Do you read books on your phone?
If so, how do you do it? Do you use Google Play books or use apps like PDF file readers? I'm only 19 and I'm interested to start my reading hobby. Though I can also grab some books on a close bookstore nearby, I am also interested to do it digitally.
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Get a Kobo. They're awesome for reading. They feel like paper, like you're reading a real book. And it's pretty simple to sideload books. Plus you only have to charge them every few weeks, up to a month sometimes.
Get a used kobo. An aura or h2o can be had for $50 or less on eBay and will do all that you need, has a battery you can actually replace, and has an active 3rd party software community if you find the default (perfectly good) software lacking.
Plus one for Kobo, mine is almost 10yo and still going strong. Plenty of storage even for long vacations. My partner uses a Kindle and rages against its limitations 😅
Kobo? I did a google search and it looked interesting. Thanks for the info. I think I might try that app.
I think they meant the physical device
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en
They can be a bit pricy if you're young and on a budget.
If you're trying to read on your phone only, I'd recommend these apps:
As for sourcing the files
Some comments brought up a home server, but you don't really need that if you're starting out with the hobby and it's just for yourself. That's more for managing large libraries of books and access by many users.
I did indeed mean a physical kobo. they're great little devices, and pretty much completely repairable.
Free Moon+ Reader haven't shown me any ads, maybe it's regional or something. I use it for years.
+1 for Kobo. I love being able to read in the dark without bothering my partner with the light
That's step 2. - They want to get into reading.
Step 1 is to do it the cheapest way possible. Which means either real books or on a device they already have.
Then if they find they enjoy it they can/should start spending some money on hardware/software to enhance the experience.
But there's no reason for them to spend any money on tech until they know reading recreationally is for them.
I find reading on my phone to be far easier than on paper due to dyslexia.
I use Libera FD, it's a combination eBook, PDF, document viewer that can scan your docs and form fit them to your desired font, size, and density.
As for getting books, annas-archive is my new best friend. I grab every weird fiction and horror I can get my hands on.
Moon+ reader as an app for reading on your phone. I've had it on every device since my Galaxy S. And the app is still maintained, receiving regular updates. Nice to be able to read a couple of pages when standing in line somewhere instead of mindlessly scrolling.
I’ve been using the pro version, Moon+ Reader Pro, for years. It’s great for reading EPUBs, which I either buy DRM-free or, if that’s not possible, in any format and then download a “liberated” copy from Anna’s Archive.
Anna's Archive or libgen for downloading epub, Librera Pro from F-Droid for reading.
PDF sucks, epub let's you configure everything like font, font size, space between lines and alignment to the left.
I pretty much prefer reading on my phone than physical book.
I also use this method. Very easy, no fuss.
No, I read books on paper.
I enjoy reading on my phone when other people are around, for instance during lunch at work or at a park or something. If I read a normal dead tree book, I get people asking me what it is I'm reading, what it's about, WHY I'm reading, and so on. If I read on my phone, I'm just another Standard Phone Zombie and can be ignored.
Ha ha, that reminds me of some of the performative reading I did as a teen - ostentatiously reading a "cool" or difficult book to impress people. The joke was on me when I started reading War and Peace. I got swept away by it, loved it, and was condemned to carrying around this massive paperback until I'd finished it.
THAT will teach you.
I really should read it again.... 😅
Paper. It’s unwieldy but there’s something about screens that doesn’t work for me.
I usually download an epub of the book and put it on my Kavita server, then read from my phone.
Kavita? Is that an app?
The link Axolotl replied with is it. Its a selfhosted server software that you host on one machine and access from others. You access it via its webui on your browser, and it gives you a browser based reader for all your ebook and manga files. The benefit to that is its device independent. You can pick up and keep reading from anything with a browser.
https://www.kavitareader.com/
Kavita sounds awesome! I see that you can send files to a device for offline reading. Do you know if you do that, if your reading state re-syncs to the server when you go back online?
I did not tried it yet (i still need to buy the hardware for my home server which is a pain in the ass with all these price spikes of...well everthing) but it seems so from the demo site + there is also sync with Anilist/MAL as the site says
No, that's why I bought a Kobo last year and it's been great. The phone is for audiobooks.
