Support

Help & common questions

Answers to the things people ask most. Still stuck? There's a way to reach me at the bottom.

Adding books

What kinds of books can I add?

Three kinds: a single JPEG image (one page), a PDF (rendered page by page), or a ZIP archive of page images — the ZIP is the way to build a full image book with a title, author, collections, and a custom cover.

How do I get books onto my iPad?
  • Files app: copy the file into the Reading Room folder under On My iPad.
  • Cable: connect the iPad to a computer, open it in Finder, go to Files, and drag the file onto Reading Room.
  • Share sheet: from another app, choose Share → Open in Reading Room.

The app watches that folder and imports new files automatically — usually within a second or two. You don't need to unzip anything yourself.

How do I make a ZIP book?

Put your page images in a folder, name them so they sort in order (page_001.jpg, page_002.jpg, …), optionally add a metadata.json and a thumbnail.jpg, then compress the folder. The full walkthrough is here: Make a book for Reading Room →

I added a book but nothing appeared.

Make sure the file is in the Reading Room folder (not a sub-folder), and that a ZIP actually contains image files rather than another ZIP. If it still doesn't show, switch away from the app and back to trigger a fresh scan.

Covers, titles & pages

My pages are out of order.

Pages are ordered by the number in each filename. Pad the numbers with leading zeros — 001, 002, … 010 — so page 10 doesn't land before page 2.

The cover is wrong, or I want a different one.

By default the first page is the cover. To set your own, include a thumbnail.jpg (or thumbnail.png / cover.jpg) in the ZIP. For a book already in your library, open Edit details → Change cover and pick any photo.

The title is wrong or blank.

With no metadata.json, the book is named after the ZIP file (underscores and dashes become spaces). Rename the ZIP, add a metadata.json, or just edit it in the app via Edit details.

Reading & organizing

Does it remember where I left off?

Yes. With Resume last page on (Settings → Reading), a book reopens where you stopped — unless you'd already reached the final few pages, in which case it starts from the beginning.

How do I change page layout and turn style?

Tap the middle of a page to show the menus. From the bottom bar you can switch single vs. two-page, fill the screen vs. fit between the bars, and toggle a blank leading page. Page-turn animation (Slide / Fade / Page turn) lives in Settings → Reading.

How do collections work?

Add a book to one or more collections from its Edit details sheet (new collections can be created right there), or include a collection / collections field in the ZIP's metadata.json. Manage and rename collections in Settings → Collections.

How do I delete a book?

In the Library, press and hold any book to enter delete mode — a red button appears on each cover; tap it to remove that book, then tap Done. You can also use Edit details → Remove book.

Privacy & devices

Do I need an account? Does it work offline?

No account, and no internet required. Your books and reading progress stay on your device — nothing is uploaded. Because of that, the library doesn't sync between devices; each device keeps its own.

Which devices are supported?

Reading Room is built for iPad and tuned for the iPad mini, with a layout that also adapts to iPhone.

Still need a hand?

If your question isn't answered here, drop me a message and I'll get back to you.