Apollo Reader — Android Manual

Installation

Apollo Reader is available exclusively through Google Play on Android.

To install Apollo Reader:

1. Open the Google Play Store on your Android device.
2. Search for Apollo Reader.
3. Select Apollo Reader from the search results.
4. Tap Install.
5. Once installation is complete, tap Open, or launch Apollo Reader later from your app list.

Updates to Apollo Reader are also distributed through Google Play and will normally be installed automatically according to your Play Store update settings.

Granting storage access

Android requires Apollo Reader to be given permission to access the folders containing your books.

Apollo Reader uses Android’s Storage Access Framework (SAF) for this. Rather than giving Apollo Reader access to all files on your device, you choose the storage locations that it is allowed to use.

To add a storage location:

1. Select Libraries from the left sidebar.
2. Open the Manage tab.
3. Select Add Location.
4. Android’s folder picker will open.
5. Browse to a folder that contains your book collection.
6. Select the folder and confirm Android’s request to allow Apollo Reader access.

You can add more than one storage location if your books are stored in different places.

For example, you might add:

• A main Books folder in your device’s internal storage.
• A separate folder on an SD card.
• Multiple root folders containing different collections.

Adding a location does not automatically create a library. It gives Apollo Reader permission to access that part of your device so that folders within it can be selected when creating libraries.

Choosing a storage location

It is usually easiest to grant access to a folder high enough in your collection that it contains all of the folders you may want to use with Apollo Reader.

For example, if your books are stored under:

Books/Series A Books/Series B Books/Series C

you can add Books as a storage location rather than adding each folder individually.

Apollo Reader will only be able to browse folders that Android has granted it permission to access.

Adding your library

Once you have added one or more storage locations, you can create libraries from the folders inside them.

To add a library:

1. Select Libraries from the left sidebar.
2. Open the Manage tab.
3. Make sure the storage location containing your books has been added using Add Location.
4. Select Add Library.
5. Enter a name for the library.
6. Open the folder selector.
7. The folders available within your approved storage locations will be displayed.
8. Use the checkboxes to select the folder or folders you want to include in the library.

A library can contain folders from more than one storage location.

You can also choose the default reading settings for the library:

• Reading Direction — Sets the default direction used when navigating books in this library.
• Page Fit Mode
  • Fit Height — Fits the page vertically to the available reader area. This is the default and works well for most standard books.
  • Fit Page — Displays the entire page within the available reader area.
  • Fit Width — Fits the page to the width of the reader.
• Scrub Titles — Removes unnecessary filename information while attempting to preserve the series name, issue number, and year.

When you are finished, select Add Library.

Apollo Reader will then make the selected folders available for browsing within the library.

The cover grid

To browse your books, select Libraries from the left sidebar, then open the Libraries tab.

Choose the library you want to view. Apollo Reader displays the contents of that library as a visual cover grid containing both folders and books.

Books

Each book is displayed using its cover image.

Cover images are generated automatically as you browse through your library, so covers may appear progressively the first time you view a folder or library.

Tap a book to open it in the reader.

Folders

Folders are displayed using a collage made from several book covers contained within that folder.

Tap a folder to open it and browse the books and subfolders inside.

This allows larger collections to retain their existing folder organization while still providing a visual way to browse your books.

Search

Use the search bar at the top of the library view to find books by title.

Search is global and searches across all books in all of your libraries, regardless of which library you are currently viewing.

Reading a book

Tap any book from the cover grid to open it in Apollo Reader.

Reader controls

While reading, the main controls are contained in a hidden toolbar at the top of the screen.

Tap near the top of the reader to reveal the toolbar.

The toolbar includes:

• Back — Returns to the previous screen.
• Go to Folder — Returns directly to the folder containing the current book.
• Book Title — Displays the title of the book currently being read.
• Page Navigation — Displays the current page and total number of pages, with controls to move backward or forward.
• Full Screen — Switches the reader into or out of full-screen mode.
• Settings — Opens the reader settings for the current reading session.

