In the world of digital libraries and e-books, finding a truly convenient reading application is not an easy task. Many Android users are faced with the fact that standard readers are either overloaded with advertising or incorrectly display complex formats like FB2 or EPUB. This is where Cool Reader comes into the picture - a powerful open source tool that has earned the trust of millions of readers thanks to its flexibility and lack of intrusive features.
This application is distinguished by the fact that it allows you to fully control the reading process: from choosing a font and background color to customizing control gestures and auto-scrolling. If you are tired of your eyes getting tired after an hour of reading from your smartphone screen, then the correct configuration Cool Reader will be a real salvation for you. In this article we will look in detail at how to install the app, import books and customize the interface to suit your individual needs.
Let's start with the fact that Cool Reader supports almost all popular e-book formats, which makes it a universal solution for any library. You don't have to convert files or look for special versions for different devices. Simply copy the files to the phone's memory, and the application will automatically recognize their structure, saving tables of contents and footnotes.
Installing and launching the application for the first time
The process of obtaining an application on your device may vary depending on your preferences regarding software sources. The most obvious and safest way is the official store Google Play, where the application is distributed free of charge and regularly updated by developers. However, if you are an advanced user and prefer open repositories, you can download the current version from F-Droid or the official project website.
After installation and the first launch, Cool Reader will prompt you to go through a brief initial setup procedure. You should not skip this stage, since this is where the basic text display parameters are laid. The system will ask you about your preferred reading mode: day, night or sepia. Choosing the right mode will immediately save you time for subsequent manual adjustments.
- 📱 Download the application from Google Play or F-Droid.
- 📂 When you first start, allow access to the storage for scanning books.
- 🎨 Select a basic color theme (day/night/sepia).
- ⚙️ Specify the default folder to search for new books.
It is worth noting that the application automatically scans the internal memory and SD card for book files. If your library is stored in a non-standard location, for example, in a cloud sync folder, you will have to specify the path manually through the file manager settings inside the app.
If you have a large library of books (more than 1000 files), the initial scan may take several minutes. Do not force close the application at this moment so that the database is formed correctly.
It is important to understand that access rights to the file system have become more strict in new versions of Android. If the application does not see your books, check the permission settings in the Android system: Settings → Applications → Cool Reader → Permissions and make sure that access to files and multimedia is allowed.
Customizing the interface and text display
Main advantage Cool Reader better than competitors lies in the incredible depth of typography settings. You can change not only the font size, but also the line spacing, page margins, and hyphenation style. For comfortable reading, it is extremely important to choose a text rhythm in which your eyes will not “stumble” over too dense lines.
In the style settings menu (Menu → Settings → Style), you will find dozens of parameters. Here you can enable font smoothing, which makes letters appear clearer on high-resolution screens. A forced word wrap function is also available, which helps avoid the formation of large empty spaces in the text when aligned in width.
Particular attention should be paid to setting up color schemes. Cool Reader allows you to create your own profiles. You can adjust the background tint to mimic real paper, greatly reducing eye strain when reading indoors for long periods of time. For night reading, it is recommended to use a dark gray background rather than a pure black one to avoid the effect of “blurring” of text on OLED screens.
⚠️ Attention: Avoid using a pure white background with maximum brightness at night. This leads to rapid eye fatigue and can disrupt the production of melatonin, affecting the quality of sleep.
If you read technical literature or books with a lot of code, you will benefit from the ability to select monospace fonts. In standard mode, proportional fonts look better for fiction, but to preserve the structure of code or tables, it is better to switch to monospaced option in the font settings.
Correctly selected leading line spacing is more important than font size. The optimal value is 120-140% of the font height.
Working with the library and file formats
Organizing a personal library in Cool Reader implemented through a system of tags and author groups. The application automatically extracts metadata from FB2 and EPUBfiles, sorting books by author, series and genre. This eliminates the need to manually rename files, although support for file names is also present.
For users who read books in the original or learn languages, dictionary support is critical. The application allows you to connect an external dictionary (for example, format StarDict) to instantly receive translations of unfamiliar words with a long tap on the text. This turns the reader into a powerful tool for learning.
| File format | Layout support | Table of contents | Illustrations |
|---|---|---|---|
| FB2 | Full | Yes | Yes |
| EPUB | Full | Yes | Yes |
| Limited (as picture) | Depends on the file | Yes | |
| TXT | Basic | No | No |
| HTML/CHM | Full | Yes | Yes |
C format PDF the situation is somewhat different. Since PDF is a fixed layout format, Cool Reader displays its pages as images. You won't be able to change font size or line breaks in PDF files as freely as you can in reflow formats. For complex PDFs with tables and diagrams, this can even be an advantage, since the layout will not work.
How to add a book that the application does not see?
If the book is in a protected folder or archive, the application may miss it. Try moving the file to the root /Books folder or use the built-in file manager to open the file directly rather than through a shared list.
