Yomu EBook Reader for Android

I recommend this ebook reader app to everyone I know. Makes the experience of reading books a true pleasure.

This is by far the best eReader I’ve used within the Google ecosystem…and I’ve tried a lot of them.

After twenty plus years of being an Google devotee, always willing to overlook various things, and always defending every complaint about them I’ve encountered. . . no more. Over the past decade, I have soured as a result of their ever increasing but subtle emulation of Microsofts business tactics Google seems to have forgotten their old maxim, "it just works", choosing instead to softly insinuate that its the user's fault when something doesn’t work as it is expected to. Having said that, I have been desperate for an alternative to Google's Books mess. To call Books an application would be a gross overstatement. So, having found Yomu, I thought I would give it a try, as there is no great amount of Google application substitutes out there. I wanted so much to love Yomu. I was more than willing to pay for the pro version, and start the arduous task of importing my 5000 plus collection of books, antique catalogs, and flotsam and jetsam into it. But two things have me hesitating greatly. The first is the rather nasty way it renders PDFs. The typeface becomes sketchy as if it had been run through a copy machine a number of times. It is so bad it is almost unreadable. However, it didn't seem to replicate the issue if I imported an epub version of the same book. But considering the amount of PDF versions of books I have, I can't imagine having to convert them all to epubs or hope they survive the process in a readable manner. The second issue, one I find rather strange is there doesn't seem to be a dictionary function. Quite often we come across words in books that we just don't know, and computers have made that issue so easy to deal with. We need only right click on a word and the dictionary provides a definition –– no fuss no muss. Not like the old days when one had to run to the single existing dictionary in the house and rifle through pages to locate your word of question. There are a few other minor issues, but nothing that warrants mentioning, and will probably be ironed out with further development. But lacking a dictionary function in a book reader seems. . . well. . . ok, ok, dumb. LOL. Outside of that, the application runs so very smoothly, and without any lurching, or belching, or farting, or spitting up of yesterdays din din. So very unlike Google's hot mess –– Books. Books has not really changed in any meaningful or useful way in the past twenty years, other than to include a book store function. Something that seems to be Google's only real concern these days, both with Books and Music. They put more effort into that, than the applications themselves now. And that is the problem with Google. They, like so many other tech companies are turning to forcing their costumers into becoming never ending sources of revenue streams. No longer is enough to buy something and be done with it. Now you have to subscribe to this, and that, and the other. And when not that, they want you to buy their books or music, which in fact you really don't own. Not like a real, live, physical book. Oh, no, all you've done when purchasing these things from them is bought a single use license and that is it. As long as you are connected to their system, they are free to make changes to its content with every time you update. And this is something that so-far Yomu has chosen wisely not to do. Which is one of the things I find so nice about it. You buy it, and you’re done. No, paying a monthly fee the rest of your earthly days, until one day you do the math and find that over the course of five years, you've paid over $500 to use a simple program that the kid next door could have probably created for free in an afternoon while toking a joint. So, sadly I will wait before committing to Yomu in hopes that the lack of a dictionary function is addressed. That and something is done about the rendering quality of PDF's. I have to large a library to commit the time and energy in transferring one to the other. But, I hope it isn't too long from now because I am old, having more years behind than before me now. But then, don't most of us these days? :)

The iOS/iPadOS app is perfect! The Android version is not as good though, it lags when going to the next page sometimes, and highlighting is extremely hit or miss. Please try to fix the Android version. Otherwise this app is just great! It syncs everything extremely well between all my devices.

I love this app but I have a request. Can you please allow custom fonts for Mobile as you do for the Android. It’s frustrating having limited font options on different platforms. Thanks 🙏🙏😁