Quick verdict
- What it is
- Store information collected; independent summary not yet available.
- At a glance
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- Free to download
Categories and search queries
Official categories
- Books
AppCorpus categories
Key functions
| Function | Availability | Access | Scope | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free app | Yes | Free | — | Store published |
Screens
App Store
3 store screenshots
Pricing & paywalls
App Store
- Free
Ratings & reviews
App Store
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3/5A good idea, but poorly designed app
I really like being able to read from my phone, but the app is incredibly frustrating sometimes. It’s basically impossible to scroll through pages. The bar at the bottom has a tiny hit box and it doesnt scroll when you hold it. It also resets your progress through the book if another person checks it out (or sometimes just randomly for some reason). I’ve also been logged out for no apparent reason multiple times.
Rjane314 · 31 Jul 2026
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4/5Really enjoy - Minor critiques!
I honestly really love OL. I read books while at work, and can actually pick them up on my phone instead of having to go to the site, so this is really nice. I only recently downloaded this so I don’t know how previous versions were, but my main thing is when you’re on single page mode you need to scroll. Normally scrolling to the next page wouldn’t be bad if it was more of a swipe up and you were on the next page, but you have to scroll and center the page yourself. It’s not bad, but kind of annoying, especially mixed with the fact the pages don’t stay centered when you have it zoomed in to fill the screen. My other thing is full screen mode. I wish I didn’t have to adjust the page size before going into full screen mode, and that when I went FS it would just automatically adjust to my screen. If someone needs text to be larger, then I understand why you need to adjust, but you should at least be able to enable / disable it.
Shammiewammie202 · 31 Jul 2026
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5/5Most enjoyable way to read Open Library books
Open Library by Internet Archive has thousands of books to borrow for free, but the reading experience on mobile devices is not good. This app changes that, especially with the full screen reading mode, sortable shelves, and search. It is already the best way to enjoy Open Library books on iPhone and iPad, and should only get better with continued improvements and developments.
fullyensconced · 31 Jul 2026
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3/5Grateful for app but loading is inconsistent
I love using Open Library and have found many old, out-of-print books my library system no longer carries. For that I’m grateful. However, when I load a book, open it with Reader, and magnify the page using the controls, the view of the page is often cut in half so only half the text is displayed. Very disappointing when this happens, and it does happen frequently.
greenlinnet · 31 Jul 2026
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2/5No lists & too small
This app doesn’t show any of the lists I’ve created on my Open Library account, and there’s no zoom option. The text is too small to read without difficulty. Full-page mode doesn’t solve the problem. It’s easier to use Open Library on the phone’s browser.
Nesr5 · 31 Jul 2026
Privacy & accessibility
App Store
Privacy
- Data Not Collected Developer declared
Accessibility
No accessibility labels collected yet.
Versions
App Store
- 1.0.0+6
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1.0.10+16
We hope this will finally fix the issue with some devices not loading the book reader. Let us know!
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1.0.1+1
This release improves login window positioning on some devices and updates the app name in the App Store for better searchability.
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1.0.11+17
This version fixes a few annoying bugs: • A user was having trouble pinching to zoom without triggering a page turn swipe; this update fine-tunes those gestures a bit more. • I got very tired of accidentally touching the book page edge in full-screen mode and jumping to a random page with no way to jump back; the app now asks for confirmation before jumping to a different part of the book. • Bookshelves would occasionally empty and reload when the data got stale; refreshes are now more incremental.
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1.0.13+19
Just some minor fixes this time around: • Handled changes to the OpenLibrary search that were resulting in bad data in the Book Info window • Disabled the bookreader "Swipe to turn page" action when not in 2-page mode; if this makes you sad, let us know • Fixed a display bug in the bookreader help overlay • Fixed saved visual adjustments not being reapplied in bookreader
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1.0.14+20
Some bug fixes and under-the-hood work towards future features: • Tap behind the book to enter fullscreen now works again after an Internet Archive update broke it • Fixed an issue where bad book entries could cause a shelf to only partially load
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1.0.15+21
• Updates required to support OpenLibrary API changes • Fixed a few small bugs, probably introduced some new ones.
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1.0.16+23
Hello, OpenLibrary readers! Just a small update this time to help things run more smoothly. • Changes on the OpenLibrary server broke the way we were retrieving availability information, which sometimes made it hard to change editions or open books that should have been available. This update resolves those problems, but also turns off some of the up-to-date availability reporting. Hopefully we'll get everything working again soon. • Fixed a bug that sometimes caused books without covers to not display the placeholder image.
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1.0.2+1
This update improves the experience of reading in single page mode and adds some onboarding help for using the book reader.
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1.0.3+1
This update reduces some bookreader reloading by prompting you when you return to a book with an expired loan.
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1.0.4+1
This update provides some user experience improvements: • When opening a book, you get a progress bar instead of a spinner, tricking your brain into thinking the process is going faster. • Mysterious flashes of Internet Archive web content during book loading are now minimized. • If you have an audiobook or Project Gutenberg text in your Reading Log, the app now tells you it can't yet handle those formats instead of just failing.
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1.0.5+11
This update fixes some bugs and adds two new features: • In the settings, you can now tell your screen not to sleep while the bookreader is open • There's a new switch that will allow you to capture a debugging log that you can send to us if you're having trouble with something.
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1.0.6+1
Just a couple of small changes to improve your reading experience: • Fixes a failure of full-screen mode caused by a change in the Internet Archive Bookreader • Reloading a book in reading mode now attempts a new checkout if necessary
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1.0.7+1
• Fixes an issue where full-screen mode wasn't always using the full screen • Fixes (hopefully) some login bugs • Fixes that thing where the time/battery info would reappear after your device was closed • Improves a few display issues on smaller devices
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1.0.8+1
It's embarrassing, but sometimes fixing one bug causes something else to break. Programmers call that a "regression," which is just a fancy word for "we goofed up."
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1.0.9+1
Addresses a bug that prevented the reading view from fully loading on some devices. Happy reading!
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2.0.0+23
Welcome to the all new, completely rebuilt OL Reader! It looks the same, and all your favorite features are still there, but it's all new under the hood and there are some great new features: • More information on the shelf pages, including book counts and author names • An expanded search interface allows you to find books both on your shelves and in Open Library, with more search and sorting options • OL Reader now supports Open Library Lists (still a bit experimental) • Poke around and see what else you can find! • OL Reader is now an open source project — see the app help page for more information
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2.0.1+24
· 9 Jul 2026
• Fixed when you turn off your device in the middle of a book and come back a few hours later to a black screen. • Fixed intermittent "You must be logged in to read" errors.
Alternatives
- Cantook by Aldiko — Same category + similar ratings
- BookBub — Same category + similar ratings
Availability by market
- US
Data quality & evidence
- Page completeness
- Live store listing
- Last verified
- 31 Jul 2026
- Sources
- App Store
- Independent summary has not been published yet.