How to read your Calibre library on iPad and iPhone

Updated October 27, 2026 · 5 minute read

Apple Books can’t connect to a Calibre library, and Calibre has no iOS app. Here are three ways to read your Calibre books on an iPad or iPhone, including offline on a plane.

1. In Safari, like an app

1. Open app.usecalibre.com in Safari and sign in.
2. Tap Share → Add to Home Screen. useCalibre now opens full screen, like an app.
3. Tap a book, then Read. Choose sepia or night pages, your font and size with Aa.

Your place is saved as you read and carries over to your computer and other devices.

2. Offline, for flights

1. Before you leave, open each book’s page and tap Save for offline reading.
2. On the plane, open useCalibre from the Home Screen and go to Offline. Your books open with no connection.
3. Back online, the pages you read are synced.

3. In Apple Books

On a book’s page, tap Send to Books… and choose Books in the share sheet. Apple Books reads EPUB and PDF. Your place in Apple Books stays in Apple Books.

Or use a reading app with OPDS

Apps that support OPDS catalogs, such as Readest, KyBook 3, PocketBook Reader and FBReader (and Panels or Chunky for comics), can browse your whole library and download books. Make a password for the app under Manage → Reading apps in useCalibre, then add https://app.usecalibre.com/api/opds as a catalog in the app. The steps are the same as in the KOReader guide.

A note on DRM

Books bought from stores often carry DRM, which only the store’s own app can open. useCalibre doesn’t remove DRM; it tells you when a book has it, and you can still download the file.