You may not typically view your phone as a severe e-reading device, but it can provide a satisfactory experience. The screen size is often a concern, but most smartphones have a minimum 4-inch display, allowing larger font sizes without compromising text justification, even in portrait view.
It’s not solely the font size that discourages users from reading on their smartphones but the smaller size of the device than a printed book. Holding a smartphone doesn’t quite provide the same tactile experience as holding a book.
Many phone reading problems lie in the plane of predisposition or are associated with incorrect settings. We will help you make reading books on your phone more comfortable and make this process more enjoyable. Just use the tips below.
#1 Start Small
To develop the habit of reading, you can begin with collections of short stories or long-form magazine articles. Chasity Moreno, from the New York Public Library’s Reader Services department, suggests that you don’t have to tackle something like “War and Peace.”
She recently enjoyed Mariana Enriquez’s book “The Dangers of Smoking in Bed: Stories,” which includes a dozen captivating short stories. According to Moreno, shorter works like these are less intimidating and can inspire you to establish a personalized reading routine.
#2 Focus on the Center
It’s possible to change the position of the text on mobile phones and PCs, unlike in books. For instance, if this line is the last one on your screen, you can drag the screen to have the lines you’re currently reading in the center.
This will make reading more comfortable for your eyes. To maintain the center alignment of the text, you need to increase your finger movement. This will help keep you more alert while reading.
#3 Testing Applications
While you are choosing the best way to read books for yourself, it is worth trying functional applications for smartphones. Even relatively simple services offer more books than any library, they allow you to set bookmarks, highlight text, and change fonts and themes.
Plus, there are highly specialized services, like apps for novels or science fiction. If you need a novel reading app, you should try Fiction Me app – a service with a lot of content from the most famous to small authors. In addition to basic functions, the service allows you to reproduce text by voice and offers its own community for discussing novels.
#4 Disable Notifications
It’s frustrating when you’re fully engrossed in an intriguing plot development in a great book and then interrupted by email and Facebook notification pings. Longer reads can easily break your immersion, unlike shorter ones.
For iOS phones, disabling notifications requires you to do it on an app-by-app basis or enable airplane mode. Android, on the other hand, provides a simpler solution. When a notification appears in your notification shade, long-pressing brings up a link to the app’s notification page through the “i” icon.
It is a shortcut to the app notification page, accessible via Settings > Sound & notification > App notifications. Every app is listed here, allowing you to decide whether or not to block notifications by toggling the Block option.
#5 Downloading Books
If you’re planning to get an e-reader, consider opting for a version with 3G. This way, you can conveniently buy and sync books no matter where you happen to be. But hold on a second. You already own a device equipped with 3G: your smartphone.
Any ebook store that offers a cloud bookshelf (the best example is Amazon) allows you to download an ebook onto any authorized device.
For example, picture this: you can purchase a book with your smartphone while on a bus. Simply choose the device you wish to send the book to – perhaps the Kindle. When you return home and open the Kindle, the book will already be waiting for you there.
#6 Use Sans Serif Fonts
When you read books or texts on your eReader or tablet, opt for Sans Serif fonts like Arial, Helvetica, or those that start or end with “Sans”. Most frequently visited webpages use Sans Serif fonts as their primary reading font. Research has repeatedly proven that sans-serif fonts are the most comfortable reading on screens.
Conclusion
To start reading a lot on your phone, you must get used to the new realities a little. These techniques will help you optimize your reading process and get more pleasure. The additional features of e-books will come in very handy.
