User Manual — Ember Read

Getting Started

Create an account

Open the app and tap Sign up
Enter your email and choose a password
Pick a username (you can change it later in Settings)
Accept the terms of service

On Android, you can explore the app in guest mode (2 books max, reading limited to 20%). On iOS, an account is required. With an account, there is no limit on imported books — the only limit is your phone’s storage!

Log in

If you already have an account, tap Log in and enter your credentials. Check “Remember me” to stay logged in.

Import a book

In the Library tab, tap the + button (bottom right)
Select an .epub or .eread file from your phone
The app automatically analyzes the content (this may take a few minutes for long novels)
Your book appears in your library with its cover

.eread files are enriched EPUBs created by Ember Read: they contain the book text plus a pre-computed intensity analysis (heatmap, keywords, tension curve). The result: no waiting for analysis — immersion mode is available as soon as you open the book.

The Library

Dynamic header

At the very top of the screen, an information bar displays four indicators:

Position	Element	Details
Left	🔥 Streak X days	Number of consecutive days you have read at least one page. Tap it to go directly to the Stats tab.
Center	📖 X/Y books	Progress toward your monthly goal (set in Settings > Library > Monthly goal). The bar fills up as you go. Tap it to change the period.
Center-right	TBR X	Number of books in your To Be Read list (favorites + BookTree items). Tap it to open the monthly goal setting. If your TBR is empty, the text appears in italic gold “No TBR”.
Right	Premium badge	Shows “Unlimited Pass” (gold badge) if you are subscribed, or “X credits” otherwise. Tap it to access the Subscription page.

The header with streak, goal, TBR, and badge

Below the header, two icons are visible:

🔍 Magnifying glass (BookTree): opens the BookTree scanner to discover books via AI — see BookTree section
🕓 Clock (BookTree History): access your BookTree scan history

The 3 tabs

Just below the header, three tabs organize your library:

Tab	Content	Details
My books	All your imported books	This is the default tab when you open the app. It displays all your EPUB and .eread books, with their cover, progress, and badges.
Favorites	Your To Be Read list (TBR)	Contains books you have marked as favorites (via long press > “Add to favorites”) and books discovered through BookTree that you added to your TBR. BookTree items display links to retailers (Fnac, Amazon, etc.).
Collections	Your custom folders	Create up to 10 collections to organize your books. Each collection has a name and shows how many books it contains. Tap a collection to view its contents.

A “Catalog” button appears at the end of the tabs: it opens the Ember Read catalog to discover and add new books.

Search bar

Below the tabs, a search field lets you filter your books in real time by title or author. The search is instant: each keystroke refines the list. Tap the X to the right of the field to clear the search and return to the full list.

Sort and filter

Below the search bar, filter buttons let you refine the view:

Filter	Options	How to use
Reading status	All, New, In progress, Finished	Tap one of the buttons. The active filter is highlighted in gold. Tap again to deactivate.
Pairing	FM, FF/Sapphic, MM/Gay, MFM, FFM, Reverse Harem	Filter books by relationship type. Only one pairing active at a time. Tap again to deactivate.
Spice level 🌶️	1 to 5	Filter by intensity level. 1 = soft, 5 = steamy.
Sort	Date added, Author A→Z, Title A→Z, Spice level	Tap the ↕ Sort icon to change the display order. The active sort is indicated by an arrow.

Filters are cumulative: you can combine a status (e.g. “In progress”) with a pairing (e.g. “FF”) to display only your sapphic books currently being read.

List / grid view

At the top right of the filter area, a button toggles between two display modes:

▦ Grid view (default): covers are displayed in 3 columns. Each thumbnail shows the cover, spice badge, and progress bar.
☰ List view: each book appears on a single line with a cover thumbnail on the left, and the title, author, and progress on the right.

Your choice is remembered: the app will return to the same display mode the next time you open it.

Your books

Each book in the library displays several pieces of information:

Cover: the cover image extracted from the EPUB
Spice badge 🌶️: from 1 (soft) to 5 (steamy), at the top right of the cover, on a semi-transparent white background. Indicates the book’s overall intensity level.
❤️ Favorite heart: at the top left of the cover. Appears when the book is in your favorites (TBR).
Progress bar: below the cover, a thin gold bar shows your reading progress as a percentage.
“NEW” badge: at the bottom left, gold background, white text. Shown on books added less than 7 days ago that have never been opened.
“READ” badge: at the bottom left, round green dot with a white checkmark. Shown on books completed (100%).
“TRIAL” banner: diagonal banner at the top right (gold if active trial, gray if expired). Appears on free trial books.
Analysis badge: during initial book analysis, a circular “Analyzing...” indicator is displayed over the cover.
“DISCOVER” badge (BookTree TBR): at the bottom left, orange background. Identifies books discovered through BookTree and added to your TBR (Favorites tab only).

The library with filters, badges, and progress

The catalog

The Catalog tab (button to the right of the tabs) lets you browse Ember Read books:

Books are organized by category and filterable by pairing
Each book displays its cover, title, author, and spice level
Books already in your library are marked (you cannot add them twice)
Unlocked books require a credit or the Unlimited Pass to activate immersion mode

The catalog with pairing filters

Collections

Collections let you organize your books into custom folders (by theme, mood, series, etc.).

Create a collection:

Go to the Collections tab
Tap the + New collection button
Give it a name (e.g. “Dark Romance”, “To re-read”, etc.)
The collection appears in the list with 0 books

Add a book to a collection:

In the My books tab, long press on a book cover
In the context menu, tap “Manage collections”
Check the desired collections (a book can be in multiple collections)
Tap “Confirm”

Delete or rename: in the Collections tab, long press on a collection name to rename or delete it. Maximum 10 collections.

TBR (To Be Read)

The Favorites tab is your To Be Read (TBR) list: it gathers the books you want to read next.

Add a book to your TBR:

From the library: long press on a book > “Add to favorites”
From BookTree: when you discover a book via AI, tap “Add to TBR” — the book will appear in your favorites with retailer links

BookTree items in your TBR display purchase links (Fnac, Amazon, Cultura, etc.) so you can buy the physical or digital book.

Actions on a book

👇

Tap

Open the book in the reader. If it’s the first time and the book is not an .eread, intensity analysis starts automatically.

🖐

Long press

Opens a context menu with 4 options: Add/remove from favorites, Manage collections, Book info (title, author, size, import date), Delete book.

“+” import button

The floating + button at the bottom right of the screen opens your phone’s file picker. Select an .epub or .eread file to import it into your library.

The Reader

The reader displays your book text in continuous vertical scroll. Your progress is saved automatically with every scroll. A reading line (a thin horizontal mark on the left edge) serves as your reference point: this is where the current word is detected for vibrations and TTS.

The reader with floating buttons

Opening the menu

Tap the center of the screen (middle area) to show or hide the top bar and bottom bar. The screen edges do not respond, to avoid accidental taps while holding your phone. When the menu is closed, only the progress bar (thin gold line) and page info remain visible at the bottom.

Top bar

The top bar contains 6 buttons, from left to right:

Icon	Button	Action	Details
←	Back	Leave the book and return to the library	Progress is saved automatically before exiting.
(Book title + “Chapter X/Y”)		Information area	Displays the book title in bold and the current chapter number in gray below it.
🔍	Search	Opens the in-text search bar	See Search section below.
✏️	Annotations	Opens the Notes & bookmarks panel	Displays the unified list of all your bookmarks and highlights for this book. See Panel section below.
🔖	Bookmark	Add or remove a bookmark at the current position	Tap: adds a gold bookmark (or removes it if one already exists). The icon switches from “+” to “−” when a bookmark is present. Long press without bookmark: opens a 5-color picker to choose the bookmark color before adding it (gold, pink, mint, sky blue, lavender). Long press with bookmark: opens the Notes & bookmarks panel directly.
☰	Chapters	Opens the table of contents	Lists all chapters in the book. Tap a chapter to jump directly to it. The current chapter is highlighted.
Aa	Reading settings	Opens the settings panel	See Text settings section below.

In-text search

The in-text search lets you find any word or phrase in the book.

Tap the 🔍 magnifying glass icon in the top bar
A search bar appears at the top with an input field
Type a word or phrase: results are highlighted in yellow in the text
The result counter appears to the right of the field: “X/Y” (e.g. “3/15” = 3rd match out of 15 found)
Use the ▲ up arrow and ▼ down arrow buttons to navigate between matches — the text automatically scrolls to the next result and the counter updates
The active match is highlighted in a different (brighter) color than the others
Tap the X to close the bar and clear all highlights

The app remembers your last 10 searches. When you open the search bar, your previous queries appear as suggestions — tap one to run the search again.