I always said I'd never do ebooks, mostly because of the screen. Then came eink. I resisted for years but finally got a kobo last year and I fucking love it.
No more carrying 5 paperbacks on a trip, just the kobo with 20+ books queued up and ready to go. Plus, I can read in the dark without disturbing the spouse with the backlight on 1%
I begrudgingly have been won over.
But yeah, screw books on phones with LCD/OLED... eInk only.
When I use/d my phone for reading I always go high contrast - Black background and bright orange text.
Whether LCD or OLED I find that color combo works great for legibility while keeping screen brightness low in the dark (to reduce eye strain) and not having to set brightness as high during the day outdoors (preventing the screen from eating the battery as quickly.)
Nice. I also recently added an ebook with some games to play with a standard deck of cards. So I can bring my kobo and a deck of cards since I have some games queued up to learn.
Yes. I've got a Kobo reader but mostly use the Kobo phone app to read the books I buy there. For my own files, eg from Project Gutenberg, I use ReadEra Premium, which is superior to the Kobo app. It can handle just about any format, including .mobi, which not even Amazon's Kindle app does now. I like it a lot.
Finally, there's Libby, the library app. I use it mainly to read the New Yorker magazine. You need to belong to a library first. Sign up to Libby and you can borrow from the library's collection. Mine allows you to borrow a book for two weeks, so I mainly stick to magazines.
I'm so used to reading on my phone now that I find print books cumbersome and limiting - I always have half a dozen books on the go and can't imagine carting around that many books.
I prefer an e-reader, but I used my phone before I got one. It is nice to always have my books on me with the phone, but the e-reader is much more comfortable for long sessions.
This is the way.
I do almost all of my reading on my phone and have for more than a decade. There are many excellent book reading apps, but your source for material will probably limit those options. I prefer books in the ePub format when possible. PDF files also work fairly well, although they are not as convenient to read because they have built-in page breaks that don't correspond match up with phone screens. Standard ePub and PDF files do not include any DRM (copy protection), although there are variants which do.
If you buy books from Amazon you have to use their Kindle app (unless you use tools to strip the DRM). Borrowing books from your library is a great option, but that will also limit your reader options. Many use OverDrive, which has its own reader. Fortunately Kindle and OverDrive both work pretty well.
Personally, I use various tools to remove the DRM from the eBooks that I buy, then I convert them to ePub. I do believe in authors getting paid for their work, so I don't share them.
Have you done any DRM stripping recently? I bought books back in my Kindle days that are now trapped there. They made changes last year so you can't easily transfer files on to your Kindle reader and I think they tightened the DRM too. I tried via Calibre, which used to work but doesn't any more.
DRM is always a moving target. For a long time I used the free DeDRM tools in combination with Calibre to remove it from Kindle books, but that software is no longer supported. There are several commercial options. The only one I've found that has really kept up with the changes is EPubor Ultimate.
When the big change hit, almost nothing worked for a while. EPubor got their DRM-removal working again in a month or so. Since then, I don't think they've ever been more than a week behind in updating their software to deal with the changes.
I hate DRM. I pay for everything I use and feel that I should be treated as a valued customer and not as a probable thief.
Thanks! For me, finding books I'd bought and paid for locked away underlined the stupidity of DRM. If they were print books, I could lend them to people, sell them, give them away. Because they'd belong to me, I bought them. No fuss about intellectual property rights or whatever.
@[email protected]
I do. Depending on the file format, I use either Librera (from F-Droid), basic text editors, or even any native PDF reader.
But I also have a few physical books, one of which (Mark H. Williams "Lilith: Woman, Goddess, Demoness", Brazilian Portuguese translation I purchased from a physical library in São Paulo) was the only one so far I managed to read entirely, from cover to cover, in mere days.