When importing large collections, it is recommended to use the “Update Shelf” function. This will force the application to re-read the metadata of all files and update the covers. Sometimes, after updating the phone firmware or transferring data, the cover cache may be lost, and books will be displayed with the default icon.
Control gestures and navigation
Control in Cool Reader has been taken to a whole new level thanks to a flexible gesture system. You can assign your actions to touches on different areas of the screen, taps, swipes, and even pressing the volume buttons. This allows you to read with one hand, without reaching your finger to the top or bottom of the screen.
By default, tapping in the center of the screen brings up the menu, tapping on the right scrolls forward, and tapping on the left scrolls backward. However, in settings Menu → Settings → Control you can reassign these actions. For example, many users prefer to swipe up/down to scroll text, which is more intuitive for long pages.
- 👆 Tap on the top of the screen: call up the menu or go to the beginning of the chapter.
- 👇 Tap on the bottom of the screen: go to the end of the chapter or calling settings.
- 🔊 Volume buttons: turning pages (customizable).
- 🔄 Double tap: zooming or highlighting text.
The auto-scrolling function deserves special mention. By activating it, you can read books hands-free by adjusting the scrolling speed with the slider. This is especially convenient when reading recipes in the kitchen or technical documentation when your hands are full.
⚠️ Attention: When autoscrolling is turned on, the screen does not go dark automatically. Monitor the battery level or set the sleep timer in the application settings to avoid draining the device.
For those who like to read in transport, the control lock function is useful. Accidental presses in a bag or pocket can fast forward a book hundreds of pages. Gesture lock prevents this by leaving only the screen unlock buttons active.
☑️ Setting up perfect controls
Progress synchronization and backup
One of the most requested features for modern readers is the ability to continue reading from the same place on another device. Cool Reader Supports synchronization of reading progress through cloud services such as Dropbox or Google Drive. This requires a little initial setup, but eliminates the need to manually remember the page number.
To activate synchronization, you need to go to settings and link your cloud storage account. The application will create small bookmark files in a special cloud folder containing information about the last opened page for each book. When you open the same book on your tablet, progress will be downloaded automatically.
In addition to progress, it is recommended to regularly make backup copies of your settings and notes. Selected quotes and comments made are stored in the application's local database. If you reset your phone or reinstall your system, this data may be lost without first being exported.
Use the Export Notes feature in HTML or TXT format to save all your highlights and comments into a separate file that can be easily opened on any device.
It is important to remember version compatibility. If you're using an older version of an app on one device and a new one on another, the sync file format may be different. Always try to maintain the latest version Cool Reader on all gadgets.
Advanced features and plugins
For advanced users Cool Reader offers support for plugins and scripts, although in the mobile version of Android this functionality is somewhat limited compared to the desktop version version. However, you can customize the CSS styles for displaying books by creating your own themes that are not included in the standard set.
If you read books with complex layouts, such as poetry or plays, the default settings may not display indentation perfectly. In this case, you can edit the styles file cr3.css (for advanced users), adding your own rules for specific formatting tags. This gives you complete control over how the text appears on the screen.
Also worth mentioning is the integration with text-to-speaking systems (TTS). Cool Reader can use speech synthesis engines installed in Android to read a book out loud. The quality of the voice depends on the engine installed in the system (for example, Google Speech Services or Yandex.Browser), but the mechanism itself is launched directly from the reading menu.
⚠️ Attention: The speech synthesis function can consume a significant amount of Internet traffic if an online voiceover engine is used. To save traffic, download language packs for offline work in the Android keyboard and input settings.
Regular application updates bring new features and bug fixes. The developers are actively responding to community feedback, so keep an eye on the app store for the latest updates. Sometimes new features, such as support for new font formats, appear in the latest versions.
Synchronization via the cloud is not just a convenience, but a necessity for those who read from multiple devices (smartphone during the day, tablet in the evening).
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Why doesn't Cool Reader see my books in the Download folder?
In modern versions of Android, access to the folder Download may be limited by security policies. Try moving the books to a specially created folder /Books at the root of the internal memory or grant the application advanced access rights through the system settings.
How to change the font for only one specific book?
Open the book, go to the reading settings menu (the “A” or gear icon) and change the font. Before exiting the workbook, the application will ask whether these settings apply only to the current workbook or to all books of this format. Select the option “Only for this book.”
Is it possible to read books directly from a ZIP archive without unpacking?
Yes, Cool Reader supports reading books inside ZIP archives. You don't need to unzip the files; just open the archive through the built-in file manager of the application or click on the archive file in the system by selecting open in Cool Reader.
How to remove advertising if it appears?
The official version Cool Reader is completely free and does not contain advertising. If you see banners, you may have downloaded a fake version from an unverified source. Delete the application and download it again from Google Play or F-Droid.
Why is the text displayed in squares instead of letters?
This means that the selected font does not contain characters for a given language (for example, hieroglyphs or rare characters). Go to the font settings and select another font, for example Droid Sans Fallback or Noto Sansthat have full Unicode support.