Release notes for the SentiaRead macOS and Windows app.
Desktopv1.14.0
Better Lookup, Reading & Playback
New Features
Lookups can recognize a complete phrase around the selected word and update the highlight and definition together
Sync YouTube watch history and playback progress across devices
Added an Auto option for service region selection, with better connection switching when network problems occur
Improvements
Word lookup, sentence translation and AI explanations make better use of surrounding context in books, podcasts and video subtitles
Improved cloud read-aloud caching, with re-download support to recover damaged cached audio
Improved content sync and retries after a login session expires
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue that could leave a blank screen at startup
Fixed issues with YouTube playback and vocabulary definitions in subtitles
Fixed EPUB chapter titles, poetry stanza spacing, and footnote popup display and navigation
Fixed inline definitions failing to move with the text after the page layout changed
Improved definition caching and cards during repeated lookups and translation language changes, along with localized text and subscription price display
Desktopv1.13.1
Subtitle & Sync Improvements
Improvements
Improved sentence splitting for long YouTube subtitles and handling of caption request limits
Improved content sync at startup, when switching windows and after reconnecting to the network
Desktopv1.13.0
Podcasts, YouTube Channels & Podcast Subtitles
New Features
Beyond books and featured podcasts and videos, you can now add podcasts and YouTube channels of your own. Follow them to see new episodes and videos in your library
Search for podcasts by name, including shows from Apple Podcasts, or add a show with its RSS link. You can also add a YouTube channel by pasting its link
Plus members can generate subtitles in the cloud for English podcast episodes without them, subject to the transcription allowance
Improvements
Search now brings together your library, vocabulary, books, podcasts and videos in one place
Podcast subscriptions and listening progress sync across your devices. Playback failures now explain what happened and offer a retry
Featured catalogs and show pages reopen more smoothly, subscriptions refresh automatically, and library covers load more efficiently
Bug Fixes
Fixed a word being added to your vocabulary after you had already closed its quick lookup card
Fixed a failed file sync blocking other items in your library from syncing
Desktopv1.12.12
Markdown Local Images & Drag-and-Drop Fix
New Features
Markdown imports now copy locally referenced images into your document so they display while reading
Bug Fixes
Fixed dragging and dropping .md files into the library showing an "unsupported file type" error
Desktopv1.12.11
Smoother Onboarding & a Webpage Import Fix
Improvements
Onboarding is easier to get through: on walkthrough steps, the Continue button now appears after 20 seconds even if you haven't tried the demo, and the trial page now has a close button in the corner
The commitment step now uses a simple "Click to commit" button instead of the stamp seal
macOS 12 or later is now required; on older systems the app shows a clear message at launch instead of a blank window
Bug Fixes
Webpage imports from the browser extension now clear the import data from your clipboard, so opening a reader window afterwards no longer shows a duplicate "Webpage imported" message or a parse error
Desktopv1.12.9
Windows Window Controls & Reader Settings
New Features
Custom window controls and borderless title bar designed specifically for Windows
Added an opt-in scroll wheel page turn toggle in reader settings, with refined gesture momentum
Improvements
Faster cloud TTS audio synthesis with low-latency routing and automatic fallback for users in mainland China
Smoother loading placeholders for books, podcasts, and YouTube channels in Discover, and a cleaner sidebar
Bug Fixes
Automatically repairs and refills missing sentence contexts and definitions during synchronization
Desktopv1.12.7
Touchpad & Wheel Page Turns
New Features
Turn pages smoothly using your mouse scroll wheel or touchpad swipe gestures in the reader
Improvements
More reliable connections and faster sync for users in mainland China
Faster book cover loading and improved caching across your library
Bug Fixes
Fixed lookup accuracy for words and phrases containing curly apostrophes
Desktopv1.12.6
No More PDF Page Limit
New Features
PDF import no longer caps the page count, so thousand-page textbooks, manuals, and paper collections come in whole
Improvements
Signing in works more reliably on slow or unstable connections
Bug Fixes
Inline vocabulary meanings now scale with your reading font, and no longer get squeezed at tight line spacing
Desktopv1.12.5
Rebuilt Onboarding & Steadier Imports
New Features
A rebuilt welcome and first-run guide, in step with the mobile app
A Chrome extension shortcut in the sidebar, and an X contact option under Help & Support
Settings links straight to the changelog on our website
Improvements
Reworked import and sync status: big files no longer freeze the window, uploads show real progress, and the indicator clears as soon as everything is up
Deleted books leave your library right away, without waiting on the cloud
Rebuilt upgrade and trial screens that follow your interface language
The main window opens roomier by default
Bug Fixes
The upgrade screen no longer flashes English when it opens
Interface language no longer carries over to another account after switching
Desktopv1.12.4
PDF Import, Read-Aloud & Collections
New Features
PDF import, parsed right on your computer, with chapters, images, and the cover picked up automatically
Read-aloud that keeps going through a whole chapter
Collections for organizing your library from the sidebar
A rebuilt quick lookup card with a steadier layout and one-click add to your vocabulary
An interface font size control under Appearance
Footnotes open in place, without leaving the page you're on
Bug Fixes
Fixed the white screen on launch in 1.11.0
Fixed sign-in failing when the computer's clock is off
Fixed the translation card running off the window near the bottom of a page
Desktopv1.12.0
Clearer credits and Plus limits
Improvements
Usage settings show how many credits you get each week, and note that they refresh every Monday without carrying over
Upgrade prompts and the usage screen spell out what Plus covers — unlimited lookups, translation and AI explanations within fair use
Desktopv1.11.0
In-app browser, YouTube, and collections
Six weeks of work on where your reading material comes from and how you keep it organised: a browser inside the app for finding and downloading books, YouTube videos you can study the way you study podcasts, search across everything with one shortcut, and collections for arranging your library.