Not that I didn't read the other books I purchased (such as a Brazilian Portuguese translation of Kybalion or a Brazilian book from a Luciferian school I was once a member of), it's because this specific book was the most spiritually important to me back when I purchased it, I was too obsessed in learning more about Her, so I focused on reading. I found other books about Her (non-fictional books, because there are lots of fictional novels involving Lilith and I'm more interested in real texts, grimoires, especially involving real rituals), but the physical versions would need to be imported and, well, I'm certainly going to import one day, when I get to get a job/income, because those books are priced in dollar while my everyday reality is priced in Brazilian Reais (USD 1 is approximately BRL 5.20, but then there are also importing fees which likely depends on the mood of whoever bureaucrat from Receita Federal is dealing with the package I'm trying to import).
Until that happens, I'm quite limited to finding and downloading books (that is, when I manage to find those specific books for downloading, because many of the books I'm interested in reading are so rare that they don't really have downloadable versions). Sometimes they come as epub, sometimes they come as pdf, sometimes I manage to find them on sacredbooks as txt, so the file format determines where I'm going to read: epub in Librera, pdf on either Waterfox browser (PC) or any Android PDF reader (such as mupdf mini), txt in any text editor (such as KDE Kate on PC, or a simple text editor I got from F-Droid).
Yes.
Project Gutenberg website. They also have files you can download, but I prefer using the website.
If you're looking for free, I would suggest OpenLibrary, which has an android app: https://openlibrary.org/
I will say that the app/site is not fun to use. It's not intuitive and very poor in it's "rental" process.
Since I have an Amazon Prime account, I most often read books available for free that are included with Prime.
Had no idea they had an app. After peeking at that page, I still don't. Do you just mean it's a PWA, or is there a native one?
But yeah, agree that their UI/UX does not make it much fun. Still a great resource.
Sorry, I should have linked it: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.loomishouse.ol_reader_app
I think the 3.5 rating is generous but its technically usable.
Thanks!
But yeah, it is rough. No wonder they keep it a secret, lol.
I use an ereader that runs googke text to speach which makes any book an audiobook. I listen to about a book a day.
Moon Reader+ and Calibre. (There are some other suggestions for obtaining material listed that are great). I read 3-4 books a week, sometimes more.
Moon Reader+ has been my epub reader for many years and it's worth the few bucks to buy. The free version is perfectly adequate if you don't want to read pdf files. I don't read on a phone, but prefer a tablet with the larger screen, but have used it on a phone without too much discomfort when my tablet died.
Same here. I've used this app for over a decade now. I'm just now realizing it.
I've used moon+ reader pro for years. Maybe even since it's release. (Admittedly I don't use it as much anymore as I prefer eink devices for reading but am stuck with a kindle for now)
The tons of customization options was my biggest draw. plenty of font/layout and color options to help find what works best for you and your device.
I also love and use calibre, but I'm not sure it's needed by OP at this time. It doesn't sound like they've got a large collection of books so I think it would just be overkill and depending on their tech level might turn them off.
Absolutely! I use the Libby app and a regular library card. They link up so you can read all the ebooks in your library system for free, just like checking a regular book out. Sometimes you have to wait for a popular book, which I usually try to appreciate as a rare exercise in patience but can be annoying of course. But it's actually free, no adds, simple to use.
I dont read books on my phone but I do listen to audio books off my phone.
My wife uses a Kindle. She also had the Barnes and Noble version of that. I think it was called a paper white.
Thanks for the suggestion but I think that's gonna make my phkne bloated? I think audio books' file sizes are big?
Yeah they will but you can pull them off once you are done listenning to them
It depends on how long the book is and how were audio files compressed. I'd put an average of 450MBs per book as I inspect my non-app direct downloads, with 6 Dune books being 2,5GB, more individual ones been from 250MBs to 1GB. If you reconvert them yourself, you can set the target bitrate => size to barely tolerable levels if you will, and keep in mind that's still hours upon hours of joy, they worth it, and for tough books you can download them in parts. Idk how tight your space budget is, but I found it's pretty nice that the whole Dark Tower cycle by Stephen King, being cleverly shrinked by the uploader, took only 6,5GBs while giving me a month-long ride.
