NYPL Header Logo

Get Started with SimplyE for Apple iOS


Arabic | العَرَبِية · Bengali | বাঙালি · Chinese (Simplified) | 简体中文 · Chinese (Traditional) | 繁體中文 · English · French | Français · Korean | 한국어 · Polish | Polski · Russian | Русский · Spanish | Español · Urdu | اُردُو


Compatible Devices

SimplyE requires an Apple ID and a device with iOS 10.0 or later in order to download the SimplyE app.

  • iPad and iPad mini 5th generation and newer, iPad Air 2 and newer, iPad Pro 3rd generation
  • iPhone 6 and newer, iOS 10+
  • iPod Touch 5th generation, iOS 10+

Installation

SimplyE home screen on iOS

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

NYPL screen on SimplyE for iOS

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 right of the screen.
  2. Tap Accounts
  3. Tap the respective library account
  4. Tap Barcode or Username field to enter library card number or username.
  5. Tap the PIN field and enter your PIN.
  6. Tap Log In. (Make sure the EULA Acceptance is checked to activate log in button)
  7. Tap Catalog at the bottom left of the screen 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.

SimplyE screen on iOS

Tap the Settings tab at the bottom right of the screen.

SimplyE Settings screen on iOS

Tap Accounts

SimplyE Accounts screen on iOS

Select The New York Public Library

SimplyE Account screen on iOS

If you don’t have a Library card, and you live in New York State, you can sign up for one here. Tap the Sign Up link next to "Don't have a library card?"

SimplyE Sign Up screen on iOS

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

SimplyE Location Check screen on iOS

Allow SimplyE to access your location and confirm you are in New York State.

SimplyE Location Check screen on iOS
SimplyE Home Address screen on iOS

Enter your home address.

SimplyE Personal Information screen on iOS

Enter your name and email address.

SimplyE Username and PIN screen on iOS

Enter a new username and PIN.

SimplyE address screen on iOS

Review all your information to make sure it’s correct, then click Confirm.

SimplyE card info screen on iOS

Your digital card is now ready! Click Done.

SimplyE barcode screen on iOS

Open the SimplyE catalog to start borrowing.

Switch between Libraries

  1. Tap the library toggle (library icon) on the upper left of the screen
  2. Tap the library you wish to switch to.

You can toggle between libraries on the Catalog, My Books and Reservations tabs at any times. Items in these view are limited to the library indicated on the Menu bar. Note you must be logged into that library on the app to see items on My Books and Reservations.

Browse the E-Book Collections in SimplyE

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

Find more books by scrolling through individually listed categories.

Swipe from left to right on the book covers to view 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

Search for an E-book in SimplyE

  • Tap the Search Icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
  • Type the name of the author or title of the book in the search box and click the Search 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 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 exit or navigate to a particular section, tap the center of the screen to bring up the Navigation Bar.
  4. 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 arrow in the top left corner to exit the table of contents.
  5. To exit a book, tap the back arrow on the Navigation Bar.

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

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

Adjust Fonts, Contrast, Text Size and Brightness in SimplyE

  • Tap the center or bottom of the screen to bring up the Navigation Bar.
  • 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 to close the control.

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

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

Tap the screen outside the control to close 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 to close the control.

To adjust brightness:

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

Tap the screen outside the control to close 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 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 "Download Failed" 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.