Need a hand?
Email us and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
It helps to tell us your device, your iOS or iPadOS version (the iOS Settings app → General → About), the kind of book (EPUB or PDF) and what happened.
Getting started
- Tap the Library button (the book icon at the top left).
- Tap Import book and choose a DRM-free EPUB or a PDF from Files, iCloud Drive or Downloads. You can also share a book to EBL from another app, or drag a file into EBL on iPad.
- Tap the book to open it. EBL highlights one sentence at a time and remembers where you are.
EBL’s own Settings open from the gear button at the top right. On this page, “Settings →” means EBL’s Settings unless it says the iOS Settings app.
Reading
- Next and Previous move one sentence at a time. The ‹ and › buttons, or a swipe, turn the page.
- Tap a sentence to jump to it.
- The list button at the top left, just below the Library button, opens the Contents.
Translating
- Tap Translate, or double-tap the highlighted sentence, to see its translation under it. To show it above the sentence instead, use Settings → Translation position.
- For a single word or phrase, tap Word (or hold the sentence), then tap a word. EBL gives its meaning in that sentence, together with the sentence’s translation. It recognises common English phrases such as “put aside” and selects the whole phrase; tap Only “…” for just the word.
- Choose the language in Settings → Translate to.
Reading aloud
Tap Read aloud to hear the highlighted sentence, or the speaker button next to the word in its meaning panel. Choose the voice and speed in Settings → Read aloud. EBL starts with Google Text-to-Speech selected, which needs your own Google Cloud API key. To use Apple’s voices with no setup, choose Apple iOS in Settings → Read aloud → Voice.
Cards
- When a word’s meaning is shown, tap Save as card. The card keeps the word, its meaning, the sentence and its translation, and the book it came from.
- Tap the Cards button (the cards icon next to Library). While you read, it starts with the cards from your current book that are new or due.
- Tap Show answer, then Got it or Practice again. A card you get right comes back after 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and then 60 days. A card you practise again comes back later in this session, and its schedule starts again from 1 day.
- In the Cards overview, Study reviews what is due and Practice goes through every card, for all books or one book. Search finds a book, a word or a translation.
PDFs
- EBL reads the text of a PDF the same way as a book, sentence by sentence. Pages that are only scans are read with text recognition on your device.
- Tap Original PDF to see the real pages, with their pictures and layout. Tap Read text to go back to that page’s text.
Make it yours
In Settings → Appearance, choose a font (Georgia, Palatino, Times New Roman, Helvetica Neue or System) and a text size. Under Settings → Color palette, choose Sage, Sepia, Paper or Night.
Sync between iPhone and iPad (optional)
- On one device, open Settings → Device sync and tap Connect shared folder. Create or choose a folder called EBL in iCloud Drive.
- On the other device, connect the same folder.
- Open EBL on both devices. Books, cards, reading positions and settings merge. iCloud Drive can take a little while to deliver changes.
A folder under On My iPhone or On My iPad stays on that device and won’t sync.
Google Translate and Google Text-to-Speech (optional)
Apple Translate needs no setup. Apple voices need no key; just choose Apple iOS in Settings → Read aloud → Voice. If you prefer Google’s services, you use your own Google Cloud account, and Google bills the usage to it:
- In the Google Cloud console, create a project and turn on billing.
- Enable the Cloud Translation API, the Cloud Text-to-Speech API, or both.
- Create an API key. It’s a good idea to restrict it to those two APIs. Don’t add an iOS app restriction; EBL doesn’t send the app details that restriction checks.
- In EBL, paste the key into Settings → Google Cloud API key, then choose Google in Translate with or Voice.
The key stays in your device’s Keychain and isn’t synced. Read how this works in the privacy policy.
Questions
Which books can I read?
DRM-free EPUB books and PDFs. EBL doesn’t sell books; you bring your own.
- Books bought in the Apple Books Store and other protected EPUBs can’t be imported. EBL tells you when a book is protected.
- A locked PDF, or one that blocks text access, needs an unlocked copy.
How do I import from Apple Books?
In Apple Books, open the book’s menu and choose Share, tap More if needed, then choose EBL. If Books shares the EPUB or PDF file, EBL saves it and imports it the next time you open EBL. If Books shares only a title or a link, there is no file to import; use the original file from Files instead. Library → Import from Books shows these steps in the app.
Why isn’t my language listed?
With Apple Translate, the list shows every language Apple Translate supports on your device. If yours isn’t there, choose Google Translate in Settings → Translate with; it offers more languages, with your own key. To use Apple Translate offline, download your languages in the iOS Settings app → Apps → Translate → Downloaded Languages.
Translating a word in the context of its sentence with Apple Translate needs iOS or iPadOS 26.4 or later. On earlier versions, EBL translates the selected word or phrase on its own and keeps the sentence’s translation as the example.
Do I need the internet?
No, not for reading, cards, Apple Translate with downloaded languages, or Apple voices. Google Translate and Google Text-to-Speech need a connection, and so does iCloud Drive to sync.
Where is my library saved?
On your device, in EBL’s own storage. Copies of the original book files also show in the Files app under On My iPhone › EBL › Books. If you connect a sync folder, EBL also keeps a copy there so your other devices can use it. There’s no account, and nothing is sent to us.
How do I delete a book or a card?
- A book: in the Library, swipe left on it, tap Delete, then confirm. Its reading position is removed too; cards you saved from it stay until you delete them.
- A card: in Cards, open the book’s words and swipe left on the card.
On synced devices, a deleted book or card is removed from the others as well.
Will my books move to a new device?
Yes, if you set up the new device from a backup or a direct transfer, or if you connect the same iCloud Drive sync folder on it. Your Google Cloud API key doesn’t move; add it again on the new device.
Read aloud says I need a Google Cloud API key.
EBL starts with the voice set to Google Text-to-Speech. Choose Apple iOS in Settings → Read aloud → Voice, or add your Google key.
Are there ads, accounts or in-app purchases?
No. EBL has no ads, no accounts and no in-app purchases. Google’s services are optional and billed by Google to your own Cloud account.
What do I need?
An iPhone or iPad with iOS or iPadOS 18 or later.
Privacy
EBL keeps your books and cards on your device and collects no data. Read the privacy policy.