Compared to most PDFs and EPUBs, audio is obviously a very bloated data source, but at the same time it provides a lot of advantages pure text can't.
since you're on lemmy, I'm gonna assume you're techy. Audiobookshelf can be self hosted, and can manage audiobooks and serve them.
I used to read books on a Kindle but I am trying to spend less times looking at screens, so I started buying physical books again.
A kindle shouldn't be much different than a book since it doesn't really emit light (If we don't talk of tactile feeling, of course)
I know, I really like that about Kindles, but I recently decided I need less screen time and a Kindle is technically a screen. ( I am aware of the irony of posting this comment on the Internet)
There is something special about reading real books. I just wish my life was more stable. Over the years I've lost my huge physical book collection that I started as a kid due to a combo of lots of moving and limited space to keep them.
The convenience of digital means I don't have to suffer that particular loss anymore.
I used to move a lot too, so that was part of the reason for getting a kindle, but I'm not moving any time soon, so it made sense to get books again.
FBreader on Android phone and Calibre on Linux to manage my library.
My partner does and I have no idea how they stand it, for ebooks, my library works with my kobo so it's either that or epubs. I can do a tablet for ebooks but I find the phone way too small.
Libby is supported by a bunch of library systems on android, used KOReader for ebooks on android too.
I've read on my phone quite a bit. On Google Books but also with an app such as ReadEra (on Android) in order to make use of https://gutenberg.org/ and https://standardebooks.org/. You can also get library books digitally.
That said, I would recommend a Kobo if you can afford it.
Thanks. I think I'll try that app(Readera?). I think I seen that app before.
The books I tend to consume on my phone are in the form of audiobooks via Libby from the libraries I have access to. My local library also has Hoopla, but the app feels more clunky and overwhelming and it costs the library more so I try all other options before turning to Hoopla. I do most of my book and manga reading an e-ink android device.
I prefer how text flows on my device's stock reader more (Neoreader for Onyx/Boox devices), but KOREADER is a very cool project and the community for plugins is phenomenal. It's available on tons of devices from the big name eink devices (Kindle via modding, Kobo, Pocketbook) to arm linux based gaming handhelds via portmaster. It's like the rockbox of reading software lol
I also want to bring up the Queer Liberation Library. I don't know if this is a useful resource for you specifically but it is there. Wait times tend to be longer compared to my more local libraries, but I find it to be a great curation and it's an invaluble resource for those who need it!
Komikku is my tachiyomi/mihon fork of choice for manga that's scanlated (or if I can't bother torrenting), but if I need image dithering I swap to neoreader after downloading.
Congrats on wanting to get into reading more btw! /genuine
I used to before I got my ereader. IMO the way to do it somewhat comfortably is, get an app that lets you display epub files in dark mode (light text on black background), and turn the brightness down until the text is visible but doesn't strain your eyes. Unfortunately PDFs do not play nice with any reader software so you're going to want to look for other formats, or convert them and put up with conversion artifacts.
It is a bit of eye strain (pixel 9a) However, I have tried with koreader which kinda makes it like a ebook, also on a tablet. It's still an eye strain. I have however on occasion use librerareader and used the text to speech to 'listen' to ebooks.
My wife does, she went through like 15 of them in 2025.
She just uses the Kindle app on her phone.
Maybe it's like Google Play Books alternative? I also think that's popular. Thanks for the suggestion.
Technically, Manga and manhwa ARE Books. So, if I round it up, I read books on pirating sites.
I use Cantook on my phone and skip the account setup. I convert Kobo books and other ebooks using Calibre to Epub. I like Cantook because there's a setting to use the volume buttons to turn pages.
I have a kindle, but I do occasionally read on my phone through the Kindle app. That being said, I get the EPUB version of books from https://annas-archive.li/
yeah i occasionally do this with epubs from shadow libraries. it's not foss but i use Lithium (com.faultexception.reader) for it. only works for epub, but it's very lightweight/fast and not privacy invading. there's a pro version but the free one seems to work fine, and i couldn't find any cracked versions. having my volup btn for next page is very useful for one hand reading in mass transit.
