Every Lectern update, newest first: what changed, and what you actually notice while reading. Lectern is updated regularly and every release ships through Google Play.
1.9.6
The table of contents and chapter navigation were rebuilt.
Nested parts and subsections now appear in the contents list and jump to the exact section
Links inside a book open the right place instead of the top of the file
The contents list marks the section you are actually reading
PDFs show their outline and current section too
1.9.5
A crash when switching E-ink mode on and off is gone.
Toggling E-ink mode while reading no longer crashes the app
1.9.4
Performance and maintenance.
Lower memory use and a faster start
Covers found online are stored smaller, keeping the cover cache compact
1.9.3
PDF and FB2 polish.
PDF: tap the page to show or hide the reader controls
PDF: external links ask before leaving the app
FB2: numbered lists show 1. 2. 3. instead of bullets
1.9.2
Calmer reading and a tidier voice picker.
Publisher text colours that would be unreadable on dark or sepia fall back to the theme colour
The read-aloud voice picker is a centred dialog instead of a menu over the page
1.9.1
Read-aloud voices remember your choice.
"Auto" remembers your voice per language
Clearer voice names, and your pick sticks
Choose Kokoro quality, Light or High, when both are installed
Instant, fully offline app-language switching
1.9.0
A broad stability and rendering pass.
Sharper PDF text: headers and footnotes no longer swallow words
Better multilingual rendering for Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Hindi
Your reading position sticks inside long paragraphs
Smarter read-aloud voice routing and language detection
1.8.19
Small refinements and stability.
Quiet improvements under the hood
1.8.18
Clearer voice choice and better e-paper support.
Picking Piper or Kokoro without a downloaded voice opens the download sheet instead of quietly playing the system voice
Colour e-ink support, with a Grayscale or Colour screen-type choice
Flat, bordered surfaces and fewer motion artefacts on e-paper
1.8.17
E-ink polish and fuller stats.
Clearer text highlights and read-along tracking on e-paper
Screen-only controls are hidden on e-ink, where they do nothing
Comic and PDF reading counts toward your stats and reading time
1.8.15
E-ink mode and Italian.
New E-ink mode: crisp high-contrast black and white, auto-detected, one switch in Settings
Italian added; German, French and Dutch are now fully translated
1.8.14
Library filter fix.
Tapping "more of this author or series" clears active filters, so you see every matching book
1.8.13
Smarter library grouping.
Books in a series stay together
Tap an author or series to find more of them in your library
Authors, series and collections that differ only by capitals or spacing now merge
Optional auto-fill looks up missing titles, authors and covers
1.8.12
Footnotes, formats and audio polish.
Footnotes and cross-references open with a tap, including study Bibles
Verse numbers and note marks are no longer read aloud
"Open with Lectern" works for MOBI, AZW3, FB2 and comics
FB2 tables and lists render properly
1.8.11
Truer publisher formatting.
Bible verse numbers render as small superscripts instead of full-size text
Wider support for publisher stylesheets, so richly formatted books look closer to their design
1.8.10
The page keeps what the author put there.
Poems keep their line breaks instead of collapsing into one justified block
Scene breaks render as a gentle centred ornament instead of a bare grey line
1.8.9
Android 15 edge-to-edge, fully resolved.
Removed the last deprecated display API behind a Play Console warning; nothing changes visually
1.8.8
Android 15 ready.
Cleared a deprecated edge-to-edge display API flagged on Android 15
1.8.7
Kindle files, SVG and picture books.
Real-world Kindle files (AZW3) open with images and a real table of contents
SVG illustrations, inline SVG and SVG covers now show up
Children's fixed-layout books open as full-screen pages with pinch-zoom
DRM-protected EPUBs get a clear explanation instead of garbled text
1.8.6
A stability sweep of more than forty fixes.
A library rescan can no longer wipe a book's reading position, bookmarks and highlights
With sync on, a highlight deleted on one device stays deleted
PDF keeps your page when you switch between scroll and page view
The play button works again after an audiobook finishes
Calibre-Web downloads no longer overwrite each other
1.8.5
Read-along navigation and calmer tap zones.
Tapping text in any chapter jumps the narration there
Previous and next chapter buttons for audiobooks with several chapters
Tapping the page opens the menu by default; page-turn tap zones are off by default
1.8.4
Read-along restored.
EPUB3 read-along works again, and rendering is back on the intended path
Linking your own audiobook is a standard option instead of an experimental one
1.8.3
Audiobooks resume where you left off.
Linked audiobooks continue instead of restarting from the beginning
Removed the experimental on-device read-along for your own audio files; it could not reach reliable sync
1.8.2
A render fix for EPUBs with named entities.
Books that showed empty or one-word pages, no cover and a very late first chapter now render fully
Contents pages fill properly instead of putting one entry on each page
1.8.1
Audiobooks and read-along.
Read-along for EPUB3 books with built-in narration: the text highlights sentence by sentence, and you can tap any line to jump there
Adjustable playback speed, shared with read-aloud
Playback pauses for a call or when you unplug your headphones, then resumes
An audiobook filter and a headphones badge in the library
1.7.0
Chapter info under the progress bar.
A chapter line under the progress bar: page within the chapter, pages left, or off
1.6.1
Reader settings polish.
Reader settings reveal the page behind them, so no text is hidden while you adjust
Scroll inside a settings tab without the panel sliding shut
1.6.0
Reader settings redesigned.
Five focused tabs, Type, Display, Focus, Audio and Advanced, instead of one long list
The book itself is the preview: move a slider and watch your real text change
Preset name and Reset or Save sit permanently at the bottom
1.5.1
Settings preview polish.
The live typography preview stays pinned while you scroll the rest of the settings
1.5.0
Reading focus modes.
Dim the paragraphs you are not reading, a line band, auto-scroll, sentence focus and word-by-word Quick Read
A pacer at your own words per minute, for both scroll and page mode
A word-spacing slider and soft colour tints for visual stress
Live typography preview in the reader settings
1.4.2
Sync, covers and audio fixes.
Bookmarks and highlights trigger automatic sync
EPUB covers with spaces or brackets in the filename appear again
A failed audio sentence is skipped and playback continues
Faster book opening
1.4.1
Voice crash fix.
Fixed a crash the first time a Kokoro voice was played
1.4.0
Premium voices, now multilingual.
Kokoro v1.0 with 53 natural voices across eight languages
Choose a lightweight or a high-quality pack, and switch any time
Voices grouped by language
Lock-screen controls show the chapter that is actually being read
1.3.0
Stats, backup and sharing.
Multi-year stats: browse your reading history year by year and share a year as a card
Reading backup: export your progress, sessions and highlights, then restore them on a new device
An optional setting to open your last book on launch
