speed 0.5×–3.0×, per book
- Chapter list, skip intervals, and full-book scrubbing
Download it now, listen where there is no signal
Downloads run in the background, per book, and a downloaded book plays with the server switched off entirely. Whether a file is on the phone is worked out from the file itself, never from a remembered path — so it survives reinstalls and container moves.
- Background downloads with per-book progress
- Works with Plex, SMB, folders, and LibriVox alike
- No stale “downloaded” states
Questions
Does Illiterati sell audiobooks?
No. It plays the books you already own or host — Plex, a NAS share, a folder on your phone, or LibriVox. The discovery pages on this site link out to shops that do sell them, and those links are affiliate links.
Do I need a Plex server?
No. Plex is one of four sources. A folder of MP3 or M4B files in the Files app works, as does an SMB share on a NAS, as does LibriVox on its own.
Does it work with Audible books?
Not directly — Audible files are DRM-protected and no third-party player can open them. Illiterati plays unprotected files: M4B, MP3, and the rest of what your own library holds.
Is there a subscription?
No. One purchase, no account, and nothing to sign into except the servers you already run.
Where does my listening data go?
Nowhere we can see it. Positions live on your device and, if you use Plex, on your own Plex server. There is no Illiterati account and no analytics inside the app.
What does it need?
An iPhone or iPad running iOS 17 or later. The Watch app needs watchOS 10 or later.