Solon: Master what you read

tudy programme: reading sessions, active recall, spaced repetition, and a schedule that adapts to what you actually remember. Most study apps help you collect material. This one is built around the part that does the work — being asked to retrieve something before you are certain you can. HOW IT WORKS Import a PDF. Solon reads its structure — outline, headings, page ranges — and builds a plan across the days you have. If the deadline does not fit the material, it tells you, instead of quietly producing an impossible schedule. Each session runs as a sequence: read a section, answer for it from memory, and rate your confidence before you find out whether you were right. SPACED REPETITION Reviews are scheduled by an SM-2 derived algorithm with real learning and relearning steps. A card you fail comes back in the same sitting. Two cards made from the same idea are not shown back to back. Daily limits are honoured, so the queue never balloons after a week away. Nothing here rewards showing up. There are no streaks and no badges. The only numbers are evidence of retrieval. ACTIVE RECALL, NOT RE-READING • Recall checkpoints while you read, at a frequency you set • Self-explanation prompts: write your understanding before any explanation exists • Check My Understanding records your hypothesis first, then grades it • Highlights in five meaningful categories, which become retrieval practice with the text hidden WHAT IT TRACKS Mastery is derived from evidence — successful recalls, distinct days, quiz accuracy, longest interval — and it decays if you stop. A chapter is only as strong as its weakest tested concept. A misconception is only named once there is repeated, independent evidence for it. THE READER Continuous and two-up layouts, OCR for scanned pages, full-text search, notes split into "the source says" and "I think", and read aloud. AI IS OPTIONAL Flashcard generation, quizzes, section summaries and a Socratic tutor are available if you switch AI on and add your own OpenAI API key. The key is stored in the iOS Keychain and used only to call OpenAI directly from your device. With AI off, Solon makes no network requests at all. Reading, highlighting, notes, manual flashcards, reviews, quizzes and your whole schedule keep working. PRIVACY No account. No analytics. No advertising. No third-party trackers. Your PDFs and your study history stay on your device, and sync through your own iCloud account only if you turn that on. REQUIREMENTS iPhone and iPad, iOS 18 or later. AI features require your own OpenAI API key, which you get from OpenAI and pay for directly. Solon takes no cut and adds no markup. Named after Solon of Athens, who reportedly said he grew old always learning.