Bottom bar — overview

The bottom bar is the reader’s control center. It works with a compact/expand system:

Compact mode (menu closed)

When the menu is closed (no center tap), you always see:

Progress bar: a thin gold line showing your position in the book. The gold cursor (round dot) indicates your exact position. You can drag the bar to navigate quickly.
Page info: an info line below the bar with 3 pieces of information:
- Left: Chap. X/Y (chapter number / total)
- Center: Page X / Total
- Right: XX% (progress percentage, in gold)

Expand mode (menu open)

When the menu is open (center tap), the bar expands and shows more controls:

1. Tension curve (heatmap)

A multicolored bar replaces the simple progress bar. It represents the emotional intensity curve of the entire book. Colors indicate the intensity level of each passage (blue = calm, gold = rising, orange = intense, red = climax). A vertical cursor shows your position. You can tap anywhere on the heatmap to jump to that passage.

2. Intensity slider (in immersion mode)

When Toys mode is active, a RangeSlider appears with the label “Immersion” and a vibration icon. It shows the min–max range of vibration (e.g. “20–80%”). You can adjust both cursors to set the minimum and maximum vibration intensity in real time.

3. Controls row

The main controls row contains, from left to right:

Button	Icon	Action	Details
Previous chapter	⏮	Jump to the start of the previous chapter	Hidden during auto-scroll.
Play / Stop	▶ / ⏹	Start / stop auto-scroll	Round gold button. When scrolling is active, the button turns red with a Stop icon and grows slightly larger to signal that scrolling is active.
Next chapter	⏭	Jump to the start of the next chapter	Hidden during auto-scroll.
(space)
“Social” chip	👥	Join a social reading session	Only visible if the feature is enabled. See Social reading.
“Annot.” chip	✏️	Enable / disable annotation mode	When active (gold), you can select text to create highlights. Long press on the chip to open the Notes & bookmarks panel directly.
“Toys” chip	📳	Enable / disable vibrations	Promoted to the main row when Toys mode is active (gold). Otherwise, accessible via the secondary panel.
“Demo” chip	📱	Enable / disable Demo mode (phone vibrator)	Promoted to the main row when active. Otherwise, accessible via the secondary panel. Demo and Toys are mutually exclusive.
Expand button ▼	▼	Open / close the secondary panel	Small round button. The arrow rotates 180° when the panel is open. If a mode is active (Toys, TTS, etc.), the button is tinted gold to signal there are options below.

4. Secondary panel (expand)

Tap the ▼ button to unfold the secondary panel. It displays the inactive modes as chips:

TTS (microphone icon): activates text-to-speech. Long press to open voice settings.
Sound (headphones icon): activates soundscapes (if available).
Toys (vibration icon): activates vibration immersion mode.
Demo (phone icon): activates Demo mode with your phone’s vibrator.

The secondary panel auto-collapses after 5 seconds of inactivity. When you activate a mode (e.g. Toys), its chip moves up to the main row to stay permanently visible, and disappears from the secondary panel.

Page information

Permanently visible at the bottom of the screen (even with menu closed), you see:

Left: “Chap. X/Y” (current chapter / total number of chapters)
Center: “Page X / Total” (calculated page / total number of pages)
Right: “XX%” (progress percentage, displayed in gold)

Floating navigation capsule

When an interactive mode is active (TTS, Soundscape, Manual control, or Social reading), a floating rounded capsule appears at the bottom of the screen, independently of the menu. It only shows the currently active modes:

Chip	Icon	Tap action	Long press action
TTS	🔊	Enable / disable text-to-speech	Open voice settings (speed, pitch, volume)
Sound	🎧	Enable / disable the soundscape	—
Manual	🎮	Open manual vibration control	—
Social	👥	Open the social reading session	—

Each active chip is separated by a thin vertical line. The capsule disappears when you deactivate all modes.

Annotations and highlighting

The annotation system lets you highlight text, choose a style and color, and add personal notes.

Create a highlight:

Enable annotation mode by tapping the “Annot.” chip in the bottom bar (the chip turns gold)
Select text in the book by dragging your finger
A context menu appears with the following options:

Element	Details
5 color dots	Gold (🟡), Pink (🔴), Mint (🟢), Sky blue (🔵), Lavender (🟣). Tap a color to apply the highlight.
3 style buttons	Highlight (colored fill behind text), Underline (line under text), Wavy (wavy line under text, “squiggly” style).
“Note” button	Opens a text field to add a personal comment to this highlight.

Edit an existing highlight:

Tap a highlight in the text to open the edit dialog:

Element	Details
Text preview	The highlighted text is displayed in italic on a colored background (the current highlight color, muted).
5 color dots	Same 5 colors as during creation. The current color has a white checkmark. Tap another color to change it.
3 style buttons	Highlight / Underline / Wavy. The active style has a gold background. Tap another style to change it.
Note field	Free text field (3 lines max) to add or edit a personal comment.
“Delete” button	Bottom left, red text. Permanently deletes the highlight (confirmation is required).
“Cancel” button	Closes the dialog without saving changes.
“Save” button	Gold button at the bottom right. Saves changes (color, style, note).

Notes & bookmarks panel

This panel unifies all your bookmarks and highlights in a single list. To open it:

Tap the ✏️ Annotations icon in the top bar, or
Long press the bookmark button, or
Long press the “Annot.” chip in the bottom bar

The panel opens as a bottom sheet (slides up from the bottom) and displays:

Element	Position	Details
“Notes & bookmarks (X)” title	Header	Total number of items in parentheses.
Sort button	Header, right	Toggles between sort by position (sort icon) and sort by date (clock icon). Position sort displays items in book order; date sort shows the most recent first.
Export button	Header, right	Gold share icon. Exports all your annotations as a Markdown (.md) file that you can share or save. Only visible if there are items.
Type filters	Below header	3 chips: All (X), Bookmarks (X), Annotations (X). Each chip shows the item count. The active filter is highlighted in gold.
Color filters	Below type filters	6 round dots: “All” (∞ icon) + the 5 colors (gold, pink, mint, blue, lavender). Tap a color to show only items of that color. Tap again to deactivate the filter.
Item list	Body	Each item displays: a color bar on the left (or a bookmark icon), a text preview (80 characters max), the associated note (if any), and the age (“just now”, “3h ago”, etc.). Tap to navigate to that item in the text. Trash button on the right to delete.

Text settings

Tap the Aa button at the top right to open the customization panel. It has 4 tabs:

“Font” tab

Customize the font and text size:

Font carousel: scroll horizontally to choose from Serif, Sans, Mono, Cursive, Fantasy. Each option shows an “Aa” preview in that font style. The active font is outlined in gold.
Text size: a horizontal slider with a small “A” on the left and a large “A” on the right. Adjusts the size from 12 to 28 pixels.

When Dyslexia Mode is active, the font carousel changes to offer only dyslexia-friendly fonts (OpenDyslexic and variants).

“Layout” tab

Controls the appearance and spacing of text:

Setting	Type	Details
Page color	6 round dots	Choose the background color from 6 themes: Dark (black), Sepia (warm beige), Light (white), Blue (night blue), Cream (warm white), AMOLED (pure black). The active dot has a thick gold border.
Continuous scroll	Toggle on/off	Enables continuous scrolling (no pagination).
Left-handed mode	Toggle on/off	Moves auto-scroll speed controls and certain buttons to the left side of the screen, for left-thumb use.
Line spacing	Slider (1.2 to 2.2)	Adjusts the spacing between lines. The current value is displayed to the right of the slider (e.g. 1.6).
— Accessibility separator —
Bold text	Toggle on/off	♿ icon. Makes all text bold for better readability.
Bionic Reading	Toggle on/off	✨ icon. Bolds the first half of each word to guide the eye and speed up reading. For example, the word “reading” displays as “reading”.
Dyslexia Mode	Button on/off	Aa icon. Outlined button (highlighted in gold when active, with a ✓ checkmark). Activates the OpenDyslexic font, increases letter and word spacing, and adds a reading guide to make reading easier for people with dyslexia.

