Platform differences
Anansi Studio looks and works much the same everywhere, but some features depend on what the device offers.
Feature availability
| Feature | Android | iPhone & iPad | macOS | Windows | Linux |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Library, player, chapters, lyrics, editing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lock screen, notification and media-key controls | Yes | Yes | Yes (Now Playing) | No | No |
| Drag and drop onto the window | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open audio files with the app | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes¹ |
| Make audiobooks: on-device voice | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Make audiobooks: system voice | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Share audiobook… | Share sheet | Share sheet | Share sheet | Share options | Saves a file |
| Show the file in the file manager | No (Share file) | No (Share file) | Show in Finder | Show in File Explorer | Show in file manager |
| Choose the library folder | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Backup and restore | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sync between devices | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
¹ On Linux, linking file types to the app depends on how it was installed.
Android
- Notifications: Android asks for permission to show notifications the first time you play a book. Without it there are no notification or lock-screen controls, though playback works. See Lock screen and notification controls.
- Sync in the background runs with its own notification, for up to 6 hours a day (an Android limit). See Syncing your devices.
iPhone and iPad
- Files app: with Use the app's folder for backups, the backups appear in the Files app under Anansi Studio's Backups folder.
- Sync stops a few minutes after you leave the app, unless a book is playing, and catches up when you return.
- Device names: iOS doesn't share your device's own name with apps, so a device first appears under its model name. Rename… it in Settings → Devices.
- Voices: on-device voices can use the device's accelerator where it has one.
macOS
- Now Playing: the book playing shows in Control Center's Now Playing, and the keyboard's media keys control it.
- Library folder: if you move or rename your chosen library folder in Finder, the app follows it by itself.
- Reduce transparency in System Settings makes the app's panels solid.
Windows
- Anansi Studio draws its own title bar, with Minimize, Maximize / Restore down and Close. See Windows: the title bar.
- Turning off Transparency effects in Windows makes the app's panels solid.
Linux
- System voice: not available. Use an on-device voice to make audiobooks.
- Made audiobooks: saving parts as
.m4aneeds the GStreamer AAC encoder (thegstreamer1.0-libavpackage on Debian and Ubuntu). Without it, parts are saved as larger.wavfiles. - Playback needs
libmpv. - Sharing: Linux has no share options for files, so Share audiobook…
asks where to save the
.m4binstead.
The web
A web version, where offered, has no file system of its own: making audiobooks, backups, sync and choosing a library folder aren't available there.
Window size
On every platform, the layout follows the size of the window rather than the device: a wide window (a tablet, or a computer) shows sidebars and side-by-side panes, a narrow one (a phone, or a small window) shows tabs and menus. Resize the window to switch between them. See How this guide is written.