Reader settings

Tap the gear icon to adjust how the current book is displayed and navigated.

Available options include:

• Reading Mode
  • Single Page — Displays one page at a time.
  • 2 Page Spread — Displays two pages side by side.
• Page Fit
  • Controls how pages are fitted within the reader.
• Direction
  • Sets the reading direction used for page navigation.
• Page Transition
  • Slide — Pages animate into view when changing pages.
  • Instant — Pages change immediately without an animation.
• Pre-cache Pages
  • Controls how many nearby pages Apollo Reader prepares in advance.
  • The default is 3 pages.
• Page Number Display
  • Controls how long the page-number indicator remains visible after changing pages.
  • Short — The default setting.
  • Hidden — Does not display the page-number indicator.
  • Long — Keeps the page-number indicator visible for longer.

These settings apply to the current reading session.

Turning pages

When using the default left-to-right reading direction:

• Tap the right side of the page to move forward.
• Tap the left side of the page to move backward.

You can also swipe horizontally. Swiping far enough in the appropriate direction will turn the page.

When the reading direction is reversed, the forward and backward navigation sides are reversed accordingly.

View and navigation options

Apollo Reader supports touch gestures for zooming and moving around book pages.

Page fit

The Page Fit setting controls how pages are sized within the reader.

Available options include:

• Fit Height — Fits the page to the height of the reader. This is the default and works well for most standard books.
• Fit Page — Fits the entire page within the available reader area.
• Fit Width — Fits the page to the width of the reader.

Reading mode

Apollo Reader can display books in either:

• Single Page — Displays one page at a time.
• 2 Page Spread — Displays two pages side by side.

You can switch between these modes at any time using the reader settings.

Reading direction

The Direction setting controls which side of the reader advances to the next page.

This can be changed at any time from the reader settings to support both left-to-right and right-to-left books.

Zooming

Use a two-finger pinch gesture to zoom in or out.

Pinch outward to zoom in and pinch inward to zoom out.

Panning

When a page is zoomed in, touch and drag the page to move around it.

Recent history

Select Recent from the left sidebar to view books you have opened recently.

By default, Apollo Reader displays recent history using the By Library view. You can switch between three tabs:

• By Library
• By Date
• All Recent

A search bar is available at the top of the Recent view. Search follows the currently selected tab, so results remain organized using that view.

By Library

The By Library view groups recent books under the library they belong to.

Each library has its own header followed by the recent books from that library.

• Tap the chevron to the left of a library name to collapse or expand it.
• Use the up and down chevrons to the right of the library name to change the order in which libraries appear.
• Tap any book to open it in the reader.

This lets you keep the libraries you use most frequently near the top of your recent history.

By Date

The By Date view organizes recently opened books into time-based groups:

• Today
• This Month
• All Time

Tap any book to open it in the reader.

All Recent

The All Recent view displays your recent books as a single list without grouping them by library or date.

Searching recent history

Use the search bar to filter your recent books.

Search respects the currently selected tab:

• In By Library, results remain grouped by library.
• In By Date, results remain grouped by date.
• In All Recent, results are displayed as a single list.

Settings

Select Settings from the left sidebar to configure Apollo Reader’s default behavior and manage cached data.

Theme

Choose the application theme used by Apollo Reader.

Default Page Fit

Sets the default page fitting mode used when opening books.

Available options include:

• Fit Height — Fits the page to the height of the reader.
• Fit Page — Fits the entire page within the available reader area.
• Fit Width — Fits the page to the width of the reader.

Individual libraries can have their own page-fit defaults, and the setting can also be changed while reading.

Default Reading Direction

Sets the default reading direction for books.

This determines which side of the reader advances to the next page.

Individual libraries can override this default.

Pre-cache Pages

Controls how many pages Apollo Reader prepares ahead of and behind your current page.

The default is 3 pages.

Increasing this value can make page turning feel more immediate, but will use more memory. Set it to 0 to disable page pre-caching.

Page Number Display

Controls how long the page-number indicator remains visible after turning a page.

