How can we help?

Download BookOwl from the App Store and tap "Get Started." You can sign up with your email, Apple ID, or Google account. The whole process takes less than a minute.

Tap the scanner icon in the tab bar and point your camera at a book's barcode. BookOwl will recognize it instantly and add it to your library. You can also search by title, author, or ISBN using the search bar on the Explore tab.

Yes! Sign in with the same account on any device and your library syncs automatically. All your books, progress, and shelves stay in sync across devices. BookOwl is currently supported on iOS and in beta on Web.

Some older or self-published books may not have barcode data in our database. Try searching for the book by title, author, or ISBN instead.

BookOwl reads ISBN-13 and ISBN-10 barcodes, which are found on the back cover of virtually all commercially published books. Just point your camera at the barcode and hold steady.

Yes! BookOwl supports batch scanning. Just keep scanning barcodes one after another and they'll queue up in a bottom sheet. Each book is looked up with the option to easily add to your library.

Custom shelves let you organize books any way you like, beyond reading status. Create shelves like "Book Club Picks" or "Gift Ideas." A book can belong to multiple custom shelves at the same time.

Open any book marked as "Currently Reading" and tap the progress button. You can enter your current page number or a percentage. BookOwl will calculate your reading speed and estimated completion date.

BookOwl offers five reading statuses: Currently Reading, Want to Read, Read, Paused, and Did Not Finish. Each book can have exactly one status at a time, making it easy to see where every book stands.

Use the search bar at the top of your library to find books by title, author, or ISBN. Filter pills let you narrow down by status, genre, rating, and more. Your sort and filter preferences are saved automatically.

Set yearly, monthly, and weekly reading goals from the Journey tab. BookOwl tracks your progress, shows whether you're ahead or behind pace, and celebrates milestones along the way. You can adjust your goals anytime.

Streaks track consecutive days you've logged reading activity. Update your progress daily to keep your streak going. It's a fun way to build a consistent reading habit.

BookOwl uses your progress updates and completion dates to calculate reading speed, pages per day, and estimated finish times. The more consistently you log progress, the more accurate your insights become.

Search for readers by name or username in the Social tab, or share your profile link with friends. When you follow someone, you can visit their profile to see their latest activity.

Absolutely. Go to Settings and adjust your privacy controls. You can make your profile public or private, control who can follow you, and block specific users. Your reading data is always yours to control.

Open any book in your library and scroll to the reviews section. Tap "Write a Review" to add your star rating and thoughts. Your reviews are visible on your profile and help other readers discover great books.