Support
Need help with Lilt Reader? Most answers are below. If yours isn't, email Einherjarventures@gmail.com and we'll get back to you.
Getting started
What does Lilt Reader need?
An iPhone or iPad on iOS 17 or later. Neural narration is fastest on recent devices.
Which books can I open?
EPUB books without DRM, from the Files app, AirDrop, Mail, or your own Audiobookshelf server. Audiobooks can also come from Plex. Books bought from Kindle or Apple Books are DRM-protected and can't be opened. Many stores sell DRM-free EPUBs, and Free Classics in the app offers thousands of free ones.
How do I add a book?
On the Library screen, tap + › Import from Files, or choose Audiobookshelf, Plex or Free Classics from the same menu. You can also open an EPUB from the Files app and choose Lilt Reader.
Can I use books from Audible, Apple Books or Spotify?
Not directly. Their books and audiobooks are copy-protected and only play in their own apps, and they don't let other apps download them. Audiobooks without DRM, from stores such as Libro.fm or Downpour, import from the Files app.
Why did my book open at chapter 1?
Lilt Reader skips the title page, copyright and contents so you start with the story, and narration stops when the story ends instead of reading the acknowledgements. Everything is still in the contents list. To turn this off, go to Reading Settings › Front & Back Matter.
Listening
How do I start narration?
Open a book and tap play. Tap any paragraph to start reading from there. Each sentence is highlighted as it's read, and the page scrolls along. Lock-screen and headphone controls work too.
Do the voices need the internet?
No. The neural voices and the iOS voice both run entirely on your device, so narration works offline.
Can I change the voice, speed or sound?
Yes, in the reader's Aa menu. Choose from eight neural voices (four American, four British) or the iOS voice, set the speed from 0.5× to 3× without changing the pitch, and pick an equalizer preset. Neural voices are part of Lilt Reader Pro.
The voice says a word wrong. Can I fix it?
Yes. Long-press the paragraph, choose Fix Pronunciation…, tap the word, and type how it sounds, like "dough nut". Put the stressed part in capitals ("kuh-REEN") and tap Hear It to check. Fixes work in every book, or just the one you're reading, and you can edit them in Reading Settings › Pronunciations.
Can I turn pages instead of scrolling?
Yes. In the reader's Aa menu, set Layout to Pages. Swipe or tap the edge of the screen to turn a page, tap a sentence to read from there, and tap the top or bottom of the page to show the controls. With Turn Pages with Narration on, pages turn by themselves as the voice reads.
How do I skip back or forward?
The buttons beside play jump back and forward 30 seconds; change the amounts in the Aa menu. Touch and hold them for 1 to 15 minutes, the start of the chapter, or the next chapter. Your lock screen, headphones and CarPlay jump the same way.
Is there a sleep timer?
Yes. Tap the moon button on the player and turn the dial to set 5 to 120 minutes, or choose Stop at End of Chapter. The voice fades out at the end, and shaking your phone adds 10 minutes. When you play again it backs up 15 seconds, and holding the back button offers Return to Before Sleep: where you were when you set the timer.
What is speed reading?
Tap the eye button in the reader to see one word at a time, with the letter your eye should fix on held in the centre. Set your pace from 150 to 900 words per minute, or turn on Link Narrator Audio to follow the narrator instead.
Audiobooks
How do I sync an audiobook with its ebook?
In the Library, tap + › Import Audiobook…, pick the audiobook's files (.m4b, .mp3 or .m4a), and choose its ebook; Lilt Reader suggests the one whose title matches. You can also open the book, tap the headphones button and add the audiobook there, or download it from Audiobookshelf. An audiobook already added as its own book can be moved onto its ebook: long-press it and choose Attach to Ebook…. Then tap Sync with Text. Lilt Reader listens to the audiobook on your device and matches it to the text. After that, the narrator's voice drives the highlighting. Sync is part of Lilt Reader Pro.
How long does syncing take?
It depends on the book's length and your device. Lilt Reader shows an estimate as it goes. On iOS 26 and later it keeps going in the background, and on earlier versions it continues when you reopen the app. You can pause and resume at any time without losing progress.
Why do I have to download a speech model?
On iOS 26 and later, Lilt Reader uses Apple's built-in speech recognition and nothing extra is needed. On earlier versions, or if you choose Whisper, a speech model is downloaded once: 217 MB for Whisper Small or 632 MB for Whisper Large v3 Turbo.
Can I read an audiobook that has no ebook?
