Support

When something has gone wrong, a few lines save a round trip: your iPad model and iPadOS version, the FinnBook version from Settings → About, and what you were doing when it happened. Please do not send us a book file — we almost never need one, and it is yours.

Books and importing

Do I need Calibre?

No. Calibre is one way in, not the way in — plenty of people never connect a server at all. Open a book straight from the Files app, share one to FinnBook from somewhere else, or search Project Gutenberg from inside the app. Calibre is there for people who already run one.

Which formats does FinnBook open?

EPUB directly. MOBI and AZW3 are converted as they come in, so they open as EPUB afterwards. DRM-protected books — anything bought from Kindle, Kobo or Apple Books — cannot be opened by FinnBook or by any third-party reader.

How do I get my books in?

Any of: the + button in the library, which opens the Files picker; sharing a book to FinnBook from another app; or connecting a Calibre server. Books added through Files are copied into FinnBook, so tidying up the original afterwards is safe.

Will I lose my books if I delete the app?

Yes — deleting an iPad app deletes what it stored, so the copies inside FinnBook go with it, along with your reading history and bookmarks. Files you imported from elsewhere still exist wherever you got them, and anything on a Calibre server can be downloaded again. If your books matter to you and exist nowhere else, keep a copy off the iPad. Turning on iCloud sync also means another device has them.

A book imported but looks wrong

Converted MOBI and AZW3 files sometimes carry odd internal formatting. Try adjusting typeface and margins in the display settings first. If the book is still a mess, email us and say which format it came from.

Calibre

Connecting a server

You need Calibre's content server running, and its address from the iPad's point of view — for example http://192.168.1.20:8080. A server on your home network is reachable only while the iPad is on that network. If you have set a username and password in Calibre, enter them too; they are stored in the iOS Keychain on your iPad and sent to nowhere but your server.

"Unauthorised"

Calibre accepted the connection but refused the credentials. Check the username and password in Calibre under Preferences → Sharing over the net.

"Timed out" or "Could not connect"

Usually one of: the iPad is on a different network from the server (mobile data rather than Wi-Fi is the common one), Calibre is not currently running, or a firewall is in the way. Open the same address in Safari on the iPad — if Safari cannot reach it, FinnBook cannot either, and the problem is on the network rather than in the app.

iCloud sync

Turning it on

Settings → iCloud Sync. Your iPad must be signed in to iCloud. Sync needs FinnBook Pro.

It says "account is ready, starts next time"

That is expected and not an error. FinnBook checks your iCloud account after launching, and begins syncing the next time you open the app. Close it and open it again and the screen will say Syncing through iCloud.

A book appears twice

If both iPads already held the same book before you switched sync on, both copies are kept — FinnBook will not guess that two files are the same book and throw one away. Delete the copy you do not want.

Which device wins?

The one that got furthest through the book, not the one that synced most recently. Reading ahead on one iPad is never undone by picking up the other.

Do my book files sync too?

Only if you switch on Send the book files too. Otherwise only your library details, positions and bookmarks travel, and the files stay on the iPad that has them. Book files count against your iCloud storage.

FinnBook Pro

What it includes

Reading themes of your own, the full reading statistics, and iCloud sync. Everything else — your books, your Calibre server, the reader itself — is free. $1.99 a month or $19.99 a year.

Restoring a purchase

Settings → Restore Purchases, signed in with the same Apple Account that bought it. A subscription covers every device on that account.

Cancelling

Subscriptions are managed by Apple, not by us: on your iPad open Settings → your name → Subscriptions. Cancelling stops the renewal and Pro stays on until the period you have paid for runs out. Your books, reading history and bookmarks are not touched.

Refunds

Apple handles all refunds for App Store purchases — we are not able to issue one. Go to reportaproblem.apple.com and sign in with your Apple Account. If the reason is a bug, tell us as well and we will try to fix it.

Reading

Why do my statistics show less time than I spent?

FinnBook counts time you are actually reading, not time a book sits open on the table. Leaving the app open with the iPad idle does not add to the total. That is deliberate — it is the number that means something.

Can I use it on an iPhone?

No. FinnBook is built for the iPad screen and is sold as an iPad app.

Still stuck?

Bugs, feature requests, or something this page does not answer — support@finnbook.app. Privacy questions are answered on the privacy page.