Pocket Lab support
A little help getting back to your book.
Pocket Lab reads English EPUBs aloud using narration prepared on your iPhone. Find answers below, or email [email protected].
Adding a book
Tap Import EPUB in your library and choose a file in Files. Pocket Lab reads English EPUBs with selectable text. Protected books and books made only of scanned images cannot be narrated.
A book stored in iCloud Drive or another file provider may need to download first. If it will not open, download it in Files, then try importing again.
Importing the same file again opens the copy already in your library and keeps its saved position.
Listening offline
Narration is prepared on your iPhone. Once a book has been imported, you can read it and prepare new narration without an internet connection.
The first sentence may take a moment to prepare. Saved audio starts faster next time. Playback can continue with the screen locked; if iOS closes the app, reopen your book and press Play to continue.
A sentence sounds wrong
Pause playback and use the sentence controls to return to the affected sentence. Open Listening options at the top of the reader, then choose Regenerate this sentence.
Pocket Lab replaces that sentence’s saved audio and tries again. If generation fails, you can retry or choose to skip the sentence.
Playback stopped
Calls, other audio, and disconnecting headphones or car audio can pause narration. Check your audio output and volume, return to Pocket Lab, and press Play.
Resuming starts the sentence from the beginning. If the app is preparing narration, give it a moment; you can still pause while it prepares.
Using Bedtime
Open Bedtime from the reader and choose how long to listen. The timer includes preparation time and pauses after the current sentence finishes.
Quiet is the default. Turn on Spoken check-in to hear a short reminder when the session ends. Press Play to listen for another interval, or use Return to bedtime start to return to the saved starting point.
Your iPhone feels warm
Preparing narration uses your iPhone’s processor. Charging and other activity can add heat. A break from listening and charging can help the phone cool.
If Pocket Lab shows a temperature warning, it pauses and recommends a break. You can choose Resume anyway. Generation may be slower while the phone is hot.
Books and saved audio
Pocket Lab keeps a local copy of each imported book and saves your reading position. Deleting a book in its library menu removes that copy, its saved audio, and its progress from Pocket Lab. The original file in Files is not deleted.
Clear saved audio in Listening details removes narration for that book while keeping the book and its position. Narration is prepared again when needed. Older audio is also cleared automatically as the audio cache fills.
Sharing or deleting diagnostics
Open Settings or Listening details and choose Share listening diagnostics. This opens the system share sheet; nothing is sent automatically. Diagnostics include times, book identifiers, reading positions, playback and generation timings, buffering, battery and temperature information. They do not include book text, titles, authors or audio, but can reveal reading activity.
Local diagnostics are limited to seven days and 5 MB. Old records are removed when the app next opens, records an event or prepares a share file. Use Delete diagnostics to remove them sooner. This keeps your books, saved audio and position, and does not interrupt playback. New activity can create new diagnostic records. Copies already shared are separate.
Contact support
Email [email protected]. Please include:
- What happened, roughly when it happened, and what you expected.
- The app version shown in Settings, your iPhone model and iOS version.
- For listening problems: whether the screen was locked and which headphones or speakers you used.
Diagnostics are optional. Please do not send a whole book or unrelated personal information. If there is no email app configured on your phone, copy the address into the email service you use.