Frequently asked questions

Last updated: 24 July 2026

What is Skim or Dive?

Skim or Dive is an ebook reader for your own EPUB and TXT files. Its defining feature is a five-level detail slider: any passage can be read at level 5, the author’s original prose unchanged, down to level 1, a one-sentence condensation of the same passage, with graduated levels in between. You move the slider mid-chapter, so you can skim a slow stretch and read the next scene in full. It’s on iOS and Android, and it’s free.

Does Skim or Dive come with books?

No. There’s no catalogue or store — you import your own EPUB or TXT files. DRM-free files you already own work, as do public-domain books from sources like Project Gutenberg. Files locked to another store’s DRM can’t be imported.

How does the detail slider work?

Each section of a book has five detail levels. Level 5 is the complete original text. Level 1 is a one-sentence summary of that same section. Levels 2 to 4 are progressively more detailed condensations. The lower levels are generated by AI from the book’s own text, and the full original is always one slider position away.

Is Skim or Dive free?

Skim or Dive is free to download and use, with no ads and no third-party trackers. The AI-powered features have some usage limits on the free plan, and a paid plan that lifts them is planned.

Is Skim or Dive just summaries, like SparkNotes?

No. The default reading experience is the author’s full, unabridged text. The lower detail levels exist for the stretches where you’d otherwise abandon a book, so you can reach the ending instead of quitting halfway. Diving into the full prose is the point; skimming is the escape hatch. See how this helps you finish more books.

What is Ask the book?

Ask the book lets you ask a question while reading and get an answer drawn only from the pages you’ve already read. Because it can’t see ahead, it won’t spoil what happens later in the book.

What is One More Chapter?

When you finish a book, One More Chapter can generate a new continuation grounded in that book’s characters and voice, in a tone you choose: exciting, silly, mundane, mind-bending, or a whole new genre. It’s a playful extra, not a replacement for the author’s work.

Which file formats does it support?

EPUB and TXT. PDF isn’t supported yet, and there’s no sync with other reader ecosystems such as Kindle or Kobo.

How is my data and privacy handled?

There are no ads and no third-party trackers. The summarising, generated-chapter, and Ask the book features send the relevant passage to a third-party AI provider (OpenAI) to be processed; everything else stays in your library. You can delete your account and its data from inside the app at any time. Full details are in the privacy policy.

Why does it need an account?

An account keeps your library, reading progress, bookmarks, and generated detail levels in sync across your devices, and it’s how the monthly AI usage limits are applied. You can delete the account, and the data tied to it, from within the app.

Does it work offline?

Your library downloads to the device so you can read without a connection, and bookmarks made offline sync when you reconnect. The AI features (summarising, generated chapters, and Ask the book) need a connection because they’re processed on a server.

What platforms is it on?

iPhone and iPad via the App Store, and Android via Google Play. One difference between them: the page-curl page-turn animation is currently Android only; iOS uses a slide transition.