New Features
A browser window inside the app: open a site, download a book, and it is imported without leaving SentiaRead, with a task panel showing what is still coming in
Book sources moved into the Discover page, with a set of built-in sites you can search one by one and fuller result rows to tell editions apart
YouTube videos come with captions you can study: the player sits above the transcript, the current line is lifted onto a card, and the word being spoken fills in as you listen
Press Cmd+K to search your library and the catalog from any screen, with covers shown in the results
Group books into your own collections, which sit in the sidebar alongside the automatic ones, and switch between categories with tabs on the library page
Improvements
Lookup windows can be dragged out of the way, and the detail panel shows the sentence the word came from
Desktopv1.10.0
Sentence analysis in reading assist
New Features
Reading assist adds a sentence analysis view and a simplified rewrite of the sentence, alongside the explanation, meanings and highlighted expressions
Improvements
Reading assist is organised into tabs and the original sentence can be collapsed, so the panel stays compact
Desktopv1.9.0
Windows support
The desktop app now runs on Windows as well as macOS. This release also brings native-language explanations to vocabulary lookups and lets you paste text from the web straight into your library.
New Features
SentiaRead desktop now runs on Windows (64-bit), with the same library, reader and sync as the Mac app
Vocabulary lookups explain each meaning in your native language, and you can pull up an example sentence for the specific meaning you are looking at
Podcast transcripts can show inline meanings for words already in your vocabulary list, the same way books do
Copy an article from the web, paste it in, tidy it up in the editor, and save it to your library — clippings get their own badge on the cover
Improvements
Page turning in the reader is now done by clicking the left or right side of the page instead of scrolling
Reading fonts ship with the app, so a book looks the same on Windows and macOS, and each platform starts from a sensible default
Desktopv1.8.0
Podcast subscriptions and What's New
New Features
Subscribe to a podcast and find every show you follow on one subscriptions page
A What's New section on your library shows content recently added to the catalog, with a full list when you want more
Import Markdown files and read them like any other book
Desktopv1.7.0
Open With on macOS
New Features
Open a book from Finder straight into SentiaRead — right-click the file and use Open With, or make SentiaRead the default
Improvements
The library home has a Continue row for the books and episodes you are partway through, and a History page listing what you opened recently
Book details open as a page you can go back from, returning you to the same spot in the catalog, and scrollbars now sit over the content instead of taking up width
Podcast pages and the play button show their loading state, so it is clear when audio is still being fetched
Desktopv1.6.0
Podcasts with interactive transcripts
Listening joins reading on the desktop. Browse podcasts, play an episode, and follow the transcript while it plays — with the same lookup, vocabulary highlighting and note-taking you already use in books.
New Features
Find podcasts in the app, open a show to see its episodes and description, and play an episode in a two-column player with the transcript beside it
The transcript follows the audio word by word, and you can look a word up, save it, or highlight a line exactly as you would in a book
Slow an episode down or speed it up, and come back later to the second you stopped at
Improvements
Word lookups, translation and reading assist respond faster from mainland China, and you can pick your service region by hand in account settings
Saved words highlight without lag in long chapters
The quick lookup toolbar shows a placeholder while the definition loads, instead of an empty box
Desktopv1.5.0
Reading goals and streaks
New Features
Set a daily reading goal and watch it fill in: a progress ring on your library, plus a page with your calendar, longest streaks and a trend chart
Improvements
Reading assist lets you turn the thought-group split on or off, so you can keep a sentence whole when you don't need it broken up
Desktopv1.4.0
Reading assist for long sentences
New Features
Select a long sentence and reading assist breaks it into thought groups, translates it, and points out the expressions worth knowing — each part can be read aloud
Improvements
If your library ever looks out of date, you can clear the local copy and pull everything down from your account again, step by step
Books added on another device download in one piece and are checked for completeness before they open
Desktopv1.2.0
Inline meanings and native-language lookup
New Features
Quick lookup now answers in your native language, so a word you don't know isn't explained with more words you don't know
Words already in your vocabulary list can show their meaning inline, right above the word, so you can keep reading without opening a card
Improvements
Quick lookup results appear without a wait on a page you have just turned to
Desktopv1.1.0
Quick lookup toolbar
New Features
Select a single word and a compact toolbar appears right there, so a quick lookup no longer opens the full dictionary card
Desktopv1.0.0
SentiaRead desktop for macOS
The first stable desktop release, for macOS. Build a library from your own EPUB and TXT files, read them in a paginated reader made for a big screen, and look up words in context without leaving the page. Your library, reading progress, vocabulary, highlights and notes stay in sync with your account, so you can carry on where your phone left off.
New Features
Build your library by dragging EPUB or TXT files in, picking them from Finder, or adding free books from the built-in catalog — covers are pulled from the file and duplicates are caught before they pile up
Each book opens in its own window with a paginated reader: one or two columns, twelve reading fonts, six themes, a chapter outline, click zones on either side to turn the page — and it reopens where you stopped
Look up any word right in the page: definitions that take the surrounding sentence into account, in English and your native language, US and UK phonetics you can play, and example sentences
Save words to your vocabulary list, mark what you know with a keyboard shortcut, and see saved words highlighted as you read — a word you look up repeatedly is added for you
Highlight passages — including selections that run across paragraphs — attach notes to them, and browse everything you have marked from one place
Have a selected passage read aloud, with each word highlighted as it is spoken, in an American or British voice