Short answers to the questions that come up most often. Each one links to a fuller explanation where there is one.
About the app
Why is the app empty when I install it?
Because Boundless ships with zero content sources built in. You add a source repository by URL in Settings, install a source from it, and content appears. Start with Getting started.
Do I need a Boundless account?
No. Signing in is entirely optional, and nothing in the reader is locked behind it. Signed out, everything runs on your device and nothing is sent anywhere.
An account is there if you want your data saved instead of living on a single device, and it is where your privacy settings and parental controls are managed. You can create one at any point, or never.
Where is my reading progress stored?
Locally, on the device you read on. Your library, chapter progress, precise reading positions, and history all live there. See Your library and the privacy page.
Does my progress sync between my iPhone and my iPad?
Not while you are signed out. Each device keeps its own library and its own positions, and nothing leaves the device at all. Saving your data across devices is what an account is for.
What happens to my data if I delete the app?
It goes with the app. The reading database is local, so deleting Boundless removes your library, progress, history, and downloads from that device.
Sources and content
Where do sources come from?
From source repositories that you add by URL in Settings. The official one is:
https://boundless.moe/repo
It carries only public-domain and openly licensed content.
What is in the official repository right now?
Two sources: Project Gutenberg and Komga Demo. Project Gutenberg offers more than 70,000 public-domain books, with browsing, search, and genre filtering, full reading in the app, and books split into real chapters. Komga Demo connects to Komga's own public demo server, so you can see what a self-hosted comics and manga library looks like inside Boundless before setting up one of your own.
Does Boundless host or store the content I read?
No. Sources are JavaScript extensions that run on your device in JavaScriptCore, and they fetch directly from whatever site they target. Boundless does not host, proxy, or cache content on any server. Adding sources explains the setup and what it implies.
Can I add a repository I found somewhere else?
You can add any repository by URL. Boundless cannot vouch for one it did not publish, and adding a repository means running its code on your device and fetching from its sites with your connection. Add repositories you trust.
Why did a source suddenly stop working?
Usually because the site it targets changed, went down, or started challenging requests. See Troubleshooting.
Reading
Can I read offline?
Yes. Download chapters in advance and they read with no connection. Since nothing is cached on a server, downloads are the offline story. Individual and bulk downloading are covered in Your library.
Does it handle novels as well as comics?
Yes. There are two readers: a webtoon and comic reader with continuous vertical scrolling that flows across chapters, and a prose reader for novels with an in-content chapter title card and a reading-progress hairline under the header. See Reading.
How do I turn a page?
Tap the left or right edge to jump, and tap the middle to toggle the reader chrome. A brief flash of color at the screen edge confirms the direction you jumped. There is also auto-scroll with adjustable speed, and holding stops it.
Does it remember exactly where I stopped?
Yes. Boundless stores a precise resume position, not just a chapter number.
Platforms and availability
What does Boundless run on?
iOS 15.1 and later, and iPadOS 15.1 and later. On an Apple Silicon Mac it runs as the iPad app, and it's also available for Android 7.0 and later. On iPad and Mac, long-form screens are width-capped and centered, and the library grid adds columns rather than stretching cells.
Can I change the app icon?
Yes, on iPhone and iPad. Each of the ten accent themes has a matching alternate icon. See Appearance.
Is Boundless on the App Store?
Yes, for iPhone and iPad. On an Apple Silicon Mac it runs as the iPad app from the same listing. Android is a direct download while it works toward the Play Store. Both are on the download page.