Success
You have an EPUB file in an email, on your Mac, or in Calibre, and you want it on your iPhone to read it, in justread.
This is a list of all the ways that work, from fastest to most automated.
In the end, the book (or books) end up in your justread library.
The Simplest Way
Save the EPUB anywhere in Files, open justread, tap the "+" button in the Library, choose Import from Files and select the file. You can select many files at once (covers and metadata will be read automatically).
The "+" opens a small menu, and the other rows in it (Get Free Books, Calibre Books, Grimmory Books, BookOrbit books) are the rest of this article.
It also works the other way around: tap an EPUB in Files, Open With, choose justread.
Add as many books as you want right from the app.
A folder as your library
This is what is best if your collection of books keeps growing. Instead of importing files, you point justread at a folder, and everything in that folder shows up in the library (after you pull to refresh).
The trick is putting that folder into your iCloud Drive (or any other cloud service). iPhone and iPad then see the same folder, so both have the same library. Reading progress, highlights and stats sync through iCloud for all books.
Add a book from your Mac to that folder and it's on the phone next time you look (and pull to refresh). I've used this setup for a long time and stopped thinking about imports completely.
Copy files to a folder you use and just pull to refresh in the Library.
AirDrop and the share sheet
For a single book this is the fastest: AirDrop from the Mac, pick justread when iOS asks which app should open it. Works the same from Mail attachments, Safari downloads or files someone sends you in a chat.
From Calibre over Wi-Fi
If you manage your book in Calibre, start its content server and justread connects to it over the home network. You browse the whole Calibre library on the phone (Calibre Books in the "+" menu) and import what you want, with covers, metadata and series.
Justread can also push reading status, rating and progress back into Calibre columns, and the reading position itself syncs both ways with any e-reader running KOReader, a Kobo included.
Set up Calibre connection and sync the books you like (Calibre Virtual libraries included).
OPDS catalogs
OPDS is an open catalog format used by Project Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks and self-hosted servers like Calibre-Web or Kavita.
Project Gutenberg is already built in, under Get Free Books in the "+" menu, so that one needs no setup at all. Any other catalog you add once (OPDS Servers in the Library menu) and then browse and download books directly on the phone, no computer involved. It's the one method here where you don't need to own the file first.
Hit '+' select 'Get Free Books' and read all you can from Project Gutenberg.
A Grimmory/BookOrbit server
If you run Grimmory or BookOrbit, a self-hosted library server, sign in once and new options (Grimmory Books or BookOrbit Books) shows up in the same "+" menu.
Then browse the server's library on the phone and download books with their metadata. Books go the other way too, and status, rating and progress travel in both directions. Signing in also sets up the KOReader position sync for you, so if you use KOReader, all devices will be synced in between.
Set up Grimmory/BookOrbit and browse it from within the app (with full syncing).
PDFs, comics and audiobooks
Everything above works for PDFs and comics too.
Justread also plays audiobooks, so it's one library for all formats with one reading history.
So which one?
- One book right now (from mac): AirDrop.
- A few files: Import from Files.
- Growing collection: the iCloud Drive folder (or any other cloud provider)
- Calibre at home: Calibre Books.
- A Grimmory/BookOrbit server at home: Grimmory Books.
- Free books with no computer: Get Free Books (Project Gutenberg)
Whatever you pick, position, highlights and stats stay with the book and sync across your devices.
justread for iPhone and iPad: Download on the App Store
← Back to Blog