Take & Read

Support

Questions, problems and misprints are all welcome.

Common questions

I’ve found a misprint, or a note that’s wrong

Every passage is quoted word for word from a public-domain edition, and we correct misprints as readers find them. Write to us with the work and the first few words of the passage, or send a screenshot.

How do I back up what I’ve kept and written?

Everything you make in Take & Read is kept on your iPhone. It’s included in your iPhone’s iCloud or computer backup, and it moves with you when you set up a new iPhone from the old one.

To keep a copy yourself, open My Commonplace, tap the share button at the top, and choose Back Up… to save a backup file. Restore from Backup…, in the same menu, brings it back, adding only what isn’t already there, so nothing is doubled. Export as Markdown writes your commonplace out as a document you can read anywhere.

Deleting the app deletes everything in it, so back up first.

How do I add the widget?

Touch and hold an empty part of your Home Screen, tap Edit, then Add Widget, and choose Take & Read. The Passage widget comes in three sizes and for the Lock Screen. It turns to a new passage through the day, drawn from the traditions you read, and tapping it opens the passage in its work.

What’s free, and what does the library unlock?

The feed, your commonplace and the works on the First Shelf are free, and so are the opening of every work and the pages around each passage in it. One purchase, Unlock the Library, opens every work in full, and every work added later. It’s paid once, never as a subscription, and Family Sharing shares it with your family.

I bought the library, but it’s locked on this iPhone

Open Settings, the gear at the top of My Commonplace, and tap Restore Purchase, signed in with the Apple Account you bought it with. The same button is at the foot of every locked page.

How do I get a refund?

Purchases are made through the App Store, so Apple handles refunds: ask for one at reportaproblem.apple.com.

Can I choose what the feed shows?

Yes. Open Settings, the gear at the top of My Commonplace, and tap What You Read to choose the traditions and shelves the feed draws on.

Can I change the text size, or read in dark pages?

Under Reading in Settings you can set the appearance (light, dark or as your iPhone is set) and the size of the text in the works. The feed fits each passage to its page.

What does the app send?

Only usage counts, such as how many passages were read on a visit, and never what you write or anything that says who you are. You can see every count and turn them off under Privacy in Settings. The privacy policy has the details.

Where do the texts come from?

From public-domain editions, with each translator named. Sources and Credits in Settings lists them.

What does Take & Read need?

An iPhone with iOS 26 or later.