IPad/audio book problem.

Factual Questions
1

I have a problem with my company-issued iPad. I am not the most-sophisticated user, and am simply unable to solve it by myself.
Here’s the deal. I have an Apple app called “Books.” On it the company installs various official texts. On rare occasions I have to download stuff I do it from another company app and the files end up in Books. I would not even know how to download anything personal onto this app.
My iPad has sit idle for quite some time. Now I am back to using it. All my official stuff is still in Books. Good. Also there are a number of personal audiobooks.
They look somewhat familiar. A bunch of Prairie Home Companions, some old Dennis Miller recordings. I sort of remember ordering (buying?) them many years ago. They are mine. They are not on my company iPad by mistake.

They are not really on the iPad. The icons seem to indicate that if I were to smash their icons they would then be downloaded to the iPad.

Nonetheless, I want them gone. I open Books. I hit “edit” I highlight the icon. I hit “remove.” Then it gives me a stupid icon about “hiding” the file. I want it gone. Dead. Still I hit “hide” as I have no option.

It is still there.

I have the same experience when I hit the little dots under the icon. “Hide?” Then nothing happens.
I have no audio books on my iTunes on my main laptop. I have not seen or thought of these files for many, many years. I do not remember when or how I got these immortal files.
Any thoughts on why they suddenly appeared and how I might remove them?

2

The Book app is just Apple’s free built-in e-reader. Last year it got an upgrade when Apple carved up iTunes into Music, Podcasts, etc. Audiobooks went from iTunes to Books among other things.

When you open it it defaults to your personal book library. Post upgrade, when it opens, it searches your drive for any books from any source (like iTunes) whether image or audio and tries to incorporate them. It found your forgotten old books in iTunes and they were transferred over to Books.

You’re correct they’re not really on your iPad. To save drive space, Apple automatically “parks” previously read (or listened) books on the cloud after a set period of non-use or if you’ve finished the book.

I think the “smash” icon you’re seeing is a cloud icon with an arrow down. That tells you that the item is no longer on your device hard drive but you can download it back to your device (from the cloud) to re-read or re-listen by clicking the “smash” icon.

Next: I think what you’re trying to do is delete it forever, but my question is why? There is no practical reason to do this. The files take up no storage space. You can hide the images if your book shelf is cluttered. If you return your iPad to work, then regardless of Books, you must de-link your Apple ID. When you do that, all your Apple ID linked functions leave the iPad (i.e.: contacts, mail, Books, iTunes etc), so there’s no worries in that regard either.

However, if just seeing them bothers you and you do want to delete them forever, the bad news is Apple doesn’t make it easy. I’d suggest you google “how do I completely delete books from Apple Books”, alternatively, you may want to call Apple tech support 800 number. In my experience they’ll always help you with software “problems” like this regardless of device warrantee status.

BTW - My WAG is that Apple makes it hard to delete items forever so they don’t have to deal with users bitching that they “thought” they were only deleting it off their device to the cloud and didn’t know they’d lose it forever etc. Instead they give you little practical need to delete.

3

Thank you.

I want to delete these files forever as they have appeared on my company iPad and I take security of company devices very seriously. Further, I find Apple adding stuff to this machine without asking to be very intrusive.

Today I tried to actually download a Dennis Miller audio book to the iPad, hoping that by doing so I could kill it forever. Oddly, it would not download and play.

So I seem to have icons of audio books that themselves in the Phantom Zone, unable to be downloaded and unable to be deleted.

I fins it darn odd that these files do not appear on my laptop’s iTunes. It has a section for audio books, but it is empty. This makes me think two accounts are somehow involved.

Again, many thanks. I will go the Googling you recommend when I am off the clock.

4

If you can’t sort it via google, definitely call the Apple help line. They’re very good and helpful.

Also, a couple things:

  • As I said, they’re not on your device, they’re on the cloud (or should be). I wouldn’t think of them as any different than music you purchased or photos, which can also appear on every device you have with associated with your Apple ID.
  • Are you seeing “iTunes” or Apple “Music”? If you’re seeing iTunes, you haven’t updated your mac OS in some time. That may be part the problem you’re having. Apple broke apart iTunes last Fall. There shouldn’t be an app called “iTunes” any longer on any Apple device.

I still have the “audiobooks” category in my Music app and audiobooks there, however those are books I uploaded via cd and then manually set the “genre” to audiobooks. Music app can’t tell them apart from songs, so it’s happy to let me call them “audiobooks”. The audiobooks in “Books” are only purchased ones as far as I know.

5

I left Apple computers behind me many years ago. (The transition to Windows was a snap by the way.) I uses iTunes to listen to radio on my laptop.

6

Got it. :slight_smile:

Good luck.