Audible updates Windows Phone app, offers free audiobook to new registrations

I was only able to download version 1.3 despite 1.4 being shown in the app store. I called Audible and they said that 1.3 was the latest version... 

id try it if i could select any one book to try. not there bad free selection. well bad as in not my taste.

Uninstalled my 1.3 to re-download 1.4 since it wouldn't let me update.  None of the big problems are fixed.   Still dies on bluetooth when a call/etc. comes in; randomly loses place in a book; if you have a multi-part book bounces back to the first part repeatedly, etc. etc.
Nearly worthless, I say this as someone who has had Audible since 2005, before Amazon, back when I burned the books to CDs.   Rethinking doing that again.  Yeesh.

I use Audible daily, and I've used it on iOS and Android as well. 
The WP8 app is the worst pile of crap i've ever used on a phone.  I'm sorry to be so graphic, but this app SUUUCCKKKSSS. The 4/5 raitings in the marketplace is bogus too. I don't know who is reviewing this thing, but not anyone who is using it. 
 
It is now supposed to be 1.4 - but clearly if you remove and redownload it you'll just see it is still the old 1.3 version. It isn't promising that Audible is even screwing up an update. And, don't bother using any online forms to contact Audible about the issue with their WP8 app. I now have 5 tickets open, all which generate an automatic response saying they will repond with a staff member "within the next business day' - upon which they have NEVER resposed.
 
Speaking of poor support, if you call and talk to them about the app issues, they told me, "they have taken notes and will pass them along." Suuuuurrrreeee. I got the feeling they wanted off the phone as fast as possible. 
 
Here is what you get when listening to Audible on WP8:

1. Audible app opens very slow, takes a number of seconds (sometimes up to 20) to launch from completely closed.
2. Opening a book can also take anywhere from 2-20 seconds. No set pattern. The same book might open in a couple second or freeze the app for almost the entire length of a commercial break.
3. Once that app is open, the phone CPU is being taxed about as much as a video game does. That means if your phone lasts all day, you'll be luckly to get 3-4 hours of listening in. Myself, I can get about 3 out of my 920 and after that I better find a charger.
4. EVEN IF YOU STOP LISTENING, but leave the app open, your battery will still drain. Last winter it did have the side benifit of turning my phone into a pocket heater. If you can consider it a benifit.
5. Closing the app also is sluggish. Back, back, back, back with weird pauses in the interface. Audible on WP8 looks pretty, but whomever made the interface didn't do any sort of smart graphical caching or something, because every screen is slow to get to compared to every single other WP8 app I own. Audible is the worst performing app.
6. Assuming you havent smashed your phone in frustration, you'll be excited to know that Audible randomly "forgets" where you are. Before closing the app, to save your phone's battery, be sure to bookmark your place. Amazingly enough, the app never forgets the bookmarks I entered, but it can't remember its own playhead position. I think this is a feature to show the modern world what it was like back in the 90s when you had to constantly save and save often with every app you owned. It sure is quaint on a mobile device that I have to remember to save my palce. Thank you Audible for the trip down memory lane... now FIX YOUR APP. 
7. Bluetooth listening can make all the problems worse, but in a completely random way. The only pattern is that this app sucks ass.
8.  

Some of you reading this comment might think I'm ranting. And your right. I find it completely annoying that I carry around my old iPhone 4 just to listen to books.
 
Clearly Audible hired someone who couldn't give a shit about Windows to develop this app. There is no quality control and the problems have been discussed at length. November 2012 is when they released the app, so it has been almost a half a year before this update that doesn't even update. 
 
Because Audible rules the audiobook industry, the poor performance of this app is a black eye to Microsoft. If anything, MS should have stepped in months ago, if not before the app was even released, to ensure it was the best possible experience. Alas, Microsoft is proving itself incapabile of putting out solid apps. Issues with Facebook, PDF Reader, etc... show that the giant isn't really serious about this platform. 
 
I love the metro interface and the idea behind WP8. But I have to be honest, my next phone won't be a WP phone if issues like this still exist whem AT&T gives me another upgrade rebate this fall. 

