BindleSettings Reference
This chapter lists every setting in Bindle, in the order the Settings screen shows them: category by category, and each category's page top to bottom. Each section has a table with the setting's exact label, its choices, its default, the devices that show it, and what it does. The feature chapters explain the ideas; this chapter is the lookup.
Where Settings Is
- iPhone: Tap the Settings tab, at the bottom of the screen.
- iPad: Choose Settings in the sidebar.
- Mac: Choose Bindle > Settings… or press ⌘, (Command-comma). Settings opens as a screen in the library window, the sidebar's Settings item, not as a separate window.
Settings opens on a list of categories. Choose one to open its page. Each category below is one of those pages, and each section under it is a part of that page.
| Category | What's on its page |
|---|---|
| Device & Circle | This device, your personal circle, adding a device, history cleanup, and Battery |
| Reading | The reader, Read By and Digest, highlight review, and Books |
| Listening | Voices, pronunciations, and when audio is made ahead of time |
| Saving & Storage | How much this device keeps, offline reading, site logins, page snapshots, import and export, and the library mirror |
| Search & AI | Search, summaries, and Ask |
| Reminders & Places | Where reminders ring, and places |
| Appearance | How the library shows links, and the app icon |
| Browsers & Shortcuts | Safari, and on the Mac Chrome and Chromium, Quick Add, and Open at Login |
| Privacy & Debug | What Bindle asks each site for, and Debug |
On iPhone and iPad, Settings shows only the sections that apply there.
Almost every setting is kept on the device where you change it. The few that reach your other devices say so.1
Explained and Advanced
A switch at the top of Settings, and in the top bar of every category's page, shows the same settings two ways:
- Explained writes everything as sentences, such as "When a reminder comes due, ring this iPhone." Each sentence says how things stand on this device, such as how many offline copies it holds or which devices it syncs with. The underlined words are what you can change or do: tap a choice to pick another, an action such as "Remove them all" to do it (in red when it removes something, and it asks first), or the name of a page such as Downloads to open it. A short note in italic under each section says what it means.
- Advanced is an ordinary list of switches and menus, with the labels the tables in this chapter use.
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Settings view | Explained, Advanced | Explained | All | How Settings shows its pages, on this device. Both views change the same settings, so a choice made in one shows in the other. |
Device & Circle
This device, the devices you sync with, and when heavy work runs.
This Device
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Any text, then Rename | The device's name | All | The name your other devices show for this one. Type a new name and choose Rename, or press Return. |
| ID | Read only | Set when Bindle is first set up | All | A short code that identifies this device in your circle. On iPhone and iPad, tapping it five times turns "Show Debug screen" on or off. |
If another device removed this one from your circle, a notice at the top of Settings says "Removed from your circle". The device keeps its library but no longer syncs. To rejoin, delete Bindle, install it again, and pair with a device in the circle.
Personal Circle
The section lists each of your other devices ("None yet" before you pair one), with a summary line above them when any exist. In Explained the summary is a sentence, and the devices are contents lines grouped Here now, Away, and Dormant.
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A device's row | Read only | All | Its name and ID, whether it is caught up and how many changes it has, "In range" or "On this network" while it is near, "Plugged in", and when it was last seen and over what. A device running an older or newer Bindle says which one to update. | |
| Remove from Circle | Button (right-click or touch and hold a row, or swipe it and choose Remove) | All | Asks first. The removed device keeps what it has but gets nothing new. To come back, it has to be set up again and paired. | |
| Remove, Keep Waiting | Buttons on a dormant device | All | Shown on a device not heard from for longer than "Mark dormant after". Remove takes it out of the circle; Keep Waiting leaves it. | |
| "Continue from nearby devices" | On, Off | On | All | When a device you are reading on comes near, this one offers to pick up at the same place. |
| Mark dormant after | 7, 14, 30, 60, or 90 days | 30 days | All | How long a device can be silent before it stops holding up history cleanup until it returns. |
| Restart Sync | Button | All | Shown once you have paired a device. Looks for your devices afresh without quitting Bindle. |
See Your Devices for what the circle is and how sync works.
