Lectr

Support and help for the Lectr reading notebook app

About Lectr

Lectr is a private reading notebook designed for readers who want a structured way to track books, organise tags, and capture notes and quotes.

The app does not use accounts, does not include social features, and does not require a subscription. Your data remains on your device unless you choose to export it.

Getting Started

Adding a book

Tap the + button in the centre of the tab bar. You have three options:

  • Scan a barcode – point your camera at the ISBN barcode on the back of a book. The title, author, cover image, and other details are filled in automatically.
  • Type an ISBN – enter the 10- or 13-digit ISBN number and tap Lookup to fetch book details.
  • Manual entry – type in the title, author, and any other details yourself. No ISBN required.

Tracking your reading

Each book has a reading status: To Read, Reading, or Read. Change the status from the book detail screen. The Home screen shows your currently reading books and a summary of your library at a glance.

Notes and quotes

Open any book and use the Quotes and Notes tabs to save passages and thoughts. For quotes, you can photograph a page and Lectr will extract the text using on-device OCR – no data leaves your device. You can also add a page number and a personal comment to each quote.

Tags and organisation

Create tags (e.g. "Fiction", "Work", "Favourites") and assign them to books. In the Library, filter by one or more tags. You can switch between matching any selected tag or requiring all selected tags.

Star ratings

Rate books from 1 to 5 stars on the book detail screen. Use the Library filter to find books by rating.

Search, sort, and filter

The Library screen has full-text search across titles and authors, sorting options (title, date added, rating), and filters by reading status, rating, and tags. The All Quotes and All Notes screens also support search and date sorting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I export my data?

Yes. Tap the … menu on the Home screen and choose Export (CSV). This creates a CSV file containing your full library, notes, and quotes that you can share, save, or open in any spreadsheet app.

Can I import books?

Yes. Use Import (CSV) from the same menu. The CSV file must have a header row with the following 16 columns:

Title,Authors,Status,Rating,Tags,Pages,Publisher,Published Date,Date Added,Date Started,Date Finished,ISBN,Cover Image URL,Description,Notes,Quotes

Column details:

  • Title (required) – the book title.
  • Authors – comma-separated names (e.g. Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë). Existing authors are reused automatically.
  • Status – one of To Read, Reading, or Read. Defaults to "To Read" if blank or unrecognised.
  • Rating – a number from 1 to 5, or blank for no rating.
  • Tags – semicolon-separated (e.g. Fiction; Favourites). Existing tags are reused.
  • Pages – total page count (number or blank).
  • Publisher, Published Date, ISBN, Cover Image URL, Description – optional text fields.
  • Date Added, Date Started, Date Finished – dates in your device's short date format (e.g. 15/02/2026 or 2/15/26). Date Added defaults to today if blank.
  • Notes – semicolon-separated note texts (e.g. Great opening chapter; Revisit part 3).
  • Quotes – semicolon-separated. Each quote can include an optional comment and page number: The quote text [Comment: My thoughts] (p. 42).

Example row:

"Pride and Prejudice","Jane Austen",Read,5,"Fiction; Classics",432,Penguin,1813,15/02/2026,10/01/2026,14/02/2026,9780141439518,,"A classic novel of manners","Loved the dialogue; Fascinating social commentary","It is a truth universally acknowledged [Comment: Iconic opening] (p. 1); I could easily forgive his pride (p. 20)"

The easiest way to get the right format is to export your existing library first and use that file as a template.

Does the app require an internet connection?

Only for ISBN lookup (fetching book details from an online database) and loading cover images from URLs. Everything else – notes, quotes, tags, ratings, and reading status – works entirely offline.

How does the camera quote capture work?

When adding a quote, tap Photograph Page to take a photo of a book page. Lectr uses Apple's on-device text recognition (Live Text) to extract the words. The text is processed entirely on your device – nothing is sent to a server. You can then edit the extracted text before saving.

What happens if I delete the app?

All data is stored locally on your device. If you delete , your library, notes, and quotes will be permanently removed. We recommend exporting your data first if you want to keep a backup.

Data & Privacy

does not require an account and does not collect, transmit, or store any personal data on external servers.

  • All reading data is stored locally on your device.
  • ISBN lookups use the Open Library API. Only the ISBN number is sent; no personal information is included.
  • Camera access is used solely for barcode scanning and page photography. Images are processed on-device and are not uploaded anywhere.
  • No analytics, tracking, or advertising SDKs are included in the app.

You may export your data at any time using the CSV export feature.

Troubleshooting

ISBN scan is not recognising the barcode

Make sure you are scanning the ISBN barcode (usually on the back cover, near the bottom). Hold the camera steady and ensure the barcode is well-lit. You can also type the ISBN manually and tap Lookup.

Book details did not fill in after scanning

Some older or niche books may not be in the online database. If the lookup returns no results, you can enter the details manually on the same form.

Quote text extraction is inaccurate

On-device OCR works best with clearly printed text on a flat, well-lit page. Handwritten text, unusual fonts, or curved pages may reduce accuracy. You can always edit the extracted text before saving.

Contact

For support requests, bug reports, or feature suggestions, please email: