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Official FBReader news. New features and releases, third-party plugins, plans, tech details, etc. https://fbreader.org
The beta update
While FBReader 3.5 is releasing, we update the beta track. 4.0 beta 56 is out.
📚 The “Page turning” preferences section has been redesigned. The option for vertical page turning is back, and customisable tap zones are added.
📚 The encoding issues for file formats like RTF and plain text have gone.
📚 The update includes stability fixes in book downloading, voice selection, etc.
📚 We changed the main build target to API 34 (= Android 14). Most probably, that does not affect end-users. If you notice something strange in the behaviour, please report.
📚 All the changes except the build target will be promoted to 3.5.1, coming later this week.
FBReader 4.0 beta 54 for Android
We continue to release weekly updates of the beta. This version focuses on the interaction with the format plugins. We changed the protocol and fixed some issues, including losing positions on restart.
The version numbering of the plugins was slightly confusing. Starting this release, the plugin will have the same version number (e.g., 4.0 beta 54) as the main app it is released with.
The update also fixes a few UI issues in the main app.
The packages are available for download from our site right now. The Google Play uploads are waiting for the store approvement.
FBReader 4.0 beta 53 for Android
Please report any unusual behaviour of the beta, especially on the app start/book opening. This version uses the new app startup mechanism developed for the upcoming stable release 3.2.
The second update in the week didn't introduce any significant new features visible to the end users. It tweaks the UI and fixes a few stability issues, especially on the app startup. We expect that the new startup scheme avoids the accidental re-opening of the previous book.
We also released the format plugins 2.3.9. Although older versions are still compatible, we highly recommend updating the plugins together with the main app.
FBReader 4.0 beta 51 for Android
The release includes some changes that are developed for the upcoming FBReader 3.2. Most of them are not directly visible to the end users but are essential for the expected update. Please report any strange behaviour that appeared in the new beta.
📚 We stopped updating the app for Android 4.4. New releases will be available for Android 5.0 and newer
📚 The app requests fbreader.org server for existing updates at the start
📚 Extended Unicode support: the engine renders all characters, including emoji
📚 We have changed rendering parameters for images in the dark mode
📚 The “Action bar in reading mode” option is back
FBReader 2.0.5 for desktops
Another September update addresses a few annoying issues. In the LitRes store, we fixed possible errors during signing in. Windows version displays the genres list correctly.
The release improves the Unicode support: the app displays symbols with codes larger than 0xFFFF (e.g., emoji).
We changed the behaviour of the right-click menu to make it less confusing in some cases: the bookmark menu displays if the cursor is over an existing bookmark and the text selection at once.
Autumn 2023 sale
Paid versions of FBReader for Android and iOS are on sale for a week till 9th september.
The discount value depends on your country and is between 30% and 40% of the regular price. The sale runs in all the stores: Google Play, Huawei AppGallery, and Apple AppStore.
FBReader for Android: a maintenance release
📚 The target API is raised to 33 (Android 13), as required by Google Play
📚 We update both production (to 3.1.8) and beta (to 4.0 beta 49) tracks
📚 The format plugins are renewed too
📚 FBReader suggests itself for opening files via Samsung's built-in file manager
📚 FBReader 3.2 with new features is scheduled for September
FBReader 2.0.2 for Mac/Windows/Linux
The minor update improves network error processing, scratches debug info from the packages, and avoids conflicts with libraries installed in /usr/local/lib on MacOS X.
Starting from this release, the app checks for updates during starting. You can view the status in the About Dialogue.
All the packages are available for download from our site immediately. AppStore and Windows Store versions will be published after passing the review.
FBReader 1.1.8 for iOS
One more minor update will gradually become available to all users during the first week of June.
The release fixes possible reading freeze on books with SVG images.
Experimental RPM packages for Fedora 38
are available from our site. The RPMs are built for Intel (x86_64) and Arm (aarch64) architectures. We hope these packages work on other RPM-based distributions as well. Any feedback is highly appreciated.
The release of the RPMs means we refuse to build a Flatpak or AppImage in favour of traditional distribution-specific packages. However, we do not plan to stop releasing snaps.
We started from RPM, not DEB, for a reason beyond our control: Qt 6.5, used by the latest FBReader, is already packed for Fedora but not for Debian.
2.0.1 for Windows/Mac/Linux is available for download
A regular update brings experimental touchscreen support, a manual day/night mode switch on Windows, and several minor improvements.
For the links and more details, please visit our site.
FBReader 3.1.4 for Android + plugins 2.2.11 are on their way to the stores. The update
🤖 fixes possible crashes of the Premium during some operations with PDFs
🤖 brings premium features like PDF/DjVu auto-crop to the plugins
🤖 makes the UI more consistent between the main app and the plugins
🤖 fixes minor UI issues
You can get the packages directly from our site right away or wait until the store's review is complete.
Today we publish Android updates for both mainstream and beta tracks. We change the numbering, the beta is now 4.0, and the release version is 3.1. In 2023, we plan to release 3.2, 3.3, etc., incrementally adding beta features to the mainstream.
In these new versions
🎧 The new text-to-speech interface, as well as the related fixes, are backported from betas to the 3.1 release
🎧 Settings export/import is now available in the release branch as well
🎧 We fixed the issues with opening books containing special symbols (e.g., ‘:’) in the file name
🎧 FBReader suggests itself as an app to open “generic” files. That's useful for file managers that do not detect some e-books types properly
Have a Happy New Year!
Long-awaited FBReader 1.1.5 for iOS passed the App Store review and is available to the users. To all beta-testers: you can now safely update the app from the App Store.