Add Device
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Show Pairing Code | Button | All | Shows a QR code and a pairing link with a countdown. Scan the code with the other device, or paste the link there. | |
| Play Pairing Sound | Button | All | Shows the code and also plays the pairing sound, for a device nearby to hear. | |
| Listen for Pairing Sound | Button | All | Listens for another device's pairing sound. Hold this device near the other one. Stop Listening ends it. | |
| Scan Pairing Code | Button | iPhone, iPad | Opens the camera to scan the other device's pairing code. | |
| Or paste a bindle://pair/ link | Text field, then Join | All | Joins using a pairing link from another device. | |
| "Pairing sound" | On, Off | Off, unless you chose Play Pairing Sound | All | Shown while a pairing code is up. Plays or stops the pairing sound. |
Both devices then show a six-digit code. Choose Codes Match if they are the same, or Codes Differ to stop. See Your Devices.
History Cleanup
This section appears only after this device has cleaned up its history at least once.
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Last cleanup | Read only | All | When the last cleanup ran, and what it cleared. | |
| Undo Last Cleanup | Button | All | For 7 days after a cleanup, brings back the history it cleared on this device. Your links stay as they are, and nothing added since is lost. Asks first. |
Once every device has a change, the older history it replaced is cleared from this device, at most once a day.
Battery
Each kind of heavy work has its own choice. A kind shows only on a device that does it. The audio Listen makes ahead has its own section, under Listening.
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summaries and tag suggestions | Any time, Only while charging | Only while charging | Devices with Summaries | When summaries are written. |
| Search by meaning | Any time, Only while charging | Only while charging | All | When new links are indexed for meaning. |
| Text in images | Any time, Only while charging | Only while charging | All | When pictures are read for search. |
| Offline copies | Any time, Only while charging | Only while charging | All | When automatic offline copies download. |
| Page snapshots | Any time, Only while charging | Any time | All | When automatic snapshots are taken. |
| Link checks | Any time, Only while charging | Only while charging | All | When Bindle checks for dead links. |
| Answering other devices' questions | Any time, Only while charging | Only while charging | Devices with Apple Intelligence | When this device answers questions asked on your other devices. |
Work kept to charging waits until this device is plugged in; a plugged-in device of yours nearby may still do it and hand it over. A link you just saved on this device, and Save Offline, are saved for offline reading at once. Whatever the setting, this work pauses while the device is hot or in Low Power Mode, slows down on iPhone and iPad while it is warm (the Mac keeps full speed until it is hot), and on iPhone and iPad runs in the background only when the system gives Bindle time.
Reading
The reader, read-by dates and the daily digest, highlight review, and books.
Reader
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Offer to continue reading" | On, Off | On | All | When you come back to Bindle, it offers the article you were reading on this device. It also sets whether the Continue Reading quick action shows on the Home Screen. |
| "Open random articles directly" | On, Off | Off | All | Random Article opens its pick at once, instead of showing the card to read or shuffle again. |
| "Archive when finished reading" | On, Off | Off | All | Archives an article once you read past 90% of it in the reader. See Archive When Finished. |
| "Archive when finished listening" | On, Off | Off, or on if listening archived before | All | Archives an article once you listen to its end. |
| "Articles: archive and go on by itself" | On, Off | Off | All | At an article's end, counts down on Archive and Read Next, then archives it and opens the next. Scrolling back up, or Stay Here, stops it. |
| "Books: go on to the next chapter by itself" | On, Off | Off | All | At a chapter's end, counts down on Next Chapter, then opens the next chapter. Nothing is archived. |
| "Books: open from the cover" | On, Off | On | All | A book in Pages opens on its cover, the closed book on a desk swinging open at your place and coming down to your page. Off, it opens straight to the page. The same switch as "Open from the Cover" in the reader's Appearance panel. |
| Go on after | 3, 5, 10, or 15 seconds | 5 seconds | All | Shown while either switch is on. How long the countdown runs. |
| "Pause scrolling when you look away" | On, Off | Off | All | While auto-scroll runs, the front camera checks that you are facing the screen and pauses when you are not. Turning it on asks for the camera. Frames are looked at on the device and never kept. While the camera runs, other audio may pause. |
| Camera | Face tracking (ARKit), Face detection (Vision, 5 fps) | Face tracking (ARKit) | iPhone, iPad with Face ID | Shown while look-away pause is on, on a device that can use both. Chooses how the camera watches. |
| "Apple Pencil turns the page" | On, Off | On | iPad | A squeeze of Apple Pencil Pro turns to the next page, or moves down a screen, and a double-tap turns back. Show How (in the explained style) or "Show How Apple Pencil Turns Pages" shows the tutorial again. See Turn Pages with Apple Pencil. |
| Quick Actions | Opens the Quick Actions screen | On | iPhone, iPad | The small button in the reader for archiving, starring, sharing, and more. See Quick Actions. |
Read By and Digest
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Every morning at | Every half hour, 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM | 8:00 AM | All | When the daily digest comes. |
| Offer me about | 5, 10, 15, 20, or 30 minutes | 15 minutes | All | How much reading the digest offers. |
| Daily digest | On, Off | Off | All | A daily notification of a few unread links that fit the minutes, the same on all your devices. The time, the minutes, and this switch apply to every device. Turning it on asks to send notifications. See The Daily Digest. |
| Give new saves | No date, In a Week, In 2 Weeks, In a Month | No date | All | The read-by date a link gets when you first save it on this device. The row in Settings shows the choice. |
| When a date passes | Leave the link be, Move it to the archive | Leave the link be | All | Moves unread links to the archive once their read-by date has passed, on this device, with Undo. A link moved this way loses its date, so one you bring back stays. |
| Declare Bankruptcy | Everything unread, Older than a week, Older than a month | All | Opens Start fresh. Archives the unread links you choose in one go, showing how many first. Starred links and Up Next stay. | |
| Bring Back Last Bankruptcy | All | Shown after a bankruptcy, until the next one. Brings that whole batch back from the archive. |
See Read By and Start Fresh.
