Paper324 OP

Paper324 OP 8 mo ago



Why?

Because I want to read Manga on my phone and there's only one app that supports MD afaik, MangaStorm and it's UI is shit. MangaRock has died and we don't really know when they'll stop hosting manga for users who had it installed before it was taken down.



Release date?

In short, no idea. Apple requires you to get a $99/year dev account for putting stuff on the App Store and I am broke atm. If enough people want me to make this into a thing then I might get the dev account, otherwise, I'll probably set up some crowdfunding thing to get the funds once it has most of the features implemented



Notes:

I've decided to remove ads altogether *IF* I can get enough funds from Patreon to keep the Developer account up. If, after a month I still think Patreon will not be able to sustain the Developer account fees, I'll add ads. Patrons will get exclusive access to the TestFlight builds once I get the dev account.

Also, I made a discord for some community feedback. I am frequently asking for feedback on UI of the app and other user-related actions within the app so if you're interested in the development of the app, drop by



Discord (updated): https://discord.gg/Ny83JV3

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FaizanDurrani

Trello: https://trello.com/b/vcHjcUUK/mdreader-ios.



Planned Features

• Fetching recent updates

• Reading Manga

• Searching without having to login

• Tag-based search, including Demographic

• Advanced search

• Local lists

• List syncing with MD

• User login using MD

• Hentai support

• Chapter tracking

• Offline access

• Chapter downloading

• History

• Notification on chapter release



Demos

Update 3 (Basic search, Reading)

Update 4 (Login, List Syncing)

Update 5 (Adv. Search, Discover page, Better UI)

Update 6 (Improved UI)

Update 7 (Chapter syncing)

Update 8 (Offline mode, Chapter syncing, UI Improvements)



FAQ

Spoiler



Why are you making this?

My main reason for making this app is to not be dependant on Manga Rock, while I really like the app I do not want to depend on something that might close any day possibly without any prior notice. Apart from that, there aren't that many manga reader which have a UI similar to Manga Rock and provide support for Manga Dex (I know MR didn't have support for MD but it more than made up for it with suggestions). This is a personal project that I want to release for the community of Manga Dex but since Apple has a really big entry fee for their app store I am unable to afford to it as a University student.



What type of Business Model will you be going for?

None. I am not looking to make a profit off of the app. As long as I can somehow cover the costs for the Apple Dev account I don't care if I make a profit or not. It would be nice to get support for the development of the app but that totally up to the community.



When are you planning on releasing the app?

I am waiting for the Patreon goal to reach, after which I will purchase the apple developer account and roll out a closed TestFlight build to all the patrons. Patrons will get access to the TestFlight builds as long as they are pledged. The app will release after 2-3 weeks of TestFlight testing without any ads if the goal is still reached. If I believe that I wont be able to sustain the Apple Dev account cost with Patreon, I will add ads and give existing and older Patrons the choice to opt for a no-Ads version.



What if Apple rejects the app?

This is out of my control. I cannot guarantee that the app will be accepted by Apple. I will do my best to have it comply with their policies but at the end of the day, it's up to the manual reviewers to decide whether it gets put up on the app store or not.



Will there be an Android version?

At the moment, I have no plans for making an Android version. That said, if the iOS app is well received by the community I'll consider an Android port. Meanwhile, people should use Tachiyomi with the MangaDex extension on Android I believe it has basic features such as search and local follows.



Will I be able to import my Manga Dex or Manga Rock mangas?

MangaDex syncing will be supported from day 1. Manga Rock on the other hand, I am still trying to work out a couple of things, but it will eventually be supported.



What can I do to support the development of the app?

Apart from becoming a Patron. You can let other people reading manga on iOS that this exists. The more people there are who are willing to use this the more incentive I have to finish and polish the app.



Is this an official app for MangaDex?

No. This is not an official app for MangaDex. The good people who're making and running MangaDex have nothing to do with this.



Will I get banned from MangaDex if I use this?

No. All the calls to MD are under their suggested limits and shouldn't get you banned. I have not been IP Blocked even once during development. If MangaDex introduces some other restrictions then thats another matter. I will update the app then.