Yes. Choose + › Import Audiobook… and tap Keep as Its Own Book, or download an audio-only item from Audiobookshelf or Plex, then tap Transcribe to Text. Lilt Reader writes the text from what it hears, with chapters from the audio and paragraphs from the narrator's pauses. While it works, Read Transcript So Far shows the text as it's written. Names and unusual words may be misspelled. This is part of Lilt Reader Pro.
Can I turn a book into an audiobook file?
Yes, with Pro. Long-press the book in your library and choose Convert to Audiobook, pick a voice, and tap Convert Whole Book to Audio. Lilt Reader reads the whole book on your iPhone and saves one .m4b file with chapters and the cover in Files › On My iPhone › Lilt Reader › Audiobooks, ready for any audiobook player. You can pause and pick up where it stopped, and it's also added to the book in Lilt Reader, so the text follows along.
The narrator's voice isn't playing.
The player shows who's reading. If it says why the audiobook isn't playing (not synced yet, syncing, turned off, or needs Pro), tap it to open the audiobook screen and fix it.
The highlighting doesn't match the narration.
Check that the audiobook is the same edition as the ebook. Abridged audiobooks, or books with very different front matter, match less well, and the Audiobook screen shows how much of the text was found. If the edition is right, try Sync Again.
Audiobookshelf
What server address do I enter?
The address you use to open Audiobookshelf in a browser, for example 192.168.1.10:13378 or https://abs.example.com. When you're away from home, a server on your home network is only reachable through your own VPN or remote access.
Can I browse by series or collection?
Yes. Open a library and switch between All, Series and Collections. Books can be sorted by title, author, date added or what you listened to most recently.
Do downloads continue if I leave the app?
Yes. Audiobooks download in the background and resume after interruptions. If your sign-in expires partway through, the download waits until you sign in again. Lilt Reader can notify you when a download finishes.
Plex
How do I connect to Plex?
In the Library, tap + › Plex › Sign In with Plex and approve Lilt Reader on Plex's own page; your password never passes through Lilt Reader. Then pick your server, or one shared with you.
Where are my audiobooks?
Plex keeps audiobooks in Music libraries: each book is an album, with the author as its artist. Open the library to browse All or Collections, sort and search, and tap the headphones button to download. If you have the ebook, the audiobook goes onto it automatically; touch and hold the button to choose the book yourself.
Does my progress sync with Plex?
Yes, for audiobooks downloaded from Plex. While the narrator plays, Lilt Reader tells your Plex server where you are, so Plexamp and other Plex players pick up from the same place. When you open a book you listened to more recently elsewhere, Lilt Reader offers to go there.
It can't reach my server away from home.
Lilt Reader tries your home network first, then your server's remote address, then Plex's relay. If none answers, check Remote Access in your Plex server's settings.
Free Classics
What are Free Classics?
Public-domain books from Project Gutenberg, with audiobooks read by LibriVox volunteers. In the Library, tap + › Free Classics, browse the most popular or search, and tap Get Book & Audiobook. The book arrives at once, the audiobook downloads in the background, and Sync with Text pairs them. Everything is free to keep; syncing is part of Lilt Reader Pro.
Some books have no audiobook.
LibriVox hasn't recorded every book. You can still read it, and the device voices can read it to you.
Lilt Reader Pro
What's free and what's Pro?
Free: reading, highlighting, page turning, the iOS voice, speed reading, the sleep timer, Audiobookshelf, Plex and Free Classics. Pro adds the neural voices, audiobook sync and turning audiobooks into text, plus converting a book into an audiobook file.
How much does Pro cost?
$3.99 a month or $24.99 a year, each with a 7-day free trial, or $59.99 once for lifetime access. These are US prices; the app shows the price in your currency.
How do I cancel a subscription?
In the iOS Settings app, tap your name › Subscriptions › Lilt Reader Pro, or in Lilt Reader go to Settings › Manage Subscription. Pro stays active until the end of the period you've paid for.
I bought Pro but it isn't unlocked.
Make sure you're signed in with the same Apple ID you bought it with, then tap Settings › Restore Purchases.
How do I get a refund?
Purchases are handled by Apple, so refunds are too. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com.
Privacy
What data does Lilt Reader collect?
None. There is no account, no analytics and no tracking. Your books, audio, transcripts and reading progress stay on your device. Read the full Privacy Policy.
Contact
Email Einherjarventures@gmail.com. Please include your device, iOS version, and what you were doing when the problem happened.