Highlight Review
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highlights a day | 1 to 20 | 5 | All | How many highlights come back each day in Links. |
| "Remind me to review" | On, Off | Off | All | A daily notification when highlights are waiting. Turning it on asks to send notifications. |
| Time | Any time of day | 8:00 AM | All | Shown while the reminder is on. When it comes. |
How you grade each highlight decides when it returns, on all your devices. The count and the reminder are for this device. See Highlights, Notes, and Review.
Books
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Books" | On, Off | On | All | Import EPUB books and read them in the reader. Books move to your other devices over your local network. Preliminary: on while books are tested. |
| Open Everything in the Bindle | Button | All | Shown while Books is on. Opens this book. If you deleted it, Bindle adds it again first. | |
| Undo Book Progress Fix | Button | All | Shown only after Bindle repaired books that had been marked read just by opening them. Marks those books finished again. |
See Books.
E-Readers
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Serve E-Readers" | On, Off | Off | All | This device answers Xteink e-readers running CrossPoint: their book catalog and Sync Progress. A Mac answers while Bindle runs; an iPhone or iPad while Bindle is open. |
| Sync Server, Catalog, Username, Password | Shown | All | Shown while serving is on, once this device holds your circle's key. The same on all your devices. Enter them on the reader. | |
| Status | Shown | All | Which of your devices is answering readers now, by name, or that none is. Shown whether or not this device serves. If this device should answer but another is using the name, it says so and tries again every 30 seconds. |
Each device chooses for itself. See Books on an E-Reader.
Listening
The voice Listen reads with, and when its audio is made ahead.
Voices
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voices | Opens the Voices screen | Shows System, or Natural once a natural voice is downloaded | All | Download the natural voice and choose the voice Listen reads with. See Voices. |
Driving
iPhone: Shown on iPhone only.
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple player | Off, While Driving, Always | Off | iPhone | The player shows six big buttons in place of the full player: Previous, Next Article, Back, Forward, and Play or Pause. While Driving shows them only while this iPhone senses you are in a car, and brings up the player when it senses one while Bindle is reading aloud; Bindle asks for Motion & Fitness access when you pick it. See While Driving. |
Saved Audio
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saved Audio | Opens the Saved Audio page | Shows the space saved audio takes | All | Every article and book with audio on this device: why it's kept, how far along it is, and its size. Swipe a row to delete, stop, or resume it. See See and Delete Saved Audio. |
Pronunciations
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pronunciations | Opens your list of fixed words | None | All | How the natural voices say the words you fixed, on all your devices. Add, hear, change, or remove each one. See Fix a Word. |
Audio Ahead of Time
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up Next audio | Any time, Only while charging | Only while charging | All | When the natural voice reads Up Next ahead. See Up Next Audio. |
| Article audio | Any time, Only while charging | Any time | All | When an article you asked to prepare, or the rest of one you're listening to, is made. See Prepare an Article's Audio. |
| Book audio | Any time, Only while charging | Any time | All | When a book you asked to prepare is made. See Prepare a Book's Audio. |
| Automatic book audio | Any time, Only while charging | Only while charging | With automatic book audio on | When the audio for books you did not ask for, and voices your other devices asked for, are made here. See Automatic Book Audio. |
Audio kept to charging waits until this device is plugged in. Whatever the setting, it pauses while the device is hot or in Low Power Mode.
Saving & Storage
What this device keeps, and moving your library in and out.