“Themes” tab

Controls colors, brightness, and automatic day/night mode:

Setting	Type	Details
Brightness	Slider	Low sun icon on left, high sun icon on right. Adjusts brightness from 20% to 100%. Disabled if automatic brightness is active.
Auto brightness	Toggle on/off	Auto sun icon. Lets the system manage brightness.
Auto Day/Night	Toggle on/off	Star icon. Automatically switches between a day and night theme based on the time. When enabled, two sub-rows of dots appear:
		☀ Day: Light, Sepia, Cream (choose your day theme) 🌙 Night: Dark, Blue (choose your night theme)
6 theme presets	Grid of 6 tiles	Each preset shows an “Aa” preview with the corresponding background and text colors. The active tile has a gold border. The 6 themes: Dark (black background, light text), Sepia (beige background, brown text), Light (white background, black text), Blue (night blue background, light blue text), Cream (ivory background, black text), AMOLED (pure black #000 background, light gray text — ideal for OLED screens, saves battery).

“More” tab

Technical options and Bluetooth connection:

Element	Details
Bluetooth status	Rounded card showing the connection status. If connected: green Bluetooth icon + device name (or “X toys” if multi-device). If disconnected: gray icon + gold “Connect” button that opens the connection screen directly.
Auto-connect last device	Info line with Bluetooth search icon and gold checkmark. Indicates that the app will automatically try to reconnect to your last device.
Clear analysis cache	Button with trash icon. Deletes analysis data (heatmap, keywords) for your books. Useful if a book was analyzed incorrectly. Books will be re-analyzed the next time they are opened.

Customization panel (Font, Layout, Themes, More)

Auto-scroll

Auto-scroll mode scrolls the text on its own — perfect for hands-free reading.

A horizontal reading line appears on the left edge of the screen. This is your guide: always read at the height of this line. The text scrolls upward and passes in front of it automatically.

Auto-scroll active (speed, +/- buttons)

Controls

▶

Play button

Starts scrolling (turns into a red Stop button when active)

👇

Center tap

Pause / resume

Speed up

Increase the speed

−

Slow down

Decrease the speed

The speed control appears on your dominant thumb side (right by default). Enable Left-handed mode in the Layout settings to move it to the left.

Immersion Mode

The heart of Ember Read: vibrations sync with the intense passages of the text you’re reading.

The horizontal reading line (visible on the left edge) is essential in immersion mode: it determines which words are “being read” and triggers the vibrations. Always read at the level of this line.

Compatible devices

Ember Read supports 6 brands of connected toys, plus a demo mode:

Satisfyer

Lovensefull range

Svakom37 models

Magic Motion70+ models

We-Vibe29 models

LeloIda Wave, F1s...

No toy? Turn on Demo mode (“Demo” chip in the bottom bar) to use your phone’s built-in vibrator as a vibration device.

Connecting a device

Three ways to connect your toy:

Method 1 — Quick connect (recommended)

Turn on your device (most turn on with a long press on the button)
Go to Settings > Bluetooth > Connect
The app automatically scans for nearby devices
Your device appears in the list with its name and brand
Tap on it to connect
The icon turns green ✅ when the connection is established
A “Test” button appears — tap it to verify the device vibrates

1. Bluetooth scan

2. Device connected

Method 2 — Quick reconnect

The app remembers the last connected device (name, MAC address, brand, model). Next time you open the app with the device turned on nearby, a single tap on “Reconnect” is all it takes. No need to scan or search through the list again.

Method 3 — Connection wizard

If your device isn’t detected automatically (some models require a specific pairing mode), use the 4-step assistant:

Step 1 — Choose your brand: a grid of 6 logos is displayed (Satisfyer, Lovense, Svakom, Magic Motion, We-Vibe, Lelo). Tap on your brand’s logo.
Step 2 — Select your model: a list of all compatible models from the brand is displayed. Each model shows its capabilities via icons: 📳 vibration, 🌬️ suction, 🔥 heat, 🔄 rotation. Tap on your model.
Step 3 — Pairing guide: brand-specific instructions are displayed (e.g. “Press and hold the + button for 3 seconds until the light flashes”). Instructions vary depending on the brand and model.
Step 4 — Targeted scan: the app launches a targeted Bluetooth scan using only your brand’s protocols (faster and more reliable than a generic scan). Your device appears as soon as it’s detected.

Multi-device

With the Unlimited Pass, connect up to 4 toys simultaneously. Vibrations are sent to all connected devices at the same time (broadcast). Each device receives the same intensity signal.

The Bluetooth management screen shows the list of all connected devices with their name, brand and battery level (if available). You can disconnect a device individually by tapping on it.

Activating the mode

Vibration button OFF

Vibration button ON (gold)

Keywords highlighted by intensity

Tap the Toys chip in the reader’s bottom bar:

ON (gold): vibrations follow the text intensity
OFF: vibrations disabled

The heatmap

At the bottom of the reader, the progress bar is colored according to the emotional intensity of each passage:

Color	Intensity	What it means
Blue-gray	Soft	Calm passages, dialogue, descriptions
Gold	Building	Tension is rising, preludes
Orange	Intense	Passionate scenes
Red	Climax	Peak intensity moments

Intensity range

In Settings > Intensity, adjust the min/max range of vibrations (0-100%). This applies to all modes (immersion, audio, manual). For example, set the min to 20% to never go too low, or the max to 60% for gentler vibrations.

Battery indicator

When immersion mode is active, an indicator appears in the top right corner:

🔋 78% 🪫 35% 🪫 12%

Manual mode

Tap Manual (tab in the navigation) for direct control:

Sliders: intensity per motor (motor 1, motor 2)
Quick buttons: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%
Patterns: Wave, Heartbeat, Pulse, Stairs, Random...
2D touch zone: finger control (full screen available)
Special controls: suction, heat, rotation (depending on the connected model)

Manual control (sliders & patterns)

Full screen 2D touch zone

Text-to-Speech (TTS)

Have your books read aloud! Text-to-speech reads the text out loud, highlights each word as it’s spoken, and automatically scrolls the text so you don’t have to do a thing.

Activating text-to-speech

In the reader, open the menu (tap the center of the screen)
Tap the ▼ expand button at the bottom right of the control bar
In the secondary panel that appears, tap the “TTS” chip (microphone icon)
A floating control panel appears in the center of the screen (rounded black capsule)
Playback starts as soon as you tap Play

Floating control panel

The TTS panel is a rounded black floating bar in the center of the screen containing, from left to right:

Button	Icon	Action	Details
Play / Pause	▶ / ⏸	Starts or pauses voice playback	When paused, the text stays highlighted on the last spoken word. Tap again to resume.
Stop	⏹	Completely stops playback	Word-by-word highlighting disappears. Grayed out when TTS is not active.
Speed	1.0x	Opens TTS settings	Displays the current speed in a rounded gray badge. Tap to open the full settings panel (see below).
Close	✕	Closes the TTS panel	Deactivates text-to-speech and hides the floating panel.

Word-by-word highlighting

During voice playback, each word is individually highlighted at the exact moment it’s spoken. The text scrolls automatically so the current word always stays visible on screen. You don’t need to touch anything: TTS controls the scroll.

Voice settings

Tap the speed badge (e.g. “1.0x”) to open the settings panel. A bottom sheet appears with:

Setting	Type	Range	Details
Enable TTS	Toggle on/off	—	Globally enables or disables the TTS feature. Shows “Text audio playback” when active, or “Not available with your plan” if the feature is disabled for your account.
Voice selection	Horizontal carousel	—	Displays all voices available on your phone. Each voice is shown as a chip with its name. High-quality (Enhanced) voices have a star icon ✨. The active voice is highlighted in pink. Tap a voice to select it — playback resumes with the new voice.
Speed	Slider	0.2x to 2.0x	Controls voice playback speed. The value is displayed to the right of the slider (e.g. “1.4x”). 1.0x = normal speed.
Pitch	Slider	0.5 to 2.0	Controls the pitch (low/high) of the voice. 1.0 = normal pitch.
Volume	Slider	0 to 100%	Controls text-to-speech volume, independently from the system volume.

Interactions with other features

Auto-scroll: when TTS is active, it controls the automatic scrolling. You don’t need to enable auto-scroll separately.
Ambient sounds: if an ambient sound is playing and you activate TTS, the ambient sound pauses automatically to avoid interfering with the voice. It resumes when you stop TTS.
Vibrations: TTS works simultaneously with immersion mode (vibrations). You can have the text read aloud while feeling the vibrations.

Audio restriction: to protect authors’ rights, text-to-speech works only with:
✅ Wired headphones
✅ Bluetooth earbuds (AirPods, Galaxy Buds, etc.)
✅ Car audio (Bluetooth car)
❌ Bluetooth speakers (HomePod, JBL, Sonos, etc.) — blocked
❌ Chromecast / AirPlay — blocked
❌ Phone speaker — blocked

If you try to use a blocked device, an error message is displayed and playback won’t start.

Audio Mode

Makes your device vibrate to the rhythm of the ambient music.

Audio modes

The modes

Spotify Mode: full analysis (waveform, BPM, colors)
Music bars: simplified visualization
BPM: manual simulation with slider
Motion: gyroscope / accelerometer

Vibration patterns

Pattern	Description
Smooth	Follows the music gently
Pulse	Reacts to energy and beats
Beat	Only vibrates on the beats
Wave	Steady undulation
Intense	Strong, modulated by energy
Staccato	Ultra responsive

Statistics

Main dashboard

Reading charts

Detailed stats

Header

At the top of the screen, the title “Statistics” is displayed in large text. To the right of the title, a 📤 Share button (gold, visible only for premium users) opens the shareable cards creation screen.

Weekly and monthly summaries

Two summary cards are displayed at the top if you’ve read recently:

📊 Weekly summary: recap of your week (reading time, active days, books finished)
📅 Monthly summary: recap of the current month (same info, at the monthly scale)

These summaries disappear if you haven’t read during the relevant period.

Period selector

Premium only. A horizontally scrollable row of chips lets you filter all stats by period. The active filter is highlighted in gold.

Period	What it covers
Today	Today’s reading sessions
7 days	The last 7 days
This month	The current month
3 months	The last 3 months
This year	The current year
All time	Since your account was created (default value)

Streak card

A dedicated card displays your consecutive reading day streak:

Current streak: number of consecutive days you’ve read (large and in gold)
Record: your all-time best streak
Days of the week: 7 dots (Mon–Sun) show which days of the current week you’ve read (filled in gold) or not (empty). A quick visual overview of your consistency.

Mini-stats

Six small cards display your key KPIs for the selected period:

Books read: number of books finished
Total time: hours and minutes of reading
Sessions: number of reading sessions
Active days: number of days you read
Best day: your record for minutes read in a single day
Favorite time: the time of day you read most (morning, afternoon, evening, night)

Monthly chart

A bar chart displays your reading minutes per month for the current year. Each bar represents a month (Jan–Dec). The current month is highlighted in gold.

Habits heatmap

Premium only (free users see a blurred preview with an “Go Premium” button).

A colored grid (7 days × 24 hours) shows at what times of the week you read the most. The darker cells indicate your preferred reading time slots.

Top authors

Premium only. Ranking of your 5 most-read authors, with the number of books and time spent for each.

Spice level distribution 🌶️

Premium only. A histogram shows the breakdown of your reading by intensity level: 🌸 Gentle, 💗 Tender, 🔥 Hot, 🔥🔥 Intense, 💥 Scorching. Each bar shows the percentage of books read at that level.

Badges

Badges reward your reading achievements. Badges not yet earned are displayed in gray with the condition to fulfill.

Badge	Name	Condition
📚	Bookworm	10 or more books read
🔥	On Fire	7-day consecutive streak or more
😈	Naughty	20 books read at maximum intensity level (5 spice)
🏆	Champion	100 books read in total
💧	Glutton	5 books read in a single week
🎯	Consistent	50 or more active reading days
⏰	Night Owl	Most of your reading happens after 9 PM
🌅	Early Bird	Most of your reading happens before 9 AM

Reader profile

Premium only. Automatically calculated from the intensity distribution of your reading.

Your profile is displayed in a card with:

A representative icon (emoji)
A label: Romantic, Adventurous, Passionate, Explorer, etc.
Your average heat (average intensity of your reading, out of 5)
5 vertical bars showing the breakdown of each level (🌸 to 💥) with the percentage

Free users see their profile name but not the details — a “Go Premium” button invites them to subscribe.

Ember Wrapped

Your annual retrospective, inspired by Spotify Wrapped! Available as soon as you have reading data for the year.

A gold banner appears in the dashboard with the ✨ icon and the title “Ember Wrapped XXXX”. Tap it to open the retrospective:

Page 1 — Your year: number of books finished, total reading time, active days. Confetti animation on arrival.
Page 2 — Your habits: best streak, favorite reading time (morning/evening/night), number of sessions.
Page 3 — Your favorite author: the author you read the most, with the number of books and time spent.
Page 4 — Your profile: your intensity distribution (🌶️ thermometer) with colored bars from gentlest to hottest.
Page 5 — Share: a visual summary in 9:16 format (story format) that you can share as a story on Instagram, TikTok or any social network.

Swipe left/right to navigate between pages. Free users see a preview (number of books) but must go premium to see the full retrospective.

Shareable cards

Premium only. Create stylish cards with your stats to post on social media.

How to create a card:

In the Stats dashboard, tap the 📤 Share button in the top right
A bottom sheet opens with the list of available templates — each template has a different visual style
Select a template: the card preview is displayed full size
The card automatically shows:
- Your username
- Your reader profile (icon + label)
- Your key stats: books read, total time, streak, favorite author
- The spice thermometer (intensity distribution)
Avatar photo (optional): tap the avatar area to import a photo from your gallery. An artistic filter is applied (gold duotone, sepia, monochrome, etc.)
Tap “Share”: the card is exported as a 9:16 image (story format) and the system share menu opens

Credits and subscriptions

Ember Read works with a credit system: each credit unlocks immersion mode (synchronized vibrations) for one book. Reading the text is always free — only immersion requires credits. Once unlocked, immersion stays active forever for that book. Credits never expire.

Our plans

Pack 3

2,99€

Perfect for trying out

Pack 10

7,99€

Buying credits or subscribing

Platform	How to buy	Details
iOS	Directly in the app	Purchases go through Apple In-App Purchase. Prices may vary slightly depending on your country.
Android	In the app or on the web	You can buy in the app (Google Play) or at emberread.com/tarifs.html (Stripe payment, sometimes cheaper as there’s no store commission).

Managing your subscription

Platform	How to manage
iOS	iPhone Settings > your name (at the top) > Subscriptions > Ember Read. You can modify, cancel or renew your subscription there.
Android (web)	Log in at emberread.com/compte.html with the same email as your app account. You’ll find your subscription status and the cancellation button there.

Starter Pack (welcome offer)

On your first login, the app offers you a special deal: choose 5 books from the catalog for only 3 credits.

On your first login (or if you’ve never used the Starter Pack), a popup offers you the deal
The catalog opens with the label “Choose 5 books”
Tap the covers to select them (a checkmark appears on each selected book)
Once 5 books are chosen, tap “Confirm my selection”
3 credits are deducted and the 5 books are downloaded with immersion unlocked

Discovery Pass

The Discovery Pass is a temporary premium trial (usually 7 or 14 days).

If you have a Discovery Pass, here’s what you’ll see:

A gold banner is displayed at the top of the screen with the text “Discovery Pass — X days remaining”
A countdown (in days) shows you the time remaining
All premium features are unlocked: unlimited immersion, advanced stats, Wrapped, multi-device, BookTree
When the pass expires, you keep your stats and data, but premium features become locked again

Gift codes

Gift codes are 16-character codes given by friends, partners or during events.

Using a gift code:

Go to Settings > Subscription > Use a gift code
The screen shows 4 fields of 4 characters separated by dashes: XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX
Enter the code (letters are uppercase, the cursor automatically moves to the next field)
Tap “Validate”
A confirmation message tells you what the code unlocked

Gift code types:

Type	What it unlocks
Credits	Adds X credits to your account (e.g. 5, 10, 20 credits)
Subscription	Activates the Unlimited Pass for a given duration (e.g. 1 month, 3 months)
Specific book	Unlocks immersion for a specific book in the catalog

Redeem a gift code on the website:

Go to emberread.com/redeem (or click the link in the email)
Log in to your account
Enter the code in the 4 fields
Click “Redeem my gift card”

Send a gift card:

Go to emberread.com/cadeau
Choose the type: Credits or Infinite Pass
Fill in the details (your email, recipient’s email, a personal message)
Pay by credit card
The recipient receives an email with the code and a QR code

Good to know: gift cards are valid for 12 months. Each code can only be used once. You must be logged in to redeem a code.

Promo codes

Promo codes are temporary promotions (launches, events, partnerships). Unlike gift codes, they use a free text field (not the XXXX-XXXX format).

