Most of the time you only need one tap. Everything else is here when you want it.
Gestures
| Gesture | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tap | Play or pause |
| Tap a sentence while paused | Carry on from that sentence |
| Swipe left | Back one sentence |
| Swipe right | Forward one sentence |
| Swipe up | Faster, by 25 words per minute |
| Swipe down | Slower, by 25 words per minute |
| Press and hold while playing | Show the surrounding text for as long as you hold |
Keyboard on iPad
With a hardware keyboard attached:
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| Space | Play or pause |
| ← / → | Back or forward one sentence |
| ↑ / ↓ | Faster or slower, by 25 words per minute |
Buttons on screen
- Top: back to the Library, Contents (the list icon) to jump to a section, Reader settings (the gear) for mode, speed and appearance, and Reset Progress to start the document again after a confirmation. A Quick Read also has Save to library.
- Bottom: Word, Phrase and Sentence, Back one sentence and Forward one sentence, play or pause, and Slower and Faster around the current words per minute. The line underneath shows the time left in the section and, on the free plan, the reading time left today.
Controls that get out of the way
While text is playing, the buttons and everything around the text fade out, so only the current words (and any focus guides) stay on screen. Tap anywhere to pause and bring them back.
Prefer to keep them visible? Turn off Hide controls while reading in Reader settings or Settings → Reading & Appearance.
The screen stays awake while text is playing and goes back to normal Auto-Lock as soon as you pause or leave the reader.