My local library uses overdrive for ebooks, which you can check out and either download for kindle, download as epub, or read online in your internet browser. I usually download to an eink reader, but if I'm reading on my phone I use the read in browser option.
Suggestion: if you plan to read on your phone, look in the settings to set the background and text color of whatever app you choose to something that doesn't strain your eyes.
For me audiobooks are key. I pour through them when doing mundane tasks, traveling, or just sitting to “read”. They aren’t for everyone, but also don’t let anyone tell you they don’t register the same way as regular reading. They do.
Downsides include resell (you can’t) and people around you not realizing you’re into a book the same as if you had one open. Also, if you zone out it keeps going without you.
I love ‘em though. I was never an avid reader until I got into the audio versions.
i used to be a voracious reader, but as i grew up i slowed down. getting books and then lugging them around was less feasible with Stuff To Do, and this is gonna sound super stupid but i have a hard time getting comfortable reading a physical book. for whatever reason I hold it wildly different depending on if i'm reading the right or left page so i'm constantly moving around
i've started using libby and now i'm reading multiple books a month again. you need a physical library card but once you have it you havd access to all of your library's digital stuff. in the US you can also get a state library card in some states online, giving you access to even more books. you can also find lots of classics online for free through project gutenberg, and the internet archive has a mix of free and rental books. the latter needs a special app to open them, though, and the only one i could seem to get to work was in italian
I've read some, I get tired quite fast though, too much scrolling. An ebook is much more comfortable and then there's regular books for the full tactile experience.
Normally I use a Kobo e-reader, but on my phone I use Readera for ebooks
Yes, works great especially at night with red letters on black.
Librera FD is your friend to read epubs.
PDF sucks on phones.
I have an old android tablet that’s too slow to do anything useful, so I repurposed it as an e-book reader. I use Moond Reader to open epub format files.
I don't. I've tried, but I can't. Between the size, the distractions, and the feeling that it's the wrong device somehow, I just can't.
A tablet is slightly better, but an eink reader is the best hardware; especially with .epub or .mobi files where possible. Google Play is a decent source, but there are DRM-free ebook sources that are better; and Libby (or any library app) is the best source.
There are plenty of apps that can open EPUB files (the format most digital books come in). I use one of those.
I could not imagine reading longer texts on my phone. I always send everything to my iPad and even then, screens are anti-relaxing to me. E-paper is fine but I prefer real books. Alternatively audio books for long car rides but that’s usually reserved for music and podcasts.
Yes l just started today also l am using librera
I read the entire Dune series on my phone, laying on my belly, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I did it with an app called eBoox, which reads different formats, making it very practical.
My phone screen is too small. I have a separate, larger, e-ink screen for that.
Haven't found a pdf reader I really like yet (haven't looked too hard), but most of them work fine in landscape mode. Currently using one called Orion Viewer I got from FDroid. It does remember my place when I reopen a PDF, key feature.
I prefer to read by reflected light, not emitted light. I used to prefer real books (and I do still throughly enjoy them), but I've grown used to the creature comforts like waterproofness, annotations, highlighting, searching, and sheer data density of an ebook reader packed with more books than I could read in a few years. Granted I also highlighted and annotated any books I owned with reckless abandon, but the data hoarder in me loves the other aspects even more. Regarding data density, there is nothing worse than carting along a massive book while traveling only to finish it before you even arrive. If it was a book I didn't mind leaving behind that might be okay, but now I've got to find a new book for the trip home too. I've tried to use my phone to read, but it's uncomfortable given the small size and intense light. Also, reading in full sun on your phone will absolutely cook the internals and drain you battery, not great for something I might rely on for emergencies. So for me I read: new (usually physical) books from Indy authors or graphic heavy books (like baudy poetry from the renn-fest, comic books/graphic novels), previously loved books from thrift stores and used book shops (I absolutely love finding books in which people have left notes in the cover and margins), ebooks read on a cheap e-reader of popular stuff from disreputable sources, and listening to audiobooks from downright shady sources or podcasts on my phone.
Yep.
I use a PDF reader and turn the phone sideways.