This is an update thread for an iOS app that I am making that fetches manga from MD.Because I want to read Manga on my phone and there's only one app that supports MD afaik, MangaStorm and it's UI is shit. MangaRock has died and we don't really know when they'll stop hosting manga for users who had it installed before it was taken down.In short, no idea. Apple requires you to get a $99/year dev account for putting stuff on the App Store and I am broke atm. If enough people want me to make this into a thing then I might get the dev account, otherwise, I'll probably set up some crowdfunding thing to get the funds once it has most of the features implementedI've decided to remove ads altogether *IF* I can get enough funds from Patreon to keep the Developer account up. If, after a month I still think Patreon will not be able to sustain the Developer account fees, I'll add ads. Patrons will get exclusive access to the TestFlight builds once I get the dev account.Also, I made a discord for some community feedback. I am frequently asking for feedback on UI of the app and other user-related actions within the app so if you're interested in the development of the app, drop by• Chapter downloading• History• Notification on chapter release ago by Last edited 7 moby Paper324

m3ch_mania

m3ch_mania 8 mo ago User login using MD

*cough cough @



@



That way, if v1z or some other company tries to file a copyright claim against your app, you can counter with the fact that you have no control over developers of external plugins. *cough cough @ teasday how about that OAuth support? cough* Paper324 Looks cool! As far as publishing, in order to avoid legal risks due to association with MD, I would consider publishing your app as a generic manga reader with the capability to load "external plugins" that allow users to interact with specific services.That way, if v1z or some other company tries to file a copyright claim against your app, you can counter with the fact that you have no control over developers of external plugins.

Paper324 OP

Paper324 OP 8 mo ago How would copyright against my app even work? I am not hosting any chapters. If anything arises I can just redirect them to MD since all I am doing is displaying whatever is on here.



As far as external plugins are concerned, for a lot of things to work how I want them to (advanced search, md login, md syncing) I will have to make custom solutions so IDK how external plugins will work. For example, for a login-less search to work, I had to clone MD database without chapters and implement my own searching methods. My DB syncs with MD every hour (fetches any updates) so it should stay pretty up-to-date, this allows the app to be a LOT faster than just loading up MD and parsing the HTML also allows more finer control over the search.



Fortunately, MD login is dead simple so I just have to load up the webpage, have the user enter their credentials and grab the cookie MD sets and just pass it with my calls to MD. But yeah, OAuth would be great smfh

Teasday

Developer Teasday 8 mo ago



API changes are for v5, I believe I've repeated that enough that I didn't think you'd even need to ask at this point lol Paper324 Not personally hosting the chapters won't really have much to do with it. The vetters are not going to be happy if the app is blatantly used to access the kind of material we host.API changes are for v5, I believe I've repeated that enough that I didn't think you'd even need to ask at this point lol

Paper324 OP

Paper324 OP 8 mo ago

Dunno if I am happy with the UI yet though.

Spoiler





Implemented a basic follow list locally. MD login is next.Dunno if I am happy with the UI yet though.

Paper324 OP

Paper324 OP 8 mo ago

YouTube Added MD login along with 2-way list syncing. next up is advanced search

Terkke

Terkke 8 mo ago Looks great! Are you going to create a crowdfunding for the dev account?

Paper324 OP

Paper324 OP 8 mo ago



Will this app have features that are locked behind a paywall?

No, I will not be making any features of the app require money.



Is this app MD's official iOS app?

No. Just as Zeph said, there's no official MD app. I am making this because I want to read manga on my phone while offline and cant stand MangaStorm's UI.



Will this app have ads?

Yes, BUT they wont be intrusive. There are a couple of reason I will add ads.

1. Apple dev account costs money.

2. I want to support MD so a portion of whatever I make will go to MD



Will this app support other sources?

I have no plans at the moment to support any other manga source. I feel like I should clarify a couple of questions people might have because of Zeph's announcement No, I will not be making any features of the app require money.No. Just as Zeph said, there's no official MD app. I am making this because I want to read manga on my phone while offline and cant stand MangaStorm's UI.I have no plans at the moment to support any other manga source. ago by Last edited 8 moby Paper324

Paper324 OP

Paper324 OP 8 mo ago Changelog:

• Added a "Discover" page that contains a featured and new titles

• Improved Recently Updated titles list UI (still not sure about this, can use some a bit more work)

• Improved UI for quick search (fixed background color and styling)

• Added Advanced Search

• Improved Login Flow (less likely to fail)

• Improved settings page

• Fixed titles not syncing when marked locally (titles are now correctly updated on MD if sync is on)

• Added support for Hentai in advanced search ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)



Demo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf937FRYDAE



I will probably make the crowd fund page soon, would really like to know how many people are interested in the app at the moment.



If anyone’s got feature requests, I am all ears • Added a "Discover" page that contains a featured and new titles• Improved Recently Updated titles list UI (still not sure about this, can use some a bit more work)• Improved UI for quick search (fixed background color and styling)• Added Advanced Search• Improved Login Flow (less likely to fail)• Improved settings page• Fixed titles not syncing when marked locally (titles are now correctly updated on MD if sync is on)• Added support for Hentai in advanced search ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)I will probably make the crowd fund page soon, would really like to know how many people are interested in the app at the moment.If anyone’s got feature requests, I am all ears ago by Last edited 8 moby Paper324

Paper324 OP

Paper324 OP 8 mo ago Changelog:

• Improved performance issues when switching tabs.

