Get Started with SimplyE for Android


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Additional help with SimplyE: Getting Started | For iOS | Using SimplyE | Troubleshooting

Compatible Devices

You will need a Google Play account (Gmail account) and a 64-bit device in order to download the app.

  • Recommended: Android 10 API 29 and above
  • Minimum: Android 5.0 Lollipop (some users will still have issues if they cannot update their devices)
  • Devices Tested: Google Pixel, Nexus 7, Galaxy Note

Installation

  1. SimplyE screen on Android

    Download SimplyE from the Google Play Store and install the free e-reader app on your device. Once installed, tap Open from the Pay Store or go to your home screen and tap to open the SimplyE app.

  2. SimplyE screen on Android

    Select The SimplyE Collection to start reading immediately or Pick Your Library to add your local public library collection. When you add your library, you will be taken directly to the catalog so you can browse what is available.

Get a Library Card Through SimplyE

Log into SimplyE with your Library Card

  1. Tap the Settings tab at the bottom of the left hand menu.
  2. Tap Accounts.
  3. Tap the relevant library you wish to log in to.
  4. Tap the Barcode field and enter your library card number in the barcode field.
  5. Tap the PIN field and enter your PIN.
  6. Tap Log In.
  7. Tap on the menu in the top left corner of the screen and tap Catalog to start browsing and searching for e-books.

Apply for a NYPL Library Card

You must be over 13 years of age and live in the state of New York to apply for a NYPL Library Card. When applying, be sure you're within the borders of New York State.

  1. SimplyE screen on Android

    Open the app and select the menu icon

  2. SimplyE screen on Android

    Select The SimplyE Collection



  3. SimplyE screen on Android

    Select Manage Accounts

  4. SimplyE screen on Android

    Select Accounts

  5. SimplyE screen on Android

    Click the + icon

  6. SimplyE screen on Android

    Find The New York Public Library

  7. SimplyE screen on Android

    If you already have a Library card, you can enter your information here

  8. SimplyE screen on Android

    If you don’t have a Library card, and you live in New York State, you can sign up for one here

  9. SimplyE screen on Android

    Allow SimplyE to access your location

  10. SimplyE screen on Android

    Confirm you are in New York State

  11. SimplyE screen on Android

    Confirm you are 13 or older and agree to the End User License Agreement

  12. SimplyE screen on Android

    Enter your home address

  13. SimplyE screen on Android

    Enter your name and email

  14. SimplyE screen on Android

    Enter a new username and PIN

  15. SimplyE screen on Android

    Review all your information to make sure it’s correct and click Create Card

  16. SimplyE screen on Android

    Your digital Library card is now ready. Open the SimplyE catalog to start borrowing.

Browse the E-Book Collections in SimplyE

Tap the Catalog tab in the in the top left corner menu to browse popular and available titles in the catalog. At any time, you can tap the cover of a book to read its description. Tap Get to download the book, or tap Reserve to place a hold a book if it is not available for immediate download.

Find books by scrolling through individually listed categories.

Swipe from left to right on the book covers to view the popular and available for the respective category.

  • Scroll up and down to view the different categories.
  • Tap the category titles or More... to view sub categories or a list of all books in the respective category.

Browse Category List: Scroll up and down to browse the list of books.

Toggle Between Library Accounts

  • Tap the Menu icon on upper left of screen to bring up menu list.
  • Tap the down arrow next to the library name to bring up list of libraries.

You can toggle between accounts in the Catalog View, My Books View, and Reservations view to see items related to those accounts.  You must be logged into the account to see items under My Books and Reservations related to that account. 

Search for an E-book in SimplyE

  • Tap the Search field at the top of the screen.
  • Type the name of the author or title of the book in the search box and click the Enter button in the bottom right corner of the screen.
  • A list of books matching your search criteria will be displayed.
  • Scroll through the list of results to find your book or refine your search.

Open and Read E-Books in SimplyE

  1. Tap the Read button in My Books under the top left menu or on an item page to open and read a book.
  2. To turn the page, tap on the right or left edges of the screen.
  3. To navigate to a different section in a book, tap the Table of Contents button in the upper right corner of the Navigation Bar to bring up the table of contents, then tap on the section or chapter you would like to open. Tap the back button on your device to exit the table of contents.
  4. To exit a book, tap the back button on your device.

If an e-book is published under a Public Domain or Creative Commons license you can hold on to the book as long as you like. Otherwise, the e-book will expire on its due date.

Filter Lists of E-Books in SimplyE

At the list level, there are two ways to filter e-books:

  • Tap All in the Catalog tab to filter a list by Available now, Yours to keep, or All.
  • Tapping Main Collection in the My Books tab to filter e-books by Everything, Main Collection, or Popular Books.

Sort Lists of E-Books in SimplyE

At the list level, there are two ways to change the sort order:

  • Tap Author in the Catalog tab to sort e-books by Author, Title, or Recently Added.
  • Tap Title in the My Books or Reservations tabs to sort e-books by Author or Title.

Adjust Fonts, Contrast, Text Size and Brightness in SimplyE

  • Tap the Aa (Reader Settings) button (second from the right of the top bar menu)

Adjust the font type by tapping one of three available settings:

  • Serif
  • Sans Serif
  • Open Dyslexic

Tap the screen outside the control or tap the Close button to exit the control.

Adjust the contrast by tapping on one of the three available combinations:

  • Black text on White background
  • White text on Black background
  • Black text on Sepia background

Tap the screen outside the control or tap the Close button to exit the control.

To adjust text size:

  • Tap the large A to make the text bigger or the smaller A to make the font smaller.

Tap the screen outside the control or tap the Close button to exit the control.

To adjust brightness:

  • Drag the slide control to adjust brightness to your preferred setting.

Tap the screen outside the control or tap the Close button to exit the control.

Return E-Books

All digital titles are automatically returned to your the Library at the end of their lending periods, so you never have to worry about late fees. If you'd like to return a title early select Return on your My Books section. 
If you do not see the return button you can return these titles through the 3M Cloud Library website

Free to Keep E-Books in SimplyE

Public Domain or Creative Commons-licensed books will display only a Download button. There are some popular favorites preloaded under your MyBooks Tab. You can find books in the catalog that have an option to Download with a note saying you can keep the book, with no expiration date. Tap the Download button to get the book. The button will change to Delete or Read once downloaded. The Book will also show up in the list under the My Books Tab with a Read and a Delete button.

Troubleshooting Guide

If you get a "The download could not be completed" message, check to make sure that:

  • You are connected to the Internet
  • Your library account has not expired. 
  • If you checked out the e-book through the catalog or other e-book app make sure that that the title is not a PDF, Kindle, or audiobook.
  • You have the latest version of the app.

If you have already downloaded the e-book through another source, you will not be able to open it in the SimplyE app. If you still experience downloading issues, try deleting, downloading and reinstalling the app.