Storage
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| This device keeps | Full Archive, Reader, Light (Custom shows when your own settings match none of them) | Reader | All | A preset over the offline reading and page snapshot settings below. Opening a link with no copy here asks your devices on the same network first, then the site. |
| Make Full Archive, Not Now | Buttons | Mac | A one-time card, "Make this Mac a full archive?" Make Full Archive picks Full Archive; Not Now hides the card. |
What each choice sets:
| Choice | Offline copies of unread links | Space for offline copies | Snapshots of unread links | Space for snapshots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Archive | On | 10 GB | On | 10 GB |
| Reader | On | 5 GB | Off | 2 GB |
| Light | Off | 1 GB | Off | 1 GB |
- Full Archive keeps offline copies and page snapshots of everything unread, serves them to your other devices, and collects their snapshots so none is lost.
- Reader keeps offline copies of unread links. Snapshots come from a full archive nearby.
- Light keeps only what you save. Copies and snapshots come from your other devices on the same network.
- Custom means your own offline and snapshot settings.
Offline Reading
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Save unread links for offline reading" | On, Off | On | All | Downloads a readable copy of each unread link to this device. |
| "Also download on cellular" | On, Off | Off | All | Lets automatic downloads use cellular data. Otherwise they wait for Wi-Fi. |
| Downloads | Opens the Downloads screen | Shows how many are left, Paused, or All saved | All | What is downloading, waiting, failed, or skipped. See Downloads. |
| Space for offline copies | 1 GB, 2 GB, 5 GB, 10 GB | 5 GB | All | When the space fills, the oldest copies make room and unread links past it wait. |
| Offline copies | Read only | All | How many copies this device holds, and their size. | |
| Remove All Offline Copies | Button | All | Removes every offline copy on this device. Asks first. |
Copies stay on this device. Read links are removed after 30 days unless saved with Save Offline. Low Data Mode pauses automatic saves. See Offline Copies, Snapshots, and Storage.
Site Logins
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Site Logins | Opens the Site Logins screen | None | All | Sign in to sites you subscribe to, so offline copies get the whole article. Sign-ins stay on this device. See Site Logins Screen. |
Page Snapshots
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Save snapshots of unread links" | On, Off | Off | All | Keeps the whole page as the site shows it, next to the reader copy, on this device only. Save Snapshot on a link works either way. |
| Space for snapshots | 1 GB, 2 GB, 5 GB, 10 GB | 2 GB | All | When the space fills, the oldest make room; links saved with Save Offline keep theirs. |
| "Take snapshots for other devices when plugged in" | On, Off | Off | Mac | Takes snapshots your other devices ask for, using this space. They are the first to go when it fills. |
| Snapshots | Read only | All | How many snapshots this device holds, and their size. With a full archive among your devices, also how many wait for it to keep a copy. | |
| Remove All Snapshots | Button | All | Removes every snapshot on this device. Asks first. |
Snapshots are taken while Bindle is open, on Wi-Fi unless cellular is allowed. Your devices ask each other first, and one on battery leaves new snapshots to a plugged-in device. With a full archive among your devices, a snapshot makes room only once the archive has a copy. See Snapshots Are Never Lost.
Import and Export
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Import Links… | Button | All | Picks a file to import: browser bookmarks, Pocket, Instapaper, Raindrop.io, Omnivore (its ZIP), or GoodLinks exports, a Bindle export, or any text with links. | |
| Paste Links | Button | All | Imports the links in the text on the clipboard. | |
| Export Links… | Bindle JSON (everything), Bookmarks HTML (for browsers), CSV (spreadsheets), Markdown (notes apps) | All | Saves your links as a file in the format you choose. | |
| "Save all for offline reading" | On, Off | Off | All | In the import sheet. Downloads every page in the import on this device and keeps the copies until you remove them. |
Mac: Import Links… and Export Links… are also in the File menu. See Moving Your Library In and Out.
Library Mirror
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Choose Folder… | Button | No folder | All | Turns the mirror on: Bindle writes your library into the folder you pick, as Markdown files and web pages, plus Bindle.json. |
| Folder | Read only | All | The folder in use, with how many links it holds and when it was last updated, or "Waiting for (the drive's name) to mount" while the folder's drive is not mounted. | |
| "Include page snapshots" | On, Off | On | All | Also writes this device's page snapshots into the folder as web pages, with their PDFs and screenshots. |
| "Only While Charging" | On, Off | On | All | Waits to update the folder until this device is on external power. |
| Mirror Now | Button | All | Updates the folder at once, even while waiting for the charger. | |
| Take Over This Folder | Button | All | Shown when another device writes the folder. One device writes a mirror folder; taking over stops the other one. | |
| Choose Another Folder… | Button | All | Moves the mirror to a different folder. | |
| Stop Mirroring | Button | All | Stops writing. The files already there stay. Asks first. |
iPhone and iPad: The folder is written while Bindle is open, and catches up when you come back.
