How to move your library to a new reading app

A lot of readers open their reading app for something simple: logging the book they're on, keeping a to-read list and checking their yearly goal. When the app grows into something bigger, the reasons people give for moving are usually the same:

• Speed. Adding a book or updating your page takes too many taps.
• Noise. A feed, ads and notifications when you only wanted to log ten pages.
• Less to fill in. Mood tags and detailed forms make nice charts, but some readers just want to log pages and get back to the book.
• Ownership. Wanting a library that lives on your own device, with an export you can take anywhere.

• Free import and export. Moving your history should never cost money, in either direction.
• What survives the import. Shelves, ratings and dates. Books that can't be matched should be kept for review, not dropped.
• How fast you can log. Barcode scanning to add a book, and one tap to log a session.
• Reading time, not just books. If minutes matter to you as much as pages, look for a session timer.
• Where your data lives. On your device, in an account, or both. Can you delete it all?
• What's free and what's paid. Read the free tier before you import 800 books.

Tomely is a reading tracker for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android. It does one job: keep track of your reading, quickly and privately.

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• Photo quotes, word for word. Text recognition runs on your device and only copies what's printed on the page.
• Your library stays on your device. Book searches go to Open Library and Google Books with no account. Export is always free.
• One-tap sessions. Scan an ISBN barcode to add a book. Start the timer, read, note your page. More in how to time your reading sessions.
• A streak, not a game. A yearly goal with your pace and the days you read. No coins, no guilt.

1. 1

   Export your library as a CSV

   Most reading trackers let you download your library as a CSV file from their website, usually in the account settings. It's a copy: nothing changes in your old account.

2. 2

   Save the file on your phone

   Download it in your phone's browser or send it from your computer. On iPhone it lands in the Files app.

3. 3

   Import it into Tomely

   In Tomely, tap Bring your books, choose the app you're coming from and pick the file.

4. 4

   Check To review

   Shelves, ratings and dates come with you. Anything that can't be matched lands in To review with the reason, so nothing is lost.

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Step by step, with what's in the file and what to do if something looks off: how to import your reading library from a CSV.

Unlimited books and reading sessions, your streak and yearly goal, library import and export, the monthly card, widgets, the Live Activity and the Apple Watch app are free, forever. Tomely Plus adds full stats for every year, all card styles, unlimited photo quotes and tags, challenges, shelf themes and app icons.