LibbyWatch is an independent proposal for an official, secure way for public-library patrons to listen to eligible audiobook loans from Apple Watch without carrying an iPhone.
Status: feasibility and partner outreach. This is not a functioning OverDrive integration. No production API access or native audiobook playback permission has been granted.
The intended experience is deliberately narrow:
- Authenticate through an OverDrive-hosted QR or link flow.
- See eligible audiobook loans and their expiration dates.
- Stream or download through an OverDrive-approved fulfillment and DRM mechanism.
- Listen on Apple Watch over Bluetooth without an iPhone nearby.
- Synchronize position through an approved interface.
- End access and remove local media when a loan expires or is returned.
- Confirmation that native watchOS audiobook playback is an approvable use case.
- An approved playback, fulfillment, license, and DRM path for watchOS.
- Discovery, Circulation, QR authentication, and integration-environment access.
- Guidance on offline playback, position sync, permitted data storage, branding, and production review.
- Validation of the patron need and service fit.
- Advice on accessibility, privacy, support, and library-policy expectations.
- Participation in a limited pilot only after technical feasibility is confirmed.
- Willingness to serve as the named production library if all parties later agree to proceed.
- Only documented APIs and explicitly approved playback and DRM mechanisms.
- No scraping, reverse engineering, private endpoints, media extraction, transcoding, or DRM circumvention.
- No developer credentials embedded in an iPhone or Apple Watch application.
- No collection of a patron's library-card PIN by LibbyWatch.
- Full enforcement of lending periods, returns, expirations, territory, device, and deletion requirements.
- No production use without OverDrive review and written approval.
This repository describes an independent proposal. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by OverDrive, Libby, Apple, or any library. Libby and OverDrive are trademarks of their respective owner; Apple Watch is a trademark of Apple Inc.
The website source is available under the MIT License.