The default is Short.

Available options include:

• Hidden
• Short
• Long

Cover Cache Limit

Apollo Reader stores generated cover images in a local cache so they do not need to be regenerated every time you browse your library.

The Cover Cache Limit controls the maximum amount of storage the cover cache can use.

• Enter a limit in MB.
• Set the value to 0 for an unlimited cache.

The current size of the cover cache is displayed below this setting.

Skip covers for large PDF files

When enabled, Apollo Reader will avoid generating cover images for particularly large PDF files.

This option is enabled by default because generating covers for large PDFs can require a significant amount of memory.

Disable it only if you want covers generated for these files and your device has sufficient available memory.

Clear Cover Cache

Tap Clear Cover Cache to delete all generated cover images.

Apollo Reader will regenerate covers automatically as you browse your libraries again.

Clearing the cache does not remove your books, libraries, or reading progress.

Saving settings

Tap Save after making changes to apply your settings.

Danger Zone

The Danger Zone contains the option to reset Apollo Reader’s local database.

Resetting the database deletes Apollo Reader’s stored application data, including:

• Libraries
• Reading progress and history
• Cached data

Your original book files are not deleted.

After the database is reset, Apollo Reader will restart and you will need to add your storage locations and libraries again.

Use Delete Database only when you intentionally want to reset Apollo Reader to a fresh state.

Troubleshooting

If Apollo Reader is not behaving as expected, try the steps below before resetting the application.

A book will not open

First, make sure the original book file is still available in one of the storage locations that Apollo Reader has permission to access.

If the book is stored on an SD card or other removable storage, make sure that storage is currently available.

If the file or folder has been moved, renamed, or deleted outside Apollo Reader, the library may still contain information from the previous location.

A storage location is missing

Android controls Apollo Reader’s access to your files through the Storage Access Framework.

If a previously added location is no longer available:

1. Open Libraries.
2. Open the Manage tab.
3. Use Add Location to grant Apollo Reader access to the folder again.

This may be necessary if Android permissions were cleared, an SD card was removed and reinserted, or the folder was moved.

A folder does not appear when creating a library

Apollo Reader can only display folders inside storage locations that you have already granted access to.

Return to the Manage tab and use Add Location to add a parent folder that contains the folder you want to use.

Once the location has been added, return to Add Library and open the folder selector again.

Covers are missing or incorrect

Apollo Reader generates and caches cover images as you browse through your libraries.

If a cover does not appear correctly:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Clear Cover Cache.
3. Return to your library and browse to the affected books.

Apollo Reader will regenerate covers as they are needed.

For very large PDF files, cover generation may be skipped if Skip covers for large PDF files is enabled.

Apollo Reader is using too much memory

Page pre-caching and cover generation both use memory.

If Apollo Reader is using more memory than expected:

• Reduce Pre-cache Pages in Settings.
• Leave Skip covers for large PDF files enabled.
• Close and reopen Apollo Reader after working with particularly large books.

A setting or reader behavior seems stuck

Close Apollo Reader completely and open it again.

If the problem affects only a particular reading session, reopen the book and check the reader settings from the gear icon.

Also check whether the library has its own defaults for Page Fit or Reading Direction, as library settings can override the application defaults.

Apollo Reader will not start

Close Apollo Reader completely and try launching it again.

If the problem continues, restart your Android device.

If Apollo Reader still will not start, uninstall it and reinstall it from Google Play.

Depending on the problem, reinstalling the application may require you to add your storage locations and libraries again.

Resetting Apollo Reader

If Apollo Reader starts but its library or application data appears to be damaged, you can perform a complete database reset.

Open Settings, scroll to the Danger Zone, and select Delete Database.

This removes Apollo Reader’s stored data, including:

• Libraries
• Reading progress and history
• Cached data

Your original book files are not deleted.

Apollo Reader will close and need to be opened again after the reset. You will then need to add your storage locations and libraries again.

Use this option only after other troubleshooting steps have failed.