Libby, by OverDrive

I love to read. And half the books I read, I don’t actually own. This app has made reading more efficient. It is more efficient to use this app then to go to a physical library. It is entirely free, with no in-app purchases. You can check out almost any book, from the comforts of home. This app works just like a normal library allowing you to place holds, and renew books. You may also pre order books, allowing you to place a hold to read a book for when it comes out. You can also sample a book. This allows you to read a small portion of the book before checking out, or placing a hold. I recommend using this app on an iPad, because the screen is much bigger. Eye strain problems can cause headaches while you read! (And it can be super annoying). You can download books for reading in places with 0 internet connection. All you need to check out a book is a internet connection, and then you can download it. You can choose to read a book you check out on the Libby app, or a Kindle. The search filters are super easy to use, and they are effective to. You can filter by the appropriate audience, format (Ebooks, Read aloud, And Audiobooks), Availability, style, Language, and Genre. You can search by Author, Title, and Series. It also will recommend you with books you may read, based on previous reads. I have been using this app for YEARS. And it has made reading 100% more efficient, and easy. If you are a very avid reader, I recommend this AMAZING App to you!

Libby is an essential app for book lovers, particularly during this time when many libraries are closed to visitors. I have been using the app for several years and always been happy with it. Recently, updates to the app have made it even better—particularly the option to have a hold delivered later (useful when multiple holds come available at the same time). The app is easy to use for reading and listening on the go, but I also love the ease of sending ebooks to my Kindle when I want a larger screen. (One downside is not being able to send audiobooks to Audible, which would enable whispersync between ebook and audiobook for readers who are doing both, but I suspect that’s an issue with Amazon’s audiobook model rather than the library.) I like being able to track how long I will need to wait for a book (Libby often overestimates the wait time, which I appreciate because then I’m pleasantly surprised when the book becomes available early). I appreciate being able to link multiple library cards in one app and switch between them easily. When it comes to potential negatives for some readers (such as long wait times for popular books), it’s important to remember that those issues are just part of being a library reader rather than buying all your books—not an issue with the app itself. Go ahead and place the hold; high demand for a book often encourages public libraries to purchase additional copies (or digital licenses) for the book.

I’ve listened to podcasts for years but have recently had difficulty finding the quality of content I used to be able to easily find. So grateful I found this app when I did, as there is no end to the amount of quality (audio) books in a library. Thank you so much! UPDATE 9/5/22 I still love & cannot live without it, but PLEASE fix whatever has happened (I assume on last update?) with the tags. It used to be so easy to add/create/manage tags, and now it’s just awful. I can’t for the life of me figure out why you’d change it. I am not stupid, but pretty much have to go to the help section to get instructions to remind me now how to do it. In addition, I had a list of probably 20-30 books tagged as “want to read,” that just disappeared. I’ve tried to recreate this tag/list now 4 times, and every time my phone turns off, it logs me out of the app and in turn, erases my created tags/list. THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING!! I do not want to hog books & be forced to check them out and then sit on them while I finish others just b/c I cannot depend on my saving of it to a “want to read” list. ALSO, if it’s going to log me out every time my phone shuts off, then PLEASE make it where you can scan your library card to login rather than having to drag the card out, and type in all the numbers. Other than those glitches, I truly love the app. 8/5/22- PLEASE bring back ratings on books!

I absolutely love Libby! This app is a fantastic source of knowledge, and all the literature I could possibly dream of. I’m grateful for finding it. With my library card, I easily gain access to the plentiful selection of books in my local library! This is wonderful in moments, especially those we’re in now, facing corona virus, but also if you cannot get to a library for any reason other than that there after. The simple curtesy of lending goes far too unnoticed these days and this was such a creative idea to bring our library’s into our homes! I highly recommend this app to all who loves to read, and for those who intend to put the book back on the shelf when finished. I love that there are audiobook’s as well! This is highly appealing and makes it easier to get through books quickly but also for those with children AND for children— Essentially those that are too busy to read. I am able to play the audio and the book is read aloud to me making me able to do my work, housework, and even shower while listening! Thank you to the developers of Libby and the team who made this possible!! I am so happy that this app was made in an easy to use format and accessible to everyone!! From the simple appealing layout to the easy accessibility and attention put into detail, this app was clearly well thought out and I could tell!