Yeah, I'm surprised at how high the rating is. I use Audible every single day on my commute to and from work. Every fifth time or so that I fire it up, I'm treated to the now dreaded, "This is Audible . . ." greeting, which means that Audible once again has forgotten my place and I have to spend the next five minutes skipping through the text trying to find the place where I left off. So so so obnoxious.
Also, as others have mentioned, the battery drain problem is bad, and is not confined merely to when you're actually listening to the app. I stop playback when I arrive at work around 9 a.m., and if I don't actually exit the app I will find my phone on life support by lunchtime.
This has happened continually since last fall. If they were going to release an update, why not address these bugs?
Lumia 920

Hope they get 1.4 to existing 1.3 users soon.  Seem to have this locked down.  When I go to the app link, it shows 1.4 until I login and then it flips to 1.3.
For those complaining about past problems with Audible, 1.3 made the app useable.  Still has some quirks, but about as well as a 3rd party app will get integrating with the native WP media player and controls.  I would prefer a native no frills audio book player similar to Zune devices, but I don't think Microsoft wants to go there seeing podcast support on WP8.
Good to see my favorite WP7 device (Focus S) on the headline graphic.
 

There's been an issue where if you resume from a call over BT, sometimes you cannot play right away and if you hit play 3-4 times it resets the book, starting over. SUPER ANNOYING. Maybe they fixed it...

How on earth does this app have 4/5 stars overall? Have the people giving rave reviews not actually used it, or does it work fine on some phones? I gave it 1 star and listed the numerous problems with the app on my L920.

I've been using it for the past month and it's a volatile app. It drains the battery, skips chapters, has problems loading, and freezes my Bluetooth connection.

I wonder what the deal is with the update.  I had it installed and it didn't show that there's an update, and when I removed it I received the same version. 

Did they fix the battery drain issue? I used the app a few months ago. Once started it would drain the phone battery in a couple of hours even when not listening. I had to uninstall it. Not missing it but I can't believe such malware was allowed in the store.

Be sure to check the check box, that you want it to use your Wi-Fi, I pray they fixed that app to where it will download to your phone, because before it streamed to your phone, my poor mother has got a windows phone, loves audible. then got a 140$ bill because they did not have that in the set up. Like would you like to use this with APs, or wireless, because it streams and will eat your bandwidth up. At and T was cool about it and refuncded it, but it was BS the way they had the app set up to stream, instead of downloading the book, which I hope they do now.

Wish 7.8 got the double wide tile and updated tile interface but otherwise I love this app.

I have 1.3 installed. Store says 1.4. Removed and reinstalled and got 1.3 again. Lumia 920. USA AT&T.

I don't see an update to the WP7 version, do I just need to wait a while or is it WP8 only?

Do I need to purchase a membership to get free book?

Tried it for a couple books then bailed.  App would crash mid-book, I would have to uninstall/reinstall in order to continue listening.  Sometimes it would just spaz out and just skip and not allow any continuation.  Lost positions in the book, had to restart and find my page again.  I got used to writing down my bookmarks on paper, since the app was so unreliable.  Finally wrote Audible an email telling them their app was crap and I was done with my subscription until I heard it was fixed.
So is it finally fixed? :)

Also, they need to bring syncing to the furthest page read as in android and ios app.

Nothing in Norway yet either. It's normal that some regional app stores lag behind a little. I'll have this tomorrow probably. If there ever was an app in bad need of an update...

My version is 1.3, I go to the store and it says 1.4 is the latest with no option to upgrade. I'm in Australia so that maybe why. Anyone else seen this or know what's up? Could really do with an update as like others Bluetooth support is rubbish.

I used my free title to purchase a new yorker magazine audio edition but it doesn't work. Also made the mistake of buying another and alas still says there is nothing in my library. So beware, it looks like magazines aren't supported (it says newspapers aren't in the fine print but I figured magazine were different since you can buy them one by one not subscribe to them)

I have the same problem
kind of hoping they fixed it:/

 
This app is great if you only use headphones but when you use Bluetooth (apparently not all devices) it bombs so freaking hard.
In my car the audio will randomly stop playing then won’t pick up where it left off, bookmarks will randomly disappear, the play button won't always work, and the time stamp will randomly reset to 0:00 when it is really playing from a different time. 
These issues have been around since Audible was released a year ago and has plagued my Lumia 900 and 920. 
Hopefully they will get fixed soon but I have my doubts.....
 
 
-Chris

Or you watch "What The Tech" and get a free audio book wherever you live :D

If you've never read / seen The Great Gatsby, definitely go for that. Exquisite.

Installing.