I have occasionally. I've got Google Play on my phone and I used to use a small tablet to do some reading.
Ultimately I find much better success rates reading a paper book. Having a single purpose item laying around helps motivate me, and the low-tech approach reduces distraction.
Phone, no. Second hand Kobo + calibre, yes.
Much as I love physical books, I've now reached an age where having the ability to increase font size, adjust margins, kerning and leading is invaluable.
I prefer Epubs, I use Eboox on Android. I personally like digital because there are times I have to stand on a bus and I can just read it with one hand as I use the other to hold on to the handgrips. Btw it can turn pages using volume keys. Also, they are inconspicuous if you're a person like me who might read books that some conservative people may raise eyebrows on.
I read them in the browser from the Gutenberg Project.
Yep, and I do this both on my noname e-ink reader and my phone (fb2reader or moon reader apps there). Downloaded audiobooks, whole another beast, are great in Voice app from F-Droid, if you choose this path.
I didn't find it inconvinient to read on smaller button phones before and the difference between a dedicated healthier device and a modern smartphone mostly escapes me. This obviously excludes PDFs and manga/comics not adapting to your screen size like a basic e-book in epub/fb2 formats, so if you stick to one of those formats - you'd want an A5-paper sized device or more.
Worse problem with some book for me is not a medium or an interface to consume it, but a lack of concentration, interest and/or habit. Life finds a way, and if you got captured by a book, you'd stop to see or care how you eat through it. But for a regular reading routine it'd be great to think of when and where you'd dedicate some time to enjoy literature, so it'd gain a momentum with you.
I tried, but I gave up. I find that mobile screens (at least the ones I've used) are the wrong dimensions for books. Either the linebreaks are way off, or I have to use zoom levels that are cumbersome.
Plus sometimes I like to jump back and forth, and that's much faster and easier when you can use physical bookmarks.
I find that good Ole books are the superior format. The only thing missing is the ability to ctrl+f
That's why I love and have used moon+ reader for years. Lots and lots of options to help fix screwed up formatting. Especially back in the day it seemed like for every 3 "good" books, at least 1 would be janky and I'd need to make adjustments for it to display well on whatever phone I had at the time
My reading is probably 60% audiobooks, 30% ereader and 10% ebooks on my phone. I could read entire books on my phone, but I just don't find that as enjoyable or immersive as the ereader. The amount of distractions on the phone is also a big negative. I use the app koreader to sync progress between the ereader and phone, so wherever I am I can always open up a book instead of scrolling YouTube shorts or whatever, but I still end up doing that more than I should.
Yes. I use Kindle or Moon Reader +, depending on whether or not I can easily get it outside Amazon's ecosystem. Actual ebook readers are vastly superior to using a browser or PDF.
Mostly I use my phone because it's always right there. I'll spend my lunch break getting another handful of pages through my current book while eating.
No, the screen is too small.
Yep, internet archive
I read a little on my Palm Pilot, then did it on my phone. Switched to an e-ink reader as soon ad it was practical. Of all the devices I've used, phones were by far the less comfortable.
No. I'm on my phone more than enough. When I read books, I read physical hard copy books.
That’s my preference too but it’s a privilege a 19yo might not be able to afford on top of their phone bill, unless they have a secondhand bookstore nearby.
Libraries are the GOAT.
True. The O.G., if you will.
I use the Jellyfin app, I get books from Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ and https://www.smashwords.com/
ProseReader is pretty good
I really do not like brightness of the screen. Last year I found out how cool paperbacks are (the smaller ones) as I can put them in my pockets. Been reading more in 2025 than i did in the last decade i feel like.
I like the feeling of actually holding knowledge in your bare hands (given you can read and understand the language). Its so cool!
At least 6 hours a day, easily.
Royalroad, mostly, but also AO3, Questionable Questing and Spacebattles.
I also download everything to a calibre library and read it using Audiobookshelf.
If you read in any other languages, the phone is great. I make the type big to avoid eyestrain, and i have a couple of dictionaries installed for unfamiliar words. It’s so much faster than paper dictionaries - i don’t even lose my page.
For books in English: paper.