Search & AI
Search, summaries, and Ask Your Library. Everything here runs on your devices.
Search
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Search by meaning" | On, Off | On | All | Also finds links about what you typed, with a small language model (about 23 MB, downloaded once on Wi-Fi) that runs on your devices. While it works, rows below show the download and how many links are indexed. |
| "Read text in images" | On, Off | On | All | Finds words in the pictures of offline copies, such as charts and slides, and in saved pictures and scanned PDF pages. |
| "Show links in Spotlight" | On, Off | On | All | Lets Spotlight on this device find your links by title, note, site, and tag. Turning it off removes them from Spotlight. |
See Search and Ask.
Summaries
This section shows only on devices that can run Apple's on-device model (iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or macOS 26 and later).
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Summarize links and suggest tags" | On, Off | Off | All, with Apple Intelligence | Apple Intelligence on this device writes a short summary of each link saved offline and suggests tags. Summaries sync to your devices like notes. It needs Apple Intelligence turned on in the system's Settings. |
Ask
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Ask Your Library" | On, Off | On | All | Ask questions about the articles you saved. With Apple Intelligence, this device answers from your offline copies and also answers questions asked on your other devices. Without it, a device of yours that has it answers when it syncs. |
Reminders & Places
Where reminders ring, and the places Nearby uses.
Reminders
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Ring Reminders on This Device" | On, Off | On for iPhone, Off for iPad and Mac | All | Whether this device alerts you when a reminder comes due. Reminders sync everywhere either way. Turn it off where you don't want the same alert twice. |
| Open Notification Settings | Button | All | Shown when the setting is on but notifications are off for Bindle. |
Places
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | Opens the Places screen | Shows how many places you have | All | Add, edit, and delete places. See Places Screen. |
| Nearby Range | 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, or 100 km (shown in miles where your region uses them) | 25 km | All | How far past a place's edge Nearby and the Nearby widget look. |
| Open Location Settings | Button | All | Shown when location is off for Bindle. |
Bindle reads your location only while Nearby, the map, or the Nearby widget is showing, and when it opens, to say you're near a place. It stays on the device and no history is kept.
Appearance
How the library shows links, and the app icon.
Appearance
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Compact rows" | On, Off | Off | All | Shows each link as its title and byline only, so more fit on screen. The same choice as Compact in the layout switch; turning it off goes back to Rows. |
| "Tapping a link" | Shows Details, Opens Reader | Shows Details | iPhone, iPad | What a tap on a row or grid card does. Shows Details opens its details. Opens Reader opens the link as Open does: the reader, or your browser for a page that cannot be saved. The other is always a button on the row or card, and in the long-press menu. |
| "Tilt pictures as you move your phone" | On, Off | Off | iPhone, iPad | Pictures in the grid shift as you tilt the device. Uses the motion sensor while the grid is on screen, and pauses in Low Power Mode. Shows off, and cannot be changed, while Reduce Motion is on. |
In Explained, "Compact rows" reads "Show the library as full rows, titles and sites only, or cover cards", the same three choices as the layout switch.
The reader has its own Appearance panel; see Reader Appearance below.
App Icon
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| App Icon | Red, Navy, Black | Red | All | iPhone and iPad: Changes Bindle's icon on this device's Home Screen. Mac: Changes Bindle's icon in the Dock while it runs; Finder and Launchpad keep the red bandana. |
Browsers & Shortcuts
Saving from browsers and the Lock Screen, and on the Mac Quick Add and opening at login.
Safari
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bindle in Safari | Read only: On, Off | Mac | Whether Safari has the extension turned on. | |
| Open Safari Extension Settings | Button | Mac | Opens Safari's settings at Bindle's extension. |
iPhone and iPad: The section says where to turn the extension on: Settings > Apps > Safari > Extensions > Bindle. Allow it on every website so its button shows which pages are saved.