Go to Settings > Subscription > Promo code
Enter the promo code in the text field
Tap “Apply”
If the code is valid, the discount is applied immediately (e.g. “-30% on Pack 10”)
If the code is expired or invalid, an error message is displayed

Settings

The Settings tab (gear icon ⚙️, first tab on the main navigation bar) lets you customize the entire app. The page is laid out as a list of sections you can scroll through vertically.

Profile & Account

Subscription & Library

Bluetooth & Help

Analysis engine & About

Profile

The first section at the top of the page:

Element	Details
Avatar	A golden circle with your initials. Not editable (no profile picture in this version).
Username	Your display name, shown on shareable cards and in social reading sessions. Tap on it to edit. Rules: 20 characters max, editable once every 90 days (or 30 days with the Unlimited Pass). A message tells you when you can change it again.
Reader profile	Below your username, a line displays your profile icon (emoji) and your label (e.g. “🦊 Explorer”). Calculated automatically based on your reading habits. Premium only: free users see the label but not the details.

App theme

Customize the color palette of the app interface (not the reader — reader themes are configured within the reader itself).

Tap on “Theme” to choose from the available palettes. The “Sync” button checks whether new palettes are available on the server.

Account

Element	Details
Email address	The email associated with your account. Not editable within the app.
My devices	Displays the list of phones linked to your account. Credits: 1 device maximum. Unlimited Pass: up to 2 devices. Tap on a device to remove it if you switch phones.
Log out	Logs you out of your account. Your imported books remain on the phone, but purchases and sync are no longer accessible.
Delete my account	Permanently deletes your account and all your data. Irreversible. A confirmation is required.

Subscription

Element	Details
Status	Displays “Unlimited Pass” (golden badge) if subscribed, or “X credits remaining” if not subscribed.
Buy / Subscribe	Button to access credit packs and the Unlimited Pass (redirects to the in-app store on iOS, or to the web on Android).
Restore purchases	Button that re-checks with the App Store / Google Play whether you have any unsynced purchases. Useful after a reinstall.
Gift code	Opens the gift code entry screen (4 fields × 4 characters). See Credits section.
Promo code	Opens a free-text field to enter a promotional code. See Credits section.

Intensity

Controls the global vibration range across all modes.

A double slider (RangeSlider) lets you set:

Minimum (left handle): the minimum vibration intensity. For example, set it to 20% to never go below that level.
Maximum (right handle): the maximum vibration intensity. For example, set it to 60% for gentler vibrations, even during the most intense passages.

The range is displayed as a percentage (e.g. “20–80%”). It applies to all modes: immersion (reading), audio (music), and manual control.

Library

Element	Details
Restore my purchases	Re-downloads all the books from the Ember Read catalog that you previously unlocked. Useful when you switch phones.
Auto sync	Toggle on/off. When enabled, your reading progress, bookmarks, annotations, and stats are saved to the cloud and synced across your devices.
Monthly goal	A slider from 0 to 50 books per month. The chosen value appears in the library header as a progress goal. Set to 0 to disable the goal.
Local transfer (P2P)	Opens the P2P transfer screen to send or receive your library over WiFi. See Transfer section.
BookTree history	List of all your previous BookTree scans. Swipe left on an item to delete it, or use the “Clear all” button.

Accessibility

Element	Details
Dyslexia mode	Enables the OpenDyslexic font throughout the reader, increases letter and word spacing, and adds a reading guide. Same setting as in the reading panel — both are synced.
Bionic Reading	Bolds the first half of each word in the reader. Same setting as in the reading panel.
Bold text	Makes all text bold in the reader.
Spacing	Increases the space between letters and words to improve readability.

Accessibility

Bluetooth

Element	Details
Connection status	Displays the name of the connected device and its icon (green Bluetooth). If no device is connected: grey icon “Not connected”. If multiple: “X toys connected”.
Battery level	If the device reports its battery level, it is displayed as a percentage with color coding: 🟢 green (>50%), 🟠 orange (20-50%), 🔴 red (<20%).
“Connect” / “Manage” button	If disconnected: golden “Connect” button that opens the Bluetooth scan screen. If connected: green “Manage” button that opens the management screen (disconnect, test, switch device).
Connection wizard	Link to the 4-step assistant for devices not automatically detected. See Immersion section.
Manual control	Link to the direct vibration control screen (sliders, patterns, 2D zone).

Help

Element	Details
User guide	Opens this guide directly inside the app (built-in webview).
Replay introduction	Restarts the onboarding tutorial (the welcome screens with explanatory bubbles).
Re-enable help bubbles	Restores the contextual help bubbles that appear the first time you use a feature.
Contact support	Opens a pre-filled email to support@emberread.com with your device’s technical info (app version, phone model, OS).

Analysis engine

Element	Details
Dictionary version	Displays the version of the keyword dictionary used by the intensity analysis engine. The dictionary is updated regularly to improve detection.
Force sync	Downloads the latest dictionary version from the server, even if you are already up to date. Useful if you experience analysis issues.

Cache

Element	Details
Clear analysis cache	Deletes all analysis data (heatmap, keywords, tension curve) from your books. The books will be re-analyzed the next time they are opened. This does not delete the books themselves.

About

Element	Details
Version	App version number (e.g. v1.3.0+43). Share this with support if you experience an issue.
Terms of use	Opens the terms of use in a webview.
Privacy policy	Opens the privacy policy in a webview.

BookTree — Book Discovery

BookTree uses artificial intelligence (Qwen3-VL vision model) to identify books from photos or social media videos (BookTok, Bookstagram). See a book in a story or reel? BookTree identifies it and gives you links to buy it. This feature is reserved for Unlimited Pass subscribers.

Accessing BookTree

Two ways to open BookTree:

From the library: tap the 🔍 magnifying glass icon in the header (top right of the search bar)
Via sharing: from Instagram or TikTok, tap “Share” and choose Ember Read from the app list — the link is automatically sent to BookTree

Scan a social link

Copy a link from Instagram (post, story, reel) or TikTok containing book covers
Open BookTree (or share the link directly to the app)
The app automatically detects the link in your clipboard and asks if you want to analyze it
A loading indicator appears while the AI analyzes the images or video frames
The AI identifies visible book covers and extracts titles and authors
For each identified book, a resolution is performed via Open Library, Google Books, or DuckDuckGo to find complete information (HD cover, ISBN, description)
Results are displayed in a vertical carousel (swipe up/down to navigate between books)

Manual search

If you already know the title or author of a book, you can do a manual search. The search screen opens on a dark background with the following elements:

Element	Position	Details
App bar	Top	Title “Identify a book”, back arrow on the left.
Magnifying glass icon	Centered	64px circle with light golden background (14% opacity), golden 🔍 magnifying glass icon in the center (32px).
Title	Below the icon	“Search for a book” (18px, bold, centered).
Subtitle	Below the title	Help text (13px, grey, centered) explaining how to use the search.
“Title” field	Form	“Title” label above the field. 📖 book icon on the left inside the field. Dark background, thin border. On focus: golden border (1.5px). The cursor is automatically placed in this field when the screen opens.
“Author” field	Below the Title field	“Author” label above the field. 👤 person icon on the left. Same style as the Title field. Optional field.
“Search” button	Full width	Solid golden button with white text (16px, bold). Rounded corners (14px). Pressing Enter in either field also triggers the search.
Footer	Bottom	Informational text (11px, grey, centered).

Search button states

State	Appearance	Condition
Normal	Golden button with “Search” text.	The Title field contains text.
Loading	Greyed-out button (not clickable) with a white spinner (20px) in the center replacing the text.	A search is in progress (resolution via Open Library, Google Books, DuckDuckGo).
Error	A red error message (13px) appears above the button. The button becomes clickable again.	The resolution failed (network issue, book not found, etc.).

Open BookTree and go to the search screen (magnifying glass icon).
Enter the book title in the first field (required). Add the author name in the second field to refine results (optional).
Tap “Search” or press Enter on the keyboard.
A loading spinner appears during the resolution.
Results are displayed the same way as for an automatic scan (see next section).

Results — navigating between books

Results are displayed in full screen on a dark background with a vertical carousel: swipe up to go to the next book. Scans are automatically saved to the history.