• Overhauled most of the UI.

• Improved overall UI performance.

Update 6 (Improved UI)



Notes:

I've decided to remove ads altogether *IF* I can get enough funds from Patreon to keep the Developer account up. If, after a month I still think Patreon will not be able to sustain the Developer account fees, I'll add ads. Patrons will get exclusive access to the TestFlight builds once I get the dev account.

Also, I made a discord for some community feedback. I am frequently asking for feedback on UI of the app and other user-related actions within the app so if you're interested in the development of the app, drop by



Discord (updated): https://discord.gg/Ny83JV3

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FaizanDurrani • Improved performance issues when switching tabs.• Overhauled most of the UI.• Improved overall UI performance.I've decided to remove ads altogether *IF* I can get enough funds from Patreon to keep the Developer account up. If, after a month I still think Patreon will not be able to sustain the Developer account fees, I'll add ads. Patrons will get exclusive access to the TestFlight builds once I get the dev account.Also, I made a discord for some community feedback. I am frequently asking for feedback on UI of the app and other user-related actions within the app so if you're interested in the development of the app, drop by ago by Last edited 8 moby Paper324

maiz94

maiz94 8 mo ago It's looking good so far. Can't wait to see the final product.

MDReader-Test-User

MDReader-Test-User 8 mo ago Changelog:

• Improved chapter list layout

• Implement chapter marking in the chapter list

• Implement auto chapter marking once the last page is read



Chapter syncing preview • Improved chapter list layout• Implement chapter marking in the chapter list• Implement auto chapter marking once the last page is read

Paper324 OP

Paper324 OP 8 mo ago

Here's the new one: Crap, the last discord link expired. I've updated OP and the last comment.Here's the new one: https://discord.gg/Ny83JV3

Paper324 OP

Paper324 OP 8 mo ago Changelog:

• Added support for using the app with a slow or no connection (no chapter downloading yet, next update for sure).

• Manga details for followed mangas are stored offline so you can view the manga page with slow or no internet.

• Chapters are now synced with MD even if you don't have the manga followed on MD it will still mark it and also keeps track of the read chapters locally.



Preview: • Added support for using the app with a slow or no connection (no chapter downloading yet, next update for sure).• Manga details for followed mangas are stored offline so you can view the manga page with slow or no internet.• Chapters are now synced with MD even if you don't have the manga followed on MD it will still mark it and also keeps track of the read chapters locally.Preview: https://youtu.be/PSWgtfheS14

Paper324 OP

Paper324 OP 7 mo ago



Chapter downloading is coming along nicely and should be included with the TestFlight build.



I would really appreciate it if people decided to pitch in because otherwise I’d have to introduce ads and IAPs to cover the cost for the yearly dev account subscription.



I have also made a public Trello board to keep track of the future plans for the app, feel free to share your thoughts on the cards as public comments are enabled.



Trello: I’ve applied for the Apple dev account, and according to Apple it will take up to 2 business days for the process to complete. The TestFlight builds will be available to patrons exclusively (there’s no restriction on the pledge amount) until the app is ready to be released publicly.Chapter downloading is coming along nicely and should be included with the TestFlight build.I would really appreciate it if people decided to pitch in because otherwise I’d have to introduce ads and IAPs to cover the cost for the yearly dev account subscription.I have also made a public Trello board to keep track of the future plans for the app, feel free to share your thoughts on the cards as public comments are enabled.Trello: https://trello.com/b/vcHjcUUK/mdreader-ios. ago by Last edited 7 moby Paper324

Paper324 OP

Paper324 OP 7 mo ago Minor update:

Changelog:

• Implemented chapter downloading



Notes: Downloads UI is prototype atm and will be changed. Chapters are downloaded one-by-one along with pages.



Preview: • Implemented chapter downloadingNotes: Downloads UI is prototype atm and will be changed. Chapters are downloaded one-by-one along with pages.Preview: https://youtu.be/DMliiiDNobM

josephgomes619

josephgomes619 7 mo ago Can you add range select as we had it in Manga Rock? So that we could select multiple chapters at the same time.

Paper324 OP

Paper324 OP 7 mo ago josephgomes619 A feature similar to that is already supported (multi-select with drag-select support, like in Photos app) ago by Last edited 7 moby Paper324