📚 Fully compatible with iOS 16 and iPhone 14 series
📚 Desktop-style interface features on iPad, like keyboard shortcuts and large menus
📚 New search interface style, as required by Apple. You can switch to the old style in Settings (“Screen” section)
📚 We stop releasing updates for iOS prior to 13.0. FBReader 1.1.4 is still available for old devices
The quick update 3.0.37 fixes recently released 3.0.36.
📚 Navigation buttons are back on Android 11+
📚 A detailed explanation now precedes the file access request
📚 The app supports bookmark styles added via the desktop version
FBReader 3.5 for Android
Yes, it is 3.5. The release includes almost all essential features from the beta, so 3.2 looks insufficient to declare our most significant update in 2023. The details are listed in our site announcement.
You can download the 3.5 RC 1 from our site right now or wait until the rolling update from the store reaches your device.
Since this release, we have changed our attitude towards the stable and beta branches to more traditional. The stable (3.5.*) is recommended for most users. The betas (4.0 beta series) includes incomplete and not well-tested functions. Some of the features will never be promoted to the stable branch.
As a side note for beta users, we also released 4.0 beta 55 today, which includes all the latest fixes from the 3.5 RC 1.
FBReader 1.1.11 for iOS
The maintenance update fixes the processing of length CSS properties (sizes, margins, etc.). It also resolves a few issues that might cause the app to crash or freeze.
The release is already available for installation on the AppStore.
FBReader 4.0 beta 52 for Android
📚 “Continuous” (a.k.a. “vertical”) text scrolling
📚 The “Rescan” menu item in the library works again on Android 11+
The changes developed for the upcoming FBReader 3.2 and SDK 1.2 are available in the beta. Some changes should not directly affect the end users but make the app more stable or flexible. Please report any strange behaviour of the beta release.
FBReader 3.2 for Android release, scheduled for this September, is postponed till late October. We are sorry for that.
The release will include all the rendering improvements from the beta series and some new features.
FBReader for iOS 1.1.9
🍎 The routine update is available on the App Store. It makes the app fully compatible with the recently announced iPhone 15 series.
🍎 The SDK update (0.99.6) is released synchronously with the same changes.
🍎 FBReader 1.2, which brings new features, is expected by the end of 2023.
Quick-fix update for Android
📚 3.1.9/4.0 beta 50 is released two days after the previous release
📚 On Android 13, FBReader requests permission to send notifications. That makes the app more usable, especially in the reading-aloud mode
📚 The beta also implements “smallcaps” CSS property support for ePubs
📚 The packages are downloadable from our site and will be available in the stores as soon as they pass the reviews
FBReader 2.0.3 for Mac/Windows/Linux
Another minor update is uploaded to the stores and fbreader.org site. This version adds operations with in-text images: opening a separate window (in that you can zoom the image) and copying images to the clipboard.
The MacOS version fixes crashes in the library and the settings dialogue.
Updated FBReader Premium and PDF plugin for Android
The only change in this release is the Radaee PDF library upgrade. That fixes some rendering issues reported by our users. New versions are available on production (3.1.7, the plugin 2.2.15) and beta (4.0 beta 48, 2.3.7) tracks.
Please note that we do not update the free version this time.
As usual, the updates will be downloadable from the stores shortly (after the reviews) and are already available on our site.
FBReader 1.1.7 for iOS
The minor update is on a staged rollout this week. The release
🍏 fixes SVG files processing
🍏 fixes crash on rendering images in both text and the library
🍏 updates third-party code such as Google auth to the latest versions
Update 3.1.6/4.0 beta 47 for Android
The new minor update fixes several network library issues.
We also upgraded the Radaee PDF library to 3.65.25. That fixes possible crashes on most modern devices. Unfortunately, some devices do not work with this new version. There is no good universal solution. We are in touch with the Radaee developers. Hopefully, they resolve the issue very soon. If the latest update fails on your device, we recommend installing the previous version (3.1.5/4.0 beta 46) from our site.
The PDF plugin is also updated to 2.2.14/2.3.6.
A minor Android update is on the way.
Today we released FBReader 3.1.5/4.0 beta 46 and the PDF plugin 2.2.13/2.3.5. The update is uploaded and awaits review on Google and Huawei stores. As always, you can get the packages directly from our site.
The main difference of this version is the downgrade of the third-party PDF renderer as the latest version of the library crashes on some devices, e.g. Xiaomi; the release also brings a few minor UI changes.
Latest 2022 update
FBReader 2.0 for Mac/Windows/Linux is out. It is not beta anymore.
The update includes list view mode in the library, the mouse wheel action option, better monospace font support, and other minor fixes and improvements.
The app is available in the stores, and from our site.
We wish you a peaceful, happy, and bookish world in 2023!
Minor release 1.1.6 for iPhone & iPad starts rolling out to the users. The update
🍎 fixes rare stability issues
🍎 adds and changes keyboard shortcuts on iPad
🍎 on iPhone, allows to switch back to icon-only selection menu; look into Settings => Screen => UI controls section
One more minor update, 3.0.38 for Android, fixes two most reported issues:
📚 the crash in the background selection dialogue;
📚 the crash in network catalogues browsing.
This version also raises the target API to 31, as Google Play requires. For end users, this might cause some new issues. We are rolling out the update only for 10% of users for the next few days to ensure everything works as expected.
We will publish new packages for the beta track in a week or two.
A surprise: FBReader 3.0.36 for Android is out. We froze the 3.0.x series in April 2021 and were sure we would never return to it. However, as 3.1 is still beta, we decide to build this update.
The release is fully compatible with Android 12 and higher and backports a few critical fixes from the 3.1 series. Both free and premium versions are updated. We also updated the format plugins to 2.2.9.
3.0.36 is already uploaded to both Google Play and Huawei AppGallery. It is also downloadable from our site.