Element	Position	Details
Source bar	Top (dark gradient)	On the left: back arrow (←, 18px). Then a golden dot (7px) glowing to indicate identification is active. Then the source: • If social scan: “Detected from” + “@handle” (name in bold, white). • If manual search: “Search results” (grey). Far right: counter badge rounded (dark background, thin border) showing “1 / 3”, “2 / 3”, etc.
Navigation rail	Right edge, vertically centered	Only visible if there are ≥2 books. Composed of: • Up arrow (▲, 22px, semi-transparent white) — visible if you are not on the first book. Tap to go up one book. • Vertical dots — one per book. The active dot is golden and larger (28px tall vs 16px). Inactive dots are semi-transparent white. Tap a dot to jump directly to that book. Dot width: 5px, rounded corners. • Down arrow (▼, 22px) — visible if you are not on the last book. • Compact mode (>12 books): only ~15 dots are displayed with a sliding window centered on the current book. Dots at the edges progressively shrink (fade effect).
Swipe hint	Bottom of 1st slide	Downward arrow (▼) + text “Swipe up to see more” (11px, grey). Visible only on the first book when there are multiple results.

Book details — Page 1: Details

Each book is displayed in a full-screen slide with 2 horizontal pages (swipe left/right). The first page shows:

Element	Details
Cover	Large image with a 3D effect (slight perspective tilt). Drop shadow and book spine effect on the left.
Confidence indicator	Badge below the cover with a colored dot: 🟢 Green (≥70%): “Identified from Google Books” — reliable identification. 🟠 Orange (<70%): “Low confidence — please verify” — the AI is not 100% sure.
Title	The full book title, in a serif font (Fraunces), large size.
Author	“By [author]” with the name in italics.
ISBN	The ISBN number if available (small text, grey).
Immersive block	If the book is in the Ember Read catalog: a card with an orange gradient, “IN CATALOG” badge, and a golden “Read in immersive mode” button that opens the book directly in the reader. If the book is not in the catalog: a card with a grey border and a “Get notified” button (to signal your interest).
Ember Read link	If the book is in the catalog, a “View on Ember Read” link provides access to details (reviews, rating).
TBR button	“Add to TBR” (bookmark icon + text). After adding, the button changes to “In TBR” (green with checkmark). Tap again to remove.
“Where to buy” link	Button at the bottom that slides to Page 2 (merchant links). Displays “Verify the book first” if confidence is low.

Book details — Page 2: Where to buy

Swipe left from Page 1 to display the merchant links. A compact header (back arrow + mini cover + title/author) lets you return to Page 1.

Merchant	Logo	Details
Fnac	F (golden)	Direct link to the Fnac book page.
Amazon	a (orange)	Direct link to the Amazon book page.
Cultura	C (red)	Direct link to the Cultura book page.
Lalibrairie.com	L (green)	Direct link to Lalibrairie.com.
Decitre	D (blue)	Direct link to the Decitre book page.

Each merchant tile shows the price (if available) and a green “DRM-free” badge if the book is DRM-free at that merchant. DRM-free merchants are listed first. If a link to the author page (Babelio) exists, it appears below the merchants.

Two indicator dots at the bottom of the screen show which page you are on (active dot = golden and elongated, inactive = small and grey). Horizontal swiping is independent from vertical swiping between books.

Scan history

BookTree keeps a history of all your previous scans. To access it:

From the library: tap the 🕓 clock icon in the header
From settings: go to Settings > Library > BookTree history

History screen

Element	Position	Details
App bar	Top	Title “History”, back arrow. On the right: 🗑 broom icon (clear all). A small spinner (16px) appears next to it when the app is automatically enriching incomplete books (missing covers).
Empty state	Centered	If no scans: 🕓 clock icon (48px, grey) + text “No scans” (14px, grey).
Scan list	Page body	Each scan is a row separated by a thin line.

Each history item displays:

Element	Details
Thumbnail cover	On the left: book image (40×56px, rounded corners 6px). If no cover: dark background with 📚 open book icon.
Title	Book title (14px, semi-bold). Truncated to 1 line.
Author	Author name (12px, grey). Truncated to 1 line.
Time elapsed	Displayed as relative time (11px, light grey): • “Just now” (< 1 min) • “X min” (< 1 hour) • “X hours” (< 1 day) • “X days” (< 1 week) • “MM/DD/YYYY” (≥ 1 week)
Chevron	“>” arrow (18px, grey) on the far right (hidden in selection mode).

Actions on a scan

Tap on a scan: reopens the BookTree results screen for that book (real-time re-resolution).
Swipe left: the background turns light golden with a trash icon — release to delete (immediate deletion, no confirmation).
Long press: enters selection mode.

Selection mode

After a long press, the interface changes:

Element	Details
Bar title	Replaces “History” with “X selected”.
Back button	Replaced by a ✕ that exits selection mode.
Checkmarks	To the left of each item: empty circle (unselected) or filled golden checkmark (selected). Selected items have a light golden background.
“Select all” icon	Top right: ☑ icon (22px). Tap to select all items (or deselect all if everything is already checked).
Delete icon	Next to “Select all”: 🗑 trash icon (22px). Tap to delete selected items (a confirmation dialog appears: “Delete X item(s)?” with “Cancel” / “Delete”).

Clear all history

In normal mode, tap the 🗑 broom icon at the top right. A confirmation dialog appears with “Cancel” / “Delete”. The deletion is permanent.

Books with missing covers or incomplete information are automatically re-enriched each time you open the history (a discreet spinner appears in the bar during this process).

P2P Transfer

Transfer your entire library from one phone to another via local WiFi, without going through the internet. Ideal when you switch phones or want to copy your library to a second device.

Prerequisites

Both phones must be connected to the same WiFi network. The transfer does not work over mobile data or between two different WiFi networks.

Send (source phone)

On the phone that contains the library, go to Settings > Library > Local transfer.
Tap the “Send” button.
The “Send” screen opens and goes through several states (see below).
Wait for the second phone to scan the QR code or connect.

Send screen states

State	Appearance	Details
Starting	Centered text	“Starting the server...” while the app creates the local WiFi server.
Ready	QR code + IP	The screen displays from top to bottom: • A large QR code (220px) in a rounded white frame (16px), containing the connection address in the format `emberread://IP:PORT`. • The IP:port address in monospace font within a frame with a WiFi icon (📶) and a golden border (e.g. “192.168.1.42:8080”). • “X book(s) available” (grey text). • 3 numbered instruction lines (circles 1, 2, 3) explaining the procedure for the other device. • “Waiting for connection...” with a spinner.
Transfer in progress	Sync icon + text	Golden 🔄 sync icon + “Transfer in progress...” + “A device is downloading your books”.
Error	Error icon + message	⚠️ error icon + error message + “Retry” button.

Receive (destination phone)

On the phone that should receive the library, go to Settings > Library > Local transfer.
Tap the “Receive” button.
The “Receive” screen opens with two distinct zones:

Zone 1: Auto-discovery

Element	Details
Spinner + text	“Searching...” (golden, 15px, bold) with a spinning loader. The app uses mDNS to discover Ember Read servers on the local network.
Status	“No device found yet” while nothing is detected. Changes to “X device(s) found” when a server responds.
Device tile	For each detected device: • On the left: 📱 phone icon in a rounded golden frame. • In the center: device name (15px, semi-bold) + “X book(s) available” (12px, grey). • On the right: “>” arrow. Tap the tile to connect to that device.

Separator

A horizontal line with the text “or” in the center separates the two zones.

Zone 2: Scan the QR code

Element	Details
QR button	Golden outline button with 📷 QR scanner icon and text “Scan the QR code”. Full width.
Camera modal	Pressing the button opens a panel covering 70% of the screen from the bottom. It contains: • Handle (horizontal bar 40×4px, grey, centered) for drag-to-close. • Text: “Scan the QR code displayed on the other device”. • Camera view with automatic detection. As soon as a valid QR code (private IP address) is detected, the connection is established and the panel closes.

Error message

If the connection fails, a red banner appears with the error message and a refresh icon (🔄) to retry.

Book selection screen

After connecting to the source device, the “Selection” screen displays the list of available books:

Element	Position	Details
App bar	Top	Title “Selection”.
Header	Below the bar	“X book(s) available” on the left. On the right: “Select all” link (or “Deselect all” if everything is checked).
Book tile	Scrollable list	For each book: • Checkbox (24×24px): grey outline (unchecked) or golden fill with white checkmark ✓ (checked). Tap to check/uncheck. • Title (15px, semi-bold). • Author (12px, grey). • File size (12px, grey): automatically formatted in B, KB, or MB depending on size.
Download button	Bottom	Solid golden button: ⬇️ download icon + “Download (X)” (black text). Disabled if no books are selected.