Scanning from the Lock Screen
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| After a Lock Screen Scan | Review in Add Link, Save Right Away, Ask Each Time | Review in Add Link | iPhone, iPad | What a link scanned from the Scan QR Code widget, control, or Shortcut does: fills in Add Link for you to save, is saved at once, or shows Save, Read Now, and Edit. Read Now opens it without saving it. This device only. |
Chrome and Chromium
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome, Chromium | Read only: Connected, Not connected, Needs access, Not installed | Mac | Whether each browser can reach Bindle. | |
| Connect | Button | Mac | Shown when a browser is not connected. Lets the browser's extension reach Bindle. | |
| Allow Access… | Button | Mac | Shown when Bindle needs your permission to set up the browser's folder. Choose the folder it opens to. | |
| Add the Extension | Steps, with buttons | Mac | How to add Bindle's extension to the browser, a button that copies the extensions page's address and opens the browser, and, where the extension's folder is found, Show Extension Folder and Copy Folder Path. |
See Bindle on the Mac for the steps.
Quick Add
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Show Bindle in the menu bar" | On, Off | On | Mac | Shows Bindle's item in the menu bar. |
| Quick Add shortcut | Record Shortcut (shows the current one), Clear, Reset | ⌃⌥⌘B (Control-Option-Command-B) | Mac | The keyboard shortcut that opens Quick Add from any app. A shortcut must include ⌘, ⌃, or ⌥. Clear removes it; Reset brings back the default. |
| Open Keyboard Shortcuts Settings | Button | Mac | Opens the system's Keyboard Shortcuts settings, where you can give Services > Save to Bindle its own shortcut. |
See Bindle on the Mac.
Open at Login
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Open Bindle at login and keep syncing" | On, Off | Off | Mac | Bindle starts in the menu bar with no window and syncs while you work. macOS keeps this setting, so System Settings > Login Items can change it too. |
| Open Login Items Settings | Button | Mac | Shown when macOS needs you to allow Bindle in Login Items to finish turning this on. |
Privacy & Debug
What Bindle asks each saved site for, and the way into Debug.
Site Info
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Fetch site icons and titles" | On, Off | On | All | Asks each saved site for its icon, title, and preview image. Nothing goes to any other service, and the results stay on this device. |
| Clear Site Icon Cache | Button | All | Removes the icons, titles, and pictures fetched so far on this device. | |
| "Show Debug screen" | On, Off | Off | All | Shows the Debug item at the end of this page. |
Debug
The last item in Privacy & Debug, Debug, opens a screen for developers: search indexes, sync sessions, measurements, and buttons to rebuild indexes or sync now. It shows when "Show Debug screen" is on, and always in development builds. You don't need it to use Bindle. See Privacy and Troubleshooting.
Voices
Settings > Listening > Voices.
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Voice: Download | Button | Not downloaded | All | Downloads Kokoro, an AI voice that runs entirely on this device. English only; other languages use the system's voices. Downloads wait for Wi-Fi unless cellular downloads are allowed. |
| Quality | Standard, Full Precision | Standard | All | Shown once Kokoro is downloaded. Standard is half precision and sounds the same; Full Precision is the original, twice the size. |
| Natural Voices | A list of voices, each with its accent and grade | All | Download a voice, then tap it to read with it. Remove takes one off the device. | |
| Try Supertonic: Download | Button, then a list of voices | Not downloaded | All | An experimental second on-device voice, built to use less power. English, ten voices. Tap a voice to read with it. |
| System Voices | A list of the device's voices | The best installed English voice | All | Tap one to read with it. More are in the system's Settings under Accessibility, Spoken Content, Voices. |
| On This Device | Read only | All | The space the downloaded voices use. | |
| Remove Kokoro, Remove Supertonic | Buttons | All | Removes that voice's files. Listen uses the system's voices until you download again. Asks first. | |
| "Save audio while listening" | On, Off | On | All | When you listen to an article, makes the rest of its audio ahead and keeps it until you archive it. See Prepare an Article's Audio. |
| Saved Audio | Opens a page | All | Every article and book with audio on this device: why it's kept, how far along it is, and its size. Swipe a row to delete it, stop it, or resume it. See See and Delete Saved Audio. | |
| Article Audio, Delete All Article Audio | Read only, button | All | The space audio made ahead for Up Next and for the articles you prepared or listened to takes, and a button that deletes it. Asks first. | |
| Prepare audio automatically for | Only Books I Ask For, Books I've Started, Started and Next Unread, Every Book | Only Books I Ask For | All | Which books' audio is made ahead without asking, asking your other devices first and leaving the work to a plugged-in one while on battery. See Automatic Book Audio. |
| Unread books ahead | 1, 3, 5, 10 | 3 | All | With Started and Next Unread, how many of the newest unread books are made too. |
| Space for book audio | 1 GB, 2 GB, 5 GB, 10 GB, 20 GB | 10 GB on Full Archive, else 1 GB | All | The most book audio this device keeps. Chapters behind your place go first. |
| Book Audio, Delete All Book Audio | Read only, button | All | The space book audio takes, and a button that deletes it. Asks first. |
Nothing you listen to leaves your device. See Listening.
