#185 in free Education
📚 Education
📚 Books
Free

Details

  • Released
  • Updated
  • September 15, 2010
  • July 30, 2026

Features

Bookshelf screenshot #1 for iPhone
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Bookshelf screenshot #7 for iPhone
Bookshelf screenshot #8 for iPhone
iphone
ipad
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About

Access and study your digital textbooks on your iPad or iPhone. This app allows for offline reading, note-taking, flashcard creation, and customizable reading settings. Sync your progress across devices for a seamless study experience.

Offline reading
Customizable highlighters and notes
Flashcard creation
Personalized reading settings
Read Aloud feature
Cross-device syncing
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What users say

See all reviews

What's New in Bookshelf

11.4.1

July 30, 2026

* Additional crash fixes * Highlighting performance has been improved, especially for users with large highlight collections * Smoother scrolling and zooming in PDF books, with significant stability improvements (iOS only) * Improved app stability with fixes for crashes across all platforms * Stylus annotation support has been removed to improve overall reliability * Improved navigation when deep linking to specific figures and headings in EPUB books

More

Charts

Top Free

📉 185-5

Education

This app dropped -5 positions in Education chart.

Last updated on August 8, 2026.

User reviews

Biopsychology

There is no way enlarge print. Cannot use more than one device at a time. One must sign out of your phone to use the iPad. Also not compatible with Kindle,which has a much more useable interface.

Don’t work for IOS

The app crashed upon open in IOS

A bit clunky on iPadOS

With the Magic Keyboard case attached, it’s clunky to move through pages in this app. I often have to move back to the sidebar to move onto a new section instead of just swiping or pressing an arrow key to move on.

Doesn’t save place in book

Solidly okay, but doesn’t save place in book so half the time when you get off task you have to faff around to get back to correct spot

App keeps Closing

Application keeps closed after trying to open it. Theres No update but bugs need to be fixed.

Developer apps

User experience

🐞

Reported Bugs

4 issues

Frequent crashes and freezes

Bug

Issues with page loading and scrolling

Bug

Inconsistent behavior when switching between devices

Bug

Unreliable text-to-speech functionality

Bug

Requested Features

5 requests

Improved highlighting and annotation tools

Feature

Apple Pencil support for note-taking

Feature

More customization options (e.g., font, layout, night mode)

Feature

Seamless cross-device synchronization

Feature

Enhanced search and navigation features

Feature

FAQ

What does the Bookshelf app do?

The Bookshelf app provides a digital-first study experience for your VitalSource textbooks on your iPad or iPhone. It allows you to access, read, and study your textbooks anytime, anywhere, with features designed to enhance learning.

What are the key features of Bookshelf?

Key features include downloading books for offline reading, customizing highlighters and adding notes, creating flashcards with text and images, personalizing reading settings like font and background colors, and using the Read Aloud feature to listen to your books.

Is Bookshelf free to use?

The Bookshelf app itself is free to download and use. However, you will need a VitalSource Bookshelf account and access to one or more VitalSource textbooks to utilize its full functionality.

What are the system requirements for Bookshelf?

To use Bookshelf, you need a VitalSource Bookshelf account, access to VitalSource textbooks, and an iOS device running iOS 17 or later.

How does Bookshelf help with studying?

Bookshelf aids studying by offering features like offline access to textbooks, the ability to highlight and take notes directly on pages, creating flashcards for active recall, and personalizing the reading experience for better comprehension. The cross-device syncing also ensures your study progress is always up-to-date.