Transfer screen

After tapping Download, the bar title changes to “Transfer” and the screen shows the progress:

Element	Position	Details
Progress header	Centered at top	Golden 🔄 sync icon (40px) + counter “X/Y” (24px, bold) + “books transferred” (13px, grey). If there are failures: “X failure(s)” in red.
Per-book tile	List	For each book being transferred: • Status icon: golden ⬇️ (in progress) / green ✅ (completed) / red ❌ (failed). • Title (14px). • Progress bar (4px, golden) below the title, or “Failed” text (11px, red) if error. • Percentage (13px) on the right.
Cancel button	Bottom	“Cancel” (red text). Interrupts the transfer — books already received are kept.

Transfer complete screen

When the transfer finishes:

Element	Details
Success icon	Large green checkmark ✅ (56px) in a light green circle.
Counter	“X book(s) imported” (20px, bold).
Failures	If some books failed: “X book(s) failed” (red text).
Message	“Your books are now in your library”.
Return button	“Back to library” (solid golden button).

In case of a critical error (WiFi disconnection, server stopped): ⚠️ error icon (48px) + message + “Back” button.

Transferred content

Data	Transferred?
EPUB / .eread files	✅ Yes
Bookmarks	✅ Yes
Annotations (highlights + notes)	✅ Yes
Reading progress	✅ Yes
Analysis data (heatmap)	✅ Yes (if already analyzed)
Reading statistics	❌ No (synced via the cloud)
App settings	❌ No

P2P transfer is a copy, not a move: the books remain on the source phone after the transfer. You can interrupt the transfer at any time — books already received are kept.

Social Reading

Read with your friends! Social Reading offers two modes: the Book Club (asynchronous, everyone reads at their own pace) and Live Reading (synchronous, a host controls the position for the whole group). Accessible from the book menu within the reader.

Accessing Social Reading

Open a book in the reader, then access Social Reading from the menu. The “Social Reading” screen appears with the book title at the top, and two cards below:

Element	Position	Details
App bar	Top	Title “Social Reading”, back arrow on the left.
Book title	Centered, below the bar	Name of the current book (16px, bold).
“Book Club” card	First card	Golden 📖 book icon to the left of the title. Subtitle: “Read together at your own pace, track everyone’s progress”. Two buttons: “Create a club” (solid golden button) and “Join” (golden outline button).
My clubs	Below the Club card	Title “My clubs” followed by the list of your active clubs (see Club list below). Only appears if you have at least one club.
“Live Reading” card	Second card	Golden 🔄 sync icon to the left of the title. Subtitle: “You control the pace, others follow in real time”. Two buttons: “Create” (solid golden) and “Join” (golden outline).
Error message	Below the title	If an operation fails, a red banner appears with the error message.

Active club list

Below the “Book Club” card, the “My clubs” section lists your clubs. Each club is displayed as a tile:

Element	Details
Book icon	On the left: 📖 icon (golden if the club is for the currently open book, grey otherwise).
Club name	Club title (13px, bold).
Book title	Below the name, the title of the book associated with the club (11px, grey). Truncated if too long.
Counter	On the right: number of participants + 👥 people icon.
Chevron	“>” arrow on the far right.
Highlight	If the club is for the currently open book, the tile has a light golden background and a golden border.

Tap a club to open its detail screen.

Book Club — Create a club

On the Social Reading screen, tap “Create a club”.
A dialog appears with a “Club name” field pre-filled with “Club [book title]”. You can edit the name (50 characters max).
Tap “Create” (golden) to confirm, or “Cancel” to close.
The club is created and its detail screen opens automatically with the session code to share.

Book Club — Join a club

Tap “Join” on the Book Club card.
An input dialog appears:

Element	Details
Title	“Join a club”
Instruction	“Enter the 6-character code shared by the host” (13px, grey).
Code field	Centered field, auto-focus, automatic uppercase, 6 characters max. Large font (24px, bold, spacing 4px). Placeholder: “XK7R2P” (very transparent). Golden border on focus (2px).
Username field	“Your username (optional)” — free text field, 30 characters max. Lets you choose a display name different from your email. Only visible for clubs.
“Join” button	Active (golden, bold) only when the code is exactly 6 characters. Greyed out otherwise.
“Cancel” button	Closes the dialog without action.

Book Club — Detail screen

When you create or open a club, the detail screen displays:

Element	Position	Details
App bar	Top	The club name as the title. On the right: 📤 share icon (copies the code to clipboard, shows “Code copied!”) + ⋮ menu with the option “Leave the club” (in red).
Session code	Centered at top	The 6-character code in a golden frame (golden background 10%, golden border 30%). The code is displayed in monospace font (28px, extra-bold, spacing 6px, golden). Next to it: 📋 copy icon (20px, golden). Tap the code to copy it to the clipboard (snackbar “Code copied!”). Below: “Share this code to invite participants” (12px, grey).
Book title	Below the code	The title of the book associated with the club (16px, bold).
Counter	Below the title	“X participant(s)” (13px, grey).
Progress bar	Below the counter	Horizontal bar (6px thick) with colored cursors representing each participant’s position (see Progress cursors below).
“Participants” section	Scrollable list	Title “Participants” (15px, bold) followed by the list of each member (see Participant tile below).

Pull down to refresh positions (pull-to-refresh).

Progress cursors

On the progress bar, each participant is represented by a small colored circle (12px) positioned according to their percentage of progress through the book:

The color is automatically assigned based on the participant’s identifier (deterministic hue, 70% saturation, 85% brightness).
Each circle contains the first letter of the participant’s username (7px, white, bold).
A white outline (1.5px) surrounds each circle for readability.
Long press on a cursor to see the tooltip: “Username — X%”.

Participant tile

Each club member is displayed in the list with:

Element	Details
Avatar	Colored circle with the first letter of the username in white (bold). The color matches their cursor on the bar.
Username	Participant’s display name. If the reader has finished the book, a green checkmark ✅ appears next to the name.
Chapter	Below the name: the current chapter title (e.g. “Chapter 3”) in small text (12px, grey).
Progress	On the right: percentage in golden (16px, bold), e.g. “67%”.

Leave a club

On the club detail screen, tap the ⋮ menu at the top right.
Choose “Leave the club” (in red).
A confirmation dialog appears: “Leave the club?” / “You will no longer see the others’ progress.”
Tap “Leave” (red) to confirm, or “Cancel” to stay.

Live Reading — Create a session

Tap “Create” on the Live Reading card.
The app connects to the relay server via WebSocket (10-second timeout).
A dialog displays the generated session code: 6 characters in large text (32px, golden, bold, spacing 6px) in a golden frame. Above: “Live session created”. Below: “Share this code to invite readers”.
Share this code with participants (the code is selectable for copying).
Tap “OK” to close the dialog — you return to the reader where the Live session is active.

Live Reading — Join

Tap “Join” on the Live Reading card.
The input dialog opens with the title “Join a Live session”.
Enter the 6-character code shared by the host (same field as for clubs, without the username field).
Tap “Join” — the app connects to the relay (10s timeout).
Once connected, you return to the reader where the Live session is active.

Session bar in the reader

When a Live session is active, a compact bar (32px tall) appears at the top of the reader:

Element	Position	Details
Mode icon	Left	🔄 sync (Live) or 👥 group (Room). 16px, golden.
Label	After the icon	“Live · 3” or “Room · 5” (mode + number of participants). 12px.
Code badge	After the label	The session code in golden (12px, bold, spacing 1.5px) + copy icon (12px). Light golden background (15%). Tap on it to copy — golden snackbar “Code XXXX copied”.
Latency	Right	Displays the ping in milliseconds (e.g. “45ms”). Green if <100ms, orange otherwise.
Reconnection spinner	Right	Small spinner (14px) displayed if the WebSocket connection is reconnecting.
Close button	Far right	✕ icon (16px, grey). Tap to leave the Live session.

Presence overlay (Book Club)

When you are reading a book for which you have an active book club, a presence panel appears on the right edge of the reader. It displays the other members’ positions in real time.

Collapsed state (default)

A narrow strip (36px) attached to the right edge of the screen, with rounded corners on the left:

At the top: 👥 group icon (14px, golden).
Below: up to 5 mini-avatars (22px) stacked vertically. Each avatar is a colored circle with the first letter of the username. Your avatar is golden with a ★ star in the center and a thicker golden outline.
If more than 5 participants: a “+X” text appears at the bottom.
A green dot at the bottom right of the avatar indicates the participant is online.
Long press on an avatar: tooltip “Username — X% (online)”.