Quick Actions
Settings > Reading > Reader > Quick Actions, on iPhone and iPad.
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Show quick actions in the reader" | On, Off | On | iPhone, iPad | A fan of actions in the reader. Slide to an action and let go. |
| Open With | Dot, Edge Swipe | Dot | iPhone, iPad | Dot: a small button at the edge of the reader; touch it and slide to an action, or tap it and choose. Edge Swipe: no button; swipe in from either side and slide to an action. See Edge Swipe. |
| Position | Right Edge, Left Edge, Bottom Center | Right Edge | iPhone, iPad | Where the button sits. At Bottom Center, the actions fan upward. Not shown for Edge Swipe. |
| Height | A slider from top to bottom | A little below the middle | iPhone, iPad | How far down the edge the button sits. Not shown for Bottom Center. |
| Preview | Read only | iPhone, iPad | The fan as it opens from the chosen position. | |
| Slot 1, Slot 2, and so on | Any action not already in a slot | Archive, Star, Open Website, Share, Mark as Read, Copy Link, Listen | iPhone, iPad | The actions in the fan, in order. Slot 1 sits at the top of the fan (at the left from Bottom Center). |
| Add Action | Remind Me…, Read By, Send To, Appearance, Start Over, Minimal Mode, Scroll Hands-Free, and any default you removed | iPhone, iPad | Adds a slot, up to 7. Move Button always comes last, to drag the button somewhere else. | |
| Edit | Toolbar button | iPhone, iPad | Drag slots into a new order, or delete them (one must stay). | |
| Reset to Default | Button | iPhone, iPad | Puts back the default actions. | |
| Reset Button Position | Button | iPhone, iPad | Puts the button back where it started. Not shown for Edge Swipe. |
Downloads
Settings > Saving & Storage > Offline reading > Downloads. The saving capsule in the library opens it too.
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Read only | All | What downloading is doing now, and how many are left. | |
| Download Now | Button | All | Shown while downloads wait for power. Downloads now, until Bindle leaves the screen. | |
| "Pause automatic saving" | On, Off | Off | All | Stops downloads on this device. Pages already downloaded are still made ready, and Save Offline still works. |
| Now | A list | All | Pages downloading now, with their stage and progress. Swipe or right-click for Skip. | |
| Up next | A list, with Skip All | All | Pages waiting their turn. Skip All asks first; skipped pages stay skipped until you save them. | |
| Failed | A list, with Retry All | All | Pages that failed, why, and when they are tried again. Each has Retry and Skip. | |
| Not retried | A folded list, with Clear All | All | Pages that kept failing and are no longer tried. Download from a link's details to try one again. | |
| Skipped | A list, with Save All | All | Pages you skipped, or that had no space under the limit. Save brings one back. |
Places Screen
Settings > Reminders & Places > Places > Places.
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Add Place | Toolbar button | All | Adds a place: Search Apple Maps, Use Current Location, or Drop a Pin. | |
| A place | Opens its editor | All | Shows how many links and collections are there. | |
| Name | Text | All | The place's name. | |
| Size | Spot, Neighborhood, City | All | How big the place is. A spot fits a store, a neighborhood fits a park or campus, and a city fits a trip. | |
| Map | Tap to move | All | Where the place is. | |
| "Saved Place" | On, Off | All | Saved places like Home and Work come first when you add a place. | |
| Kind | None, Home, Work, Church, School, Other | None | All | Shown for a saved place. |
| Address (optional) | Text | All | The place's address. | |
| Delete Place… | Swipe or right-click | All | Deletes the place on all devices. Its links and collections stay. Asks first. |
Site Logins Screen
Settings > Saving & Storage > Site Logins.
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Site address | Text, then Sign In | All | Enter the site's address, or a link from it, then sign in on the site's own page. | |
| A site | Opens its page | All | Shows the site, and Status, signed in or not. | |
| Sign In Again | Button | All | Signs in to the site again. | |
| Sign in automatically | Username or email, Password, then Save | Empty | All | When the site signs you out, Bindle signs in again with these, once, in the background. They are kept in this device's Keychain. Leave them empty to be asked instead. |
| Sign Out | Button | All | Removes the site's cookies and saved password from this device. Offline copies already saved stay. Asks first. |
A site you sign in to gets its cookies on this device only, for that site's pages alone. They never sync.
