Annotations, Highlights, and Discussion on BookGroup
How do I highlight a passage in a book on BookGroup?
Select the passage of text while reading and, in the menu that appears, tap "Highlight". The highlight is saved automatically, tied exactly to that passage of the book, without needing to write anything. Highlights created this way are always private — only you can see them; it's not possible to share a highlight directly with the group, only comments (see "How do I comment on a passage to share it with other readers?").
How do I add a personal note to a passage in the book?
Select the passage you want and, in the selection menu, tap "Add note". Write whatever you want about that point in the book and save it. Just like highlights, notes are always private — only you can see what you wrote, even if the reading is linked to a group.
How do I comment on a passage to share it with other readers?
Select the passage and tap "Add comment". As you write, you choose who can see it: "Public" (visible to everyone, including on the book's public page) or, if the reading is linked to a group, "Group" (visible only to group members). The default is a public comment. Once posted, BookGroup confirms with the message "Your comment was shared in the group!" and the comment appears in the group's discussion, along with the quoted passage.
Who can see my highlights, notes, and comments on BookGroup?
It depends on the type: highlights and notes are always private, visible only to you, regardless of any setting. Comments can be public (visible to anyone who sees the book) or restricted to the reading group, depending on the choice made when creating the comment. Bookmarks (see the Reading area) don't go through that visibility choice. You can filter your own annotations by visibility inside the reader, using the "Private", "Group", and "Public" options.
How do I view and filter my annotations inside the reader?
In the reader, open the "Interactions" panel to see everything you and other readers have annotated in that book (respecting who can see what). You can filter by type — "All", "Highlights", "Notes", "Comments", or bookmarks — and also by visibility — "Private", "Group", or "Public". The list is sorted from the most recent annotation to the oldest. If there's nothing yet, BookGroup shows "No interactions yet" with a hint to select a piece of text to get started.
What is the group discussion around a book, and how is it organized?
Every reading group has a discussion feed linked to the book, organized into four tabs: "All" (every message), "Mine" (only yours), "Highlights" (messages that are annotations or quoted passages, from any member), and "My Highlights" (your own passages and annotations). When a public or group comment is created from an annotation in the reader, it shows up in this discussion as a message showing who commented and the exact passage of the book it refers to.
How do I reply to another group member's comment?
On regular discussion messages — including comments created from annotations in the reader — tap "Reply". This opens a "Replying to [name]: '[message excerpt]'" indicator, and your reply joins a thread linked to that message. If the message already has previous replies, they appear grouped in that same thread, with the reply count shown below the original message.
Why is there sometimes no "Reply" button under a shared passage?
When someone shares a literal quote of a passage from the book (rather than through their own comment), that quote appears in the discussion without a "Reply" button — the only way to react to it is by inviting the author to a private subgroup discussion, or, when available, tapping "Go to context" to see the passage inside the book. Comments and annotations that members write themselves about a passage (with their own text), on the other hand, work like regular messages and can be replied to directly.
How do I know if I got a reply to something I wrote in the group discussion?
The most direct way is visual: below any of your messages that received replies, a count appears ("X replies"), and tapping it shows you the full conversation. We could not confirm, in the current behavior, a specific "unread reply" indicator inside the discussion screen itself — it's also worth keeping an eye on your general BookGroup notifications, which may alert you to activity on your annotations and messages.
How do I invite someone to a private discussion about a specific annotation (subgroup)?
On any annotation, comment, or shared passage in the discussion, tap "Create Subgroup" (in the reader, the same action appears as "Start discussion"). BookGroup opens an invitation to a private discussion subgroup, linked exactly to that source passage, with a consent notice before confirming. That subgroup stays reserved for the people invited, separate from the main group's general discussion.
What is the Logs page on BookGroup and what does it show?
The "Logs" page, accessible from your profile, brings together the history of everything you've highlighted, noted, commented on, or bookmarked across any book, in chronological order. You can filter by entry type: highlights, notes, comments, or bookmarks. If you haven't annotated anything yet, the page shows "No logs available".
What is anti-spoiler and how does it work while reading on BookGroup?
Anti-spoiler is turned on by default for every reader. With it on, highlights, notes, and comments from other people that are at a point in the book further ahead than yours are automatically hidden from the text and from the annotations panel, while your own annotations always stay visible to you. There's no "something is hidden here" notice — the content simply doesn't show up until you reach that point in your reading. As you move forward in the book, those interactions start appearing automatically, with no action needed on your part. You can turn anti-spoiler off in reading settings, in the corresponding section.
Why does anti-spoiler work differently in the group discussion?
In the group discussion, anti-spoiler behaves differently from the reader: instead of completely hiding a message that contains a spoiler, BookGroup shows it as a closed card, with the notice "Content beyond your reading progress" and a "Reveal" button. This lets you decide to manually open that specific content, even without having reached that point in your reading — unlike the reader, where content only appears as you naturally progress through the book. Just like in the reader, anti-spoiler in the discussion depends on being enabled in your preferences.