Tap the strip to expand the panel.

Expanded state

The panel widens to 185px with a slight shadow:

Element	Details
Header	👥 icon + club name in golden (11px, bold) + “>” chevron.
Mini progress bar	Horizontal bar (4px) with colored dots positioned according to each participant’s percentage. Your dot is golden and larger (10px vs 8px for others).
Participant rows	For each member: • Mini avatar (18px) on the left • Name (11px) + current chapter (9px, grey) in the center. Your name appears as “Me” in golden bold. • On the right: percentage in golden (12px, bold) + difference relative to your position (e.g. “+12%” in green if ahead, “-8%” in orange if behind, “=” in grey if at the same spot).

Tap on the panel to collapse it.

Position updates

Book Club: positions are fetched immediately on open, then every 45 seconds via the REST API. If a WebSocket connection is active, positions arrive in real time and REST polling is disabled.
Live Reading: real-time synchronization via WebSocket. The host sends their position, and all participants receive it instantly.

The session code is always copyable: tap the displayed code (on the club detail screen or in the reader’s session bar) to copy it to the clipboard and share it easily.

Soundscapes

Soundscapes are coming soon! The app will analyze the text in real time and play ambient sounds matching the context of your reading — a sonic landscape that evolves as the story unfolds.

How it will work

Ember Read's analysis engine already detects the emotional context of each passage. Soundscapes will go further by also identifying the setting and atmosphere described in the text:

A scene on the beach? You'll hear waves and seagulls
A chapter in a forest? Rustling leaves, birdsong, wind
An intimate moment in a bedroom? Creaking wood, hushed silence

10 planned soundscapes

Soundscape	Sounds
🏖️ Beach	Waves, sea breeze, seagulls
🌲 Forest	Birds, rustling foliage, stream
🏙️ City	Urban hum, light traffic
📚 Library	Turning pages, whispers, clock
🛏️ Bedroom	Hushed silence, creaking, fabric
💼 Office	Keyboard, ventilation, calm ambiance
🌻 Garden	Insects, gentle breeze, wind chimes
🪨 Cave	Water drops, echoes, resonance
🌧️ Rain	Rain on windows, distant thunder
🌙 Night	Crickets, owls, nighttime silence

Transitions

Transitions between soundscapes will use a crossfade effect — one sound gradually blends into the next for a seamless, natural immersion. No abrupt cuts.

Activation

Soundscapes will be accessible via the “Sound” chip (headphone icon) in the secondary panel of the reader's bottom bar. Activating TTS will automatically pause the soundscape.

Synchronization

Your library is automatically synchronized:

Reading progress
Bookmarks and annotations
Statistics

Synchronization is triggered automatically when you close a book, when the app goes to the background, or when you add/remove a bookmark.

Switching phones? Go to Settings > Library > Restore my purchases to recover all your books. You can also use P2P Transfer to send your entire library directly.

Troubleshooting

Bluetooth can't find my device

Make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your phone (in system settings)
Make sure your vibrating device is turned on and charged (indicator light active)
Make sure it is not connected to another app (Satisfyer Connect, Lovense Remote, Svakom, etc.). Close these apps completely before using Ember Read.
Some devices require a specific pairing mode: check your toy's user manual to put it in discovery mode
Toggle Bluetooth off and back on on your phone
On iOS: go to iPhone Settings > Ember Read and verify that Bluetooth is allowed
On Android: go to Settings > Apps > Ember Read > Permissions and verify that “Nearby devices” and “Location” are allowed
If nothing works, use the Connection Wizard (Settings > Bluetooth > Wizard) which offers a targeted scan for your brand

Vibrations are not working

Check that the device is connected (green Bluetooth icon in the reader's More tab, or in Settings > Bluetooth)
Check that the “Toys” chip is active (highlighted in gold) in the reader's bottom bar. If it is not visible, tap the ▼ expand button to open the secondary panel.
Check the intensity range in Settings > Intensity — if both minimum and maximum are set to 0%, vibrations will be invisible
Check that the book has been analyzed — an unanalyzed book will not trigger vibrations. Analysis is indicated by a circular progress indicator on the cover. If it is stuck, clear the analysis cache (Settings > Cache) and reopen the book.
Make sure the reading line is on a text area (not on an image or empty space)
Test your device via manual control (Settings > Bluetooth > Manual control) to verify it is working

Book analysis is stuck

Check your internet connection — analysis requires a connection for the initial processing
Clear the analysis cache: go to Settings > Cache > Clear cache
If the analysis is still stuck, delete the book and re-import it
If the problem persists, the EPUB file may be corrupted. Try downloading it again from your source.

How to use Demo mode (phone vibrator)

Demo mode (also called PhoneVibrator) uses your phone's built-in vibrator instead of a Bluetooth toy. It's perfect for trying out immersion mode without a toy.

Open a book in the reader
Tap the center of the screen to display the menu
In the bottom bar, tap the ▼ expand button
Tap the “Demo” chip (phone icon)
The chip turns gold and moves up to the main controls row
Vibrations now come through your phone's vibrator in sync with the text
To deactivate, tap the “Demo” chip again

Demo mode and Toys mode are mutually exclusive: activating one deactivates the other. Demo mode is always available, even without credit — it's a great way to try out immersion before buying a toy.

Text-to-speech (TTS) is not working

Check your audio output: TTS is blocked on speakers and loudspeakers. You must use headphones, earbuds, or car audio (see the TTS section for the full list).
Check that voices are installed on your phone:
- Android: System Settings > System > Languages & input > Text-to-speech > download a voice for your language
- iOS: Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content > Voices > download an “Enhanced” voice for better quality
Check that TTS is enabled: in the TTS settings (tap the speed badge), the “Enable TTS” toggle must be ON
If the message “Not available with your plan” appears, TTS may be reserved for certain plans

How to use BookTree

Make sure you have an Unlimited Pass subscription (BookTree is premium)
Method 1: copy an Instagram or TikTok link, open the library, tap the 🔍 magnifying glass icon in the top right
Method 2: from the Instagram or TikTok app, tap “Share” and choose Ember Read
Method 3: open BookTree and use manual search by entering a title and/or an author
See the BookTree section for full details

I can't find my books after switching phones

Sign in with the same account (same email) on your new phone
Go to Settings > Library > Restore my purchases to re-download books from the Ember Read catalog
For your imported books (personal EPUBs), use P2P Transfer (Settings > Library > Local transfer) from your old phone. Both phones must be on the same WiFi network.
Your stats, bookmarks, and annotations are synced via the cloud — they will appear automatically if sync is enabled

My vibrating device's battery

The battery indicator appears in the top right of the reader when immersion mode is active: 🟢 green (>50%), 🟠 orange (20-50%), 🔴 red (<20%)
If your device suddenly stops during reading, it is probably out of charge
Not all devices report their battery level: this is the case with some older Satisfyer models. The indicator simply won't appear.
Generally, a fully charged toy provides 1 to 2 hours of use in vibration mode

My annotations have disappeared

Check that synchronization is enabled: Settings > Library > Automatic synchronization
If you cleared the analysis cache, your annotations are not deleted — they are stored separately
If you deleted and re-imported a book, annotations from the previous import are not automatically reattached

Bionic Reading or Dyslexia mode is not applying

Check that the toggle is enabled in the “Layout” tab of the reader settings panel
Bionic Reading and Dyslexia mode are reader settings, not app settings. They only apply to the text of the book currently being read.
Both settings are persistent: once enabled, they remain active for all books

The app is requesting permissions

Ember Read may request the following permissions. Here is why they are needed:

Permission	Why	Required?
Bluetooth	To connect and control vibrating toys	No (but immersion mode won't work without it)
Location	Required by iOS for Bluetooth Low Energy scanning. Ember Read does not collect your location.	Yes on iOS for Bluetooth
Microphone	Only for audio mode (ambient sound analysis to synchronize vibrations)	No (audio mode is optional)
Camera	Only for P2P Transfer (QR code scanning)	No (you can enter the IP manually)
Files	To import EPUB files from your phone	Yes (otherwise you cannot import books)

Contacting support

If your issue is not resolved by the solutions above:

Email: support@emberread.com
From the app: Settings > Help > Contact support (sends a pre-filled email with your technical information)
Always include: your phone model, the app version (visible in Settings > About), and a description of the issue