Nine Lives Lite - Windows
A native Windows desktop client for Audiobookshelf. Built with WinUI 3 and .NET 10, Nine Lives Lite brings your audiobook library to life with a cosmic dark theme, offline downloads, and seamless sync across all your devices.
What Makes Nine Lives Audio Lite Windows Different
- Cosmic Dark Theme — Beautiful dark UI with gold accents, easy on the eyes during late-night listening sessions.
- True Offline Support — Download audiobooks and listen without internet. Your progress syncs automatically when you're back online.
- Smart Playback — Seamlessly switches between local files and streaming. NAudio for downloaded content, MediaPlayer for streaming.
- Sleep Timer — Fall asleep to your favorite book with timers from 5 minutes to 2 hours.
- Bookmarks — Mark your favorite moments, name them, and jump back anytime.
- Pop-Out Mini Player — Keep playback controls floating above other windows while you work.
Screenshots
Features
Nine Lives Audio Lite Windows Home Page
Your 9 most recently played audiobooks in a beautiful grid with cover art and progress bars. One tap to jump back in.
Library Browser
Grid or list view with search and filter. Multi-library support lets you separate your fiction from non-fiction. Downloaded badges show what's available offline at a glance, and a connection indicator keeps you informed.
Player
Chapter navigation, playback speed from 0.5x to 3.0x, volume control with mute detection, sleep timer, and bookmarks. Shows whether you're playing from local storage or streaming. Lock screen controls included.
Pop-Out Mini Player
A compact 360×200 floating window with transport controls, progress slider, and an always-on-top toggle. Auto-closes when you stop playback.
Downloads
Queue-based with 2 concurrent downloads. Pause and resume anytime, auto-retry up to 3 attempts with exponential backoff. Real-time progress tracking, optional cover art downloads, and easy cleanup.
Sync & Offline
Configurable auto-sync intervals from 1 to 30 minutes. Progress syncs every 12 seconds during playback. Offline queue saves progress locally and syncs when you're back online. Smart recovery scans your downloads and rebuilds metadata when needed.
Settings
Server connection, theme selection (System, Light, Dark), default playback speed and volume, sync interval, custom download path, start minimized / minimize to tray, self-signed certificate support, and diagnostics logging.
Quick Start
- Download the installer from the latest release.
- Run
NineLivesAudioSetup.exe. - Launch Nine Lives Audio Lite Windows from your Start Menu.
- Open Settings, enter your Audiobookshelf server URL, username, and password.
- Click "Test Connection" — your library syncs automatically.
Windows SmartScreen Warning
You may see "Windows protected your PC" because the app uses a self-signed certificate. Click "More info", verify the publisher shows "Static Hum Studio", then click "Run anyway". This is standard for open-source projects — code-signing certificates cost $300–500/year.
Requirements
- OS: Windows 10 (version 1809+) or Windows 11
- Server: Audiobookshelf instance (any version supporting API v1)
- Storage: ~60 MB for the app, plus space for downloaded audiobooks
Tech Stack
- UI: WinUI 3 / Windows App SDK 1.6
- Runtime: .NET 10
- Architecture: MVVM (CommunityToolkit.Mvvm)
- Local Audio: NAudio 2.2
- Streaming: Windows MediaPlayer
- Database: SQLite
FAQ
Why is Windows blocking the installer?
The app uses a self-signed certificate. See the installation instructions above for how to safely bypass SmartScreen.
Does this work with other audiobook servers?
No. Nine Lives Audio Lite Windows is designed specifically for Audiobookshelf and uses its REST API.
Will my progress sync with the mobile app?
Yes. Nine Lives Audio Lite Windows syncs progress with your Audiobookshelf server, so it works alongside any official or third-party client.
Can I use this on Mac or Linux?
Not currently. Nine Lives Audio Lite Windows uses WinUI 3, which is Windows-only.