Reading on BookGroup
How do I open reading settings on BookGroup?
Inside a book's reader, tap the gear icon in the top bar to open the "Reading settings" panel. There you can adjust your visual identity color inside the book, the font size, the reading theme, the font family, the line spacing, whether other readers' interactions are shown in the text, anti-spoiler mode, and unified text formatting. There are also quick shortcuts to increase or decrease the font size directly in the top bar, without opening the full panel. When you're done, tap the confirmation button to close the panel.
What reading customization options does BookGroup offer?
In the settings panel, BookGroup offers: reading theme, with the options "Light", "Dark" and "Sepia" (or a button to restore the environment/device theme); font size, adjustable from 14 to 28 in steps of 2; font family, with the options "Georgia" and "System"; line spacing, adjustable from 1.0x to 2.5x in steps of 0.1; and a visual identity color, chosen from 7 preset colors or a custom color, used to highlight your interactions in the book. BookGroup does not offer switching between paginated reading and continuous scrolling — reading is always paginated, like a traditional digital book.
How do I navigate between chapters in BookGroup's reader?
Tap the menu icon (☰) in the reader's top bar to open "Contents", which lists every chapter and sub-chapter of the book; tapping any item takes you straight to that point in the text. To move forward or back page by page without opening the contents list, use the "Previous" and "Next" buttons in the reader's bottom bar, which also show the percentage of the book you've already read. To leave the book and go back to the previous screen, tap the exit icon ("Exit book") in the bottom bar.
Does BookGroup save my reading progress automatically?
Yes, whenever the reading is linked to a reading group. BookGroup automatically saves the exact position where you stopped, the current page number, and the percentage completed, with no manual action needed — saving happens as you read and, with higher priority, whenever you reach 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of the book, as well as when you close the reader. When you reopen the same book later, even on a different device, BookGroup takes you straight back to the exact point where you left off, without needing to search for the page manually.
What is the "Back to reading position" button?
When you tap an annotation or highlight and get taken to a different part of the book, BookGroup temporarily remembers the position you left from. A "Back to reading position" button appears on screen, letting you return to that exact spot after checking the annotation, without having to search for the page again. This position is only kept during your current reading session — it's different from the automatically saved progress, which persists across sessions and devices.
What shows up on a book's public page on BookGroup before I start reading?
A book's public page shows the cover, title, author, a synopsis, and details like the name of the related reading group, whether access is public or private, the price (if it's a paid group), and an age-rating badge when applicable. It also shows stats such as number of readers, reactions, and public reflections about the book, the average reading progress among the group's active readers, public comments, and suggestions for other books by the same author or with similar tags. This page can be viewed even without signing in.
How do I start reading a book on BookGroup?
On a book's public page, the main button changes depending on your situation: if you're not signed in yet, the button reads "Sign in to read this book" and takes you to the sign-in screen. If you're already signed in and the group is free or public, the button reads "I want to read this book" and puts you in the group automatically (or sends a join request if the group is private). If the group has paid access, the same "I want to read this book" button takes you to the checkout screen instead of granting direct access. Once you've joined the group, the button changes to "Read in group", taking you straight to the reader.
What happens if I try to open a book without access to its group?
If you try to open the reader for a book whose group you don't belong to — whether because it's a paid group you haven't purchased, or a private group you haven't been invited to — BookGroup shows an "Access denied" screen, explaining that you are not a member of that group and that, to read the book, you need to request an invitation from the group administrator (or, for paid groups, purchase access from the book's public page). A button lets you go back to the home screen.
Why does the first time I open a book on BookGroup take a bit longer?
The first time you open a specific book, BookGroup shows a notice explaining that the initial loading may take longer than it will on future visits, because the book's content needs to be fully downloaded so you can keep reading even without an internet connection afterward. This notice only appears the first time you open each book.
Can I bookmark a passage in a BookGroup book?
Yes. When you select a piece of text while reading, one of the available icons is "Bookmark", which creates a marker tied exactly to that point in the book — similar to a page favorite, but anchored to the selected text rather than being generic. These bookmarks show up alongside your other annotations, with their own filter to show only bookmarks. BookGroup doesn't have a separate "favorite the current page" feature without selecting text — besides bookmarks, your automatic reading progress already keeps track of your most recent position in the book.