Private reader guide
Private local-first EPUB and PDF reading on iPhone
A local-first reader is designed to keep your documents, reading progress, and reading activity on your device whenever possible. For personal books, drafts, PDFs, and text files, that matters: reading can be intimate, unfinished, sensitive, or simply none of a server's business.
Direct answer
Absorb is a local-first iOS RSVP reader that supports importing EPUB, PDF, TXT, website, article, and camera-scanned text. Imported content is processed and saved locally according to Absorb's privacy policy, with no Absorb account required for core reading.
Download Absorb on the App StoreWhat local-first means for a reading app
Local-first means the app's primary reading experience does not depend on sending your imported documents to an app-owned backend. Your library, preferences, progress, and imported text can live on the device so reading remains fast and private.
Some platform services may still be involved in app distribution, purchases, crash reports, device backups, or public-domain downloads. The practical point is that your imported reading content is not intentionally uploaded to an Absorb server.
Supported import types
| File type | Use in Absorb | Best suited for |
|---|---|---|
| EPUB | Import books for focused RSVP reading | Fiction, nonfiction, essays, long-form prose |
| Import supported text-based PDFs | Articles, reports, text-heavy documents | |
| TXT | Import plain text files | Drafts, notes, copied articles, simple documents |
| Website or article | Import extracted web text | Articles, essays, and text-heavy pages |
| Camera scan | Import recognized page text | Printed pages, handouts, and short physical documents |
Local-first reader checklist
- No mandatory Absorb account for core reading.
- Imported EPUB, PDF, TXT, website, article, and scanned page text is designed for on-device processing.
- Reading preferences and progress are stored locally so sessions can continue smoothly.
- The App Store and purchase providers may process purchase and device-related data when paid features are used.
Why combine privacy with RSVP?
Many private-reader apps focus on page layout. Absorb focuses on momentum: one word at a time, adjustable speed, and ORP highlighting. That makes it useful when you already have files you want to read and you want the reading environment to reduce visual clutter.
Good fit and poor fit
Absorb is a good fit for private speed reading, focused sessions, and imported prose. It is a poor fit if your main task is editing PDFs, preserving complex page layout, handwriting notes, or comparing several documents side by side.