← Timothecles
ShelfCub
A deliberately simple audiobook player for children.
ShelfCub plays MP3 and M4B audiobooks from folders you choose on a tablet or SD card,
or from an Audiobookshelf server you run yourself. It is built for a child's tablet: big covers, few controls,
nothing to wander off into.
Bring your own audiobooks. ShelfCub has no store or subscription library; a short offline
demo is included. Parents choose the local folders and server libraries a child can reach.
What it does
- Play local MP3 and M4B books without a server or internet connection
- Browse by book or series, with a search that respects the same limits
- Remembers where each book left off; Audiobookshelf progress also syncs to your server
- Download books for offline listening — car journeys, aeroplanes, patchy Wi-Fi
- Sleep timer, adjustable playback speed
- A PIN-protected parent screen for settings and content limits
Keeping content appropriate
Local books come only from folders a parent approves through Android’s folder picker.
Set a PIN to protect settings and folder selection. Audiobookshelf offers two filtering options:
- On your server — give the child an Audiobookshelf account restricted
to chosen tags. Browse, series and search are all filtered server-side, so this is real
enforcement. Prefer this.
- In the app — if everyone shares one server account, the app can filter
by tag instead. This is a convenience, not a security boundary. The parent screen always
states which of the two is actually in force.
Requirements
- Android 8.0 or later
- Your own DRM-free MP3/M4B files, or an Audiobookshelf server you can reach
- No Google Play Services, so it runs on Amazon Fire tablets
Download
Store listings are in preparation. This page will link to them at release.
Privacy
The app collects nothing at all. The full policy:
https://timothecles.com/shelfcub/privacy
Contact
hello@timothecles.com