Once you have a book in your library, opening it is just the beginning. Sọna's reader works on iOS 18+, Android, and web, and has a set of tools for reading the way you like: large text, small text, bright screen, dark mode, anything in between. Here is how everything works.
Opening a Book
- Go to your library (tap Library in the navigation)
- Find the book you want to read
- Tap the cover or the book title to open it
The book opens in the reader interface. If you were reading it already, it picks up from exactly where you left off.
Navigating Your Read on Mobile Apps
On mobile, you navigate by tapping or swiping:
Swipe left to go to the next page
Swipe right to go to the previous page
You can also tap:
- Tap the right side of the screen: next page
- Tap the left side of the screen: previous page
- Tap the centre of the screen: show or hide the reading toolbar
The first time you open a book on a touch device, a short tutorial overlay appears showing these tap zones (left, centre, and right) so you can see exactly how it works. Tap or swipe anywhere to dismiss it and start reading.
Navigating on Web (Desktop)
On a desktop, use your mouse or keyboard:
- Click the right side of the screen: next page
- Click the left side of the screen: previous page
- Press the → arrow key: next page
- Press the ← arrow key: previous page
- Click the centre: show or hide the reading toolbar
The Reading Toolbar
Tap anywhere outside the toolbar to hide it and return to reading.
Tapping or clicking the centre of the screen reveals the reading controls. The controls differ slightly between platforms.
On Mobile Apps:
- Contents: shows your reading progress and the chapter list. Tap to browse all chapters and jump to any one. Drag to scrub through the book.
- Notes: View all the notes you have saved while reading. Tap to open your notes panel, or add a new one. Your notes sync across the Sọna app on your devices.
- Highlights: view and manage the passages you have highlighted. Tap to open your highlights panel and jump back to, copy, or share any of them. They sync across your devices.
- Bookmark: save your current position to return to later. If a bookmark already exists, tapping it jumps straight there. Each book holds one bookmark at a time. It syncs across your devices.
- aA: change font size and reading theme.
On Web:
- Chapters (☰): browse all chapters and jump to any one.
- Highlights: view and manage your saved highlights.
- Bookmark: save your current position to return to later. If a bookmark already exists, clicking it jumps straight there. Each book holds one bookmark at a time.
- aA: change font size and reading theme.
Tap or click anywhere outside the controls to return to reading.
Changing the Font Size
- Tap the centre to open the toolbar
- Tap aA
- A panel slides up with the font size control
- Tap A− to make text smaller, A+ to make it larger
- Tap − to make text smaller, + to make it larger.
Changing the Reading Theme
Sọna has four themes. Pick the one that suits your environment:
- Light: Bright rooms, daytime reading
- Sepia: Warm tone, easier on the eyes for long reading sessions
- Dark: Low-light reading, less glare at night
- Black: Maximum contrast in very dark conditions
To switch:
- Tap the centre to open the toolbar
- Tap aA
- Tap the theme swatch you want
Your theme is saved automatically and applies to all books.
Bookmarks (iPhone and Android)
A bookmark saves your exact position in a book so you can find it again quickly. Each book holds one bookmark at a time.
To set a bookmark:
- Open the reader shelf by tapping the centre of the screen
- Tap Bookmark
- Your current position is saved
To return to your bookmark:
- Open the reader shelf
- Tap Bookmark: if a bookmark exists, this takes you straight there instead of setting a new one
To replace an existing bookmark with a new position, go to the new page and set the bookmark again. The old one is overwritten.
Highlighting Text
Highlighting now works on iPhone, Android, and the web. Save the passages that matter to you, up to a paragraph at a time, then revisit, copy, or share them later.
To highlight a passage:
- Select the text you want to save: press and hold and drag on iPhone or Android, or click and drag with a mouse on the web
- A small menu appears: highlight colours on the app, a Highlight button on the web
- Tap a colour (app) or click Highlight (web) to save the passage. On the app, you can choose from five highlight colours. To remove a highlight, select the passage again and tap the colour, or delete it from the highlights panel
To view your highlights:
- Tap the centre to open the toolbar
- Open Highlights where you can jump to, copy, share or delete each one
- Your saved highlights for the current book appear in a panel
Your highlights are saved to your account and sync across the app and web, so they are there whenever you come back to the book.
Copying a Quote
Found a line you love? You can copy it straight from the page to share it.
- Select the passage the same way you would to highlight it
- Choose Copy from the menu
You can copy up to a paragraph at a time, and the copied text comes with the book's title and author and a link back to Sọna, so when you paste it into a post or a message, the quote is already credited. You can also copy or share any highlight later from the highlights panel.
Saving Notes (Mobile Apps)
Notes let you write a thought tied to the page you are on and jump back to it later. Notes are saved on your device.
To add a note:
- Open the reader shelf by tapping the centre of the screen
- Tap Notes
- Tap + in the notes panel
- Type your note and tap Save Note
The note is saved against your current page. You can add as many notes as you like.
To view or manage your notes:
- Open the reader shelf and tap Notes
- All your notes for the current book appear in a list, each showing the text and the page it was saved on
- Tap a note to jump to that page
- Tap Edit to update the text, or Delete to remove it
Reading Progress
A thin bar at the very top of the screen shows how far through the book you are. It fills from left to right as you read.
Your progress is saved automatically as you go. If you close the book and come back, on any device, it opens to exactly where you left off.
Your reading progress syncs between the web and the app. Start reading on your phone, finish on your laptop, or the other way around. The sync happens in the background whenever you are online.
Jumping to a Chapter
- Tap or click the centre of the screen to open the toolbar
- Tap the chapter list icon
- All chapters appear in a panel: tap any one to jump there immediately
Reading Progress in Your Library
Your library shows how far through each book you are, for example, "62%". This updates each time you read.
If you see 0% on a book you have been reading, close the book and reopen it. Progress occasionally needs a moment to sync after a long session.
What Happens at the End
When you reach the last page, a Finish button appears in the progress bar at the bottom of the screen. Tap it to mark the book complete. This saves your progress at 100% and opens a screen where you can share your reading milestone.
Sample Mode
If a locked page appears after the first chapter or two, you are reading the free sample. Samples let you try a book before buying.
To continue reading, tap Buy. This takes you to the purchase page. Once you have bought the book, it unlocks immediately in your library.
Tips
Use Sepia or Dark for long sessions. The Light theme is crisp, but for reading for more than 30 minutes, Sepia or Dark reduces eye fatigue noticeably.
On a small phone screen, go up one font size. A slightly larger font makes a real difference over a long read: it is worth the extra line breaks.
Swipe is faster than tapping. If you are deep in a story, a quick swipe left is more natural than reaching for the edge of the screen. Both work. Use whichever feels right.
Open your library at readsona.com/library to start reading.
Related Posts
- Sọna on Web vs. App: What Works Where: what you can do on the website vs. the iOS and Android app
- Your Library on Sọna: collections, wishlist, reading goals, and managing your books
- How to Restore a Book on Sọna: if a book has gone missing from your shelf