Settings Outside Settings
Some settings live where you use them. Bindle remembers each on the device where you set it.
Reader Appearance
Open the reader's Appearance panel from its toolbar (or press T in the reader to step through themes).
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Font | Sans, Serif, Libron, Rounded, Mono, OpenDyslexic, Atkinson | Serif | All | The reader's typeface. |
| Smaller, Larger | 15, 17, 19, 22, 25, 29 pt | 19 pt | All | The text size. |
| Layout | Scroll, Pages | Scroll | All | Scroll down one long page, or turn pages like a book's. Books and articles each keep their own. See Pages. |
| "Open from the Cover" | On, Off | On | All | Shown for a book in Pages. The closed book, as thick and as worn as on your shelf, swings open at your place and rises to your page. |
| Running Head | Title and Chapter, Title, Chapter, Off | Title and Chapter | All | Shown in Pages. The small heading over each page: the title over a left page and the chapter over a right one, or just one of them. A chapter's first page has none. |
| "Typeset Like a Book" | On, Off | On | All | Shown in Pages. Indented paragraphs with no space between, and a large first letter where a chapter opens. |
| Spacing | Compact, Normal, Relaxed | Normal | All | The space between lines. |
| Width | Narrow, Medium, Wide | Medium | All | How wide the column of text is. |
| Justification | Ragged Right, Justified, Hyphenated | Ragged Right | All | How lines end: uneven on the right, flush with both sides, or flush with long words broken at the end of a line. |
| Theme | System, Light, Sepia, Dark, Black, Starship | System | All | The reader's colors. System follows the device's light or dark mode. Starship is a theme of its own; see A Hidden Theme. |
| "Pure Black in Dark Mode" | On, Off | Off | All | Shown with the System theme. Uses black instead of dark gray when the device is in dark mode. |
| "Interface Sounds" | On, Off | On | All | Shown with the Starship theme. |
| "Minimal Mode" | On, Off | Off | All | Hides everything but the article. Tap the text to show the controls. |
Hands-Free Scrolling
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Auto-Scroll, Tilt to Scroll | Auto-Scroll, then the one you used last | Tilt on iPhone, iPad | Auto-Scroll moves the page at a steady pace; Tilt to Scroll follows how you hold the device. |
| Speed | 0.5x, 0.75x, 1x, 1.25x, 1.5x, 2x, 2.5x, 3x, 3.5x, 4x | 1x, then the last you used | All | Multiples of a reading pace. Press [ or ] to change it from the keyboard. |
| Look-Away Pause | The eye button on the scroll bar | Off | All | The same setting as "Pause scrolling when you look away" in Reader. |
Speed Read
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slower, Faster | 150 to 1,000 words a minute, in steps of 25 | 300, then the last you used | All | How fast words show. |
| Look-Away Pause | Button | Off | All | Pauses when you look away, and goes on when you look back. |
Listen Player
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | 0.8x, 1x, 1.25x, 1.5x, 1.75x, 2x | 1x, then the last you used | All | How fast Listen reads. |
| Voice | Natural voices you downloaded, then system voices | The voice chosen in Voices | All | Who reads. Manage Voices… opens Voices. |
| Sleep Timer | Off, End of Article, 15 Minutes, 30 Minutes, 60 Minutes | Off | All | Stops listening after that time, or at the end of the article. |
| Show Text, Hide Text | Button | Hidden, then as you left it | All | Shows the sentence being read. |
| Full Screen, Exit Full Screen | Button | Off, then as you left it | iPad, Mac | Fills the window with the player instead of a card. |
The Link List
| Setting | Choices | Default | Platforms | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Layout | Rows, Compact, Grid | Rows on iPhone, Grid on iPad and Mac | All | Mac: A switch in the toolbar. iPhone and iPad: The layout button in the toolbar. Compact is also "Compact rows" in Appearance. |
| Sort | Newest Saved, Oldest Saved, Title, Site, Shortest Read, Longest Read, Recently Opened, Nearest | Newest Saved | All | The list's order. Nearby keeps its own order, Nearest by default. Reminders stay in due order and search results in best match order. Choosing Nearest first asks for your location. |
| Show | All, Unread, Starred, Archived, Read By, Up Next | All | Which links the list shows, above the list on iPhone and in narrow windows. In a wider window, the sidebar has these lists instead. |
See Your Library.