NWRL Connect vs AudiV

Companion library catalog app for the Northwest Regional Library in Minnesota. Search books, place holds, renew loans, and access ebooks and eaudio. To use this app, you need a library card at a participating member library.

AudiV is the audiobook player you fill yourself. No subscription, no streaming catalog, no ads — just your library, your rules. Drop in audiobooks you already own — DRM-free purchases from Libro.fm or Downpour, your converted Audible library, free LibriVox classics, podcasts, your own recordings — and AudiV reads the embedded chapters, cover art, and metadata for instant playback. THE PLAYER YOU ACTUALLY WANT • Real chapters with titles, scrub-snap, prev / next • Bookmarks with notes • Sleep timer with shake-to-extend • Speed: 0.5× to 4×, learns your per-author preference • Smart Speed: shortens long silences automatically • Crossfade between tracks • Lock-screen, CarPlay, and Apple Watch • Background playback that just works SIDELOAD ANYTHING • Files / iCloud Drive / On My iPhone — direct picker • Wi-Fi Transfer — open the URL on your computer, drag the files in via your browser • AirDrop from a Mac • Apple Watch sync of metadata + position FAMILY LINK (OPTIONAL) If you have kids using a second phone, AudiV can pair the two devices through a 6-character code: • See what they're listening to in real time • Set bedtime windows, daily-minute caps, day-of-week schedules • Lock individual books or set an allow-only list • Send a book straight from your phone to theirs • Engage an emergency lockdown ("dinner!") with an unlock timer • See the whole picture: 7-day chart, listening streak, finished count The kid device only ever transmits the listening data tied to the opaque pairing code. There is no account, no email, no Apple ID needed. Generate a new code anytime and the old data orphans immediately. KID MODE A device-local Kid Mode hides adult-flagged items and locks the app into the player. Disabling Kid Mode requires a 4-digit PIN. Themes designed for older kids ship alongside the standard palettes — Aurora, Galaxy, Wild, Lagoon, Citrus. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT • No analytics SDK • No advertising • No tracking across apps or websites • Listening data never leaves your device unless you explicitly set up Family Link • Speech transcription (optional, per-book) runs entirely on your device — audio never gets uploaded anywhere WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING AudiV doesn't sell audiobooks. You import your own. Recommended sources: • LibriVox — free, public-domain (librivox.org) • Libro.fm — DRM-free MP3 zips, supports indie bookstores • Downpour — DRM-free purchases of new releases • Your converted Audible / personal library Files in m4b, m4a, mp3, aac, wav, flac, ogg, and opus formats import directly. Multi-file books can be merged into a single m4b with free tools like m4b-tool before import. TECHNICAL NOTES • iOS 17+ • ~50 MB install • Audio files live in the app sandbox — included in iCloud + iTunes backup • No in-app purchases. AudiV is free.