I think it's so cool how you can use this with your library card. This is my go to reading app! I just wish it was available for NOOK tablets. Kind of an old device, but it's sort of a drag to read a book on overdrive and it not be synced up with my libby app therefore it wasn't tracking my reading time. Other than that, love it. Some people are complaining on here that they have to wait 5 months for a book or so... can't you find a book that isn't super popular right now and put a hold on what you want? That's how you discover really good books. Patience and curiosity. I find it super annoying/entitled that people are saying this because eventually it will be your turn, just have patience and read something else. If you want it that bad, buy it

This app is a literal treasure for anyone who enjoys audiobooks. I find Amazon’s pricing model to be out of whack and their stranglehold on the audiobook industry to be downright oppressive. I discovered this app and after a little legwork all done online to get a membership card for my local library, I was listening to audiobooks from my backlog in no time. The selection isn't quite as extensive as Audible for obvious reasons, but the vast majority of titles are available. The only other caveat is that sometimes books (available in both kindle or audio format) are in use by another user and you will need to put your name on a reservation list. Depending on how many people are ahead of you in the cue, it could be anywhere from 14-21 days before you can take it out for personal use. I have absolutely no problem with this however. I just move on to the next title I’m interested in. It’s actually kind of fun when you get a notification a couple days or weeks later that your book is available. The process reminds me very much of the good old days of actually going to the library. I honestly can’t recommend this app enough. In a world where companies are constantly trying to nickel and dime you through every step of the process, it’s nice to know that books and the endless knowledge and entertainment they provide, are still available for free for anyone who is seeking them out.

It would be so great if they added Chromecast as an option for audiobooks. It would help out the average Joe, as well as those with blindness. As of now you can Bluetooth to a mini speaker, but it also connects your phone calls and phone sounds. Please add Chromecast! Also, yeah, the menu is annoying to navigate. It's weird that a tiny, nondescript button at the top is how I find my holds and such. So weird. I also can't find a lot of books I want to read. :(

It is ok, but not as good as Overdrive. I moved to Libby because my library forced me to. Libby is simple, but just like many recent apps, it hides or eliminates customization. How it works is how it works. I miss Overdrive's ability to use the volume keys to turn pages. Also I have to exit my book to see the percentage of the book remaining. It does tell you how many pages you have read out of the total, but I don't want to do the math. A percentage is more intuitive. It also froze once today.

There are certain features and layouts that are on Overdrive that I love. Overdrive has a feature that will let you suggest a book to your library of choice. Is that something that can be added to Libby? I like that you can keep scrolling on Libby rather than clicking pages. However, Libby still seems kind of choppy. Navigating Overdrive feels more intuitive than Libby. It feels like I have to go to more screens and punch more buttons to get back to a previous selection rather than home screen

Very disappointed in this replacing the original Onedrive. Tried this app a few years ago and didn't like it( kept loosing place in audio books and freezing up) and now have to use it and it's still causing the same problems. Don't like the layout, the search for books, wishlist, and checkout are all difficult and early return of a book is very hard to find. Also the audio quality is no where near as good. Ditch this and bring back the original Overdrive! Will be only using Audible from now on.

Update on first rating. I figured out the app, it worked great. I love it. Then a few weeks ago it stopped playing when out of wifi range even when downloaded! No reason for this, Libby cannot figure it out. I am devastated with this malfunction and so disappointed in the app. I called Verizon thinking it was a phone issue, but it's an app issue. There are no updates to the app and if you uninstall and reinstall you lose all your libraries.