5 tips that I recommend improving reading on any Android device

Do you also have difficulty with the overload of information, but who reveal you to catch up with subjects that really interest you? I certainly do it, especially since reading and monitoring daily developments are a relevant requirement of my work. Fortunately, I developed a system that helps me concentrate during reading, even when motivation tanks.

Although the constant flood of information never ends, I use a few tips to tame my desire to stay up to date with everyone – even from a distance – interesting subjects. These five tips that I mention below apply to any Android phone, regardless of its personalized version or skin of any manufacturer.

Reading mode is an electrical tool, which, according to Google, is poorly classified as an accessibility application. The application is at the top of my list of productivity recommendations and was my reading catalyst on any Android phone. The simplistic interface transforms pieces of texts of variable size into bits which are much easier to read by displaying it in a superposition above the source.

He cuts unwanted ruptures and distractions, such as advertising or media galleries from web pages, leaving behind an uninterrupted word sequence. If that is not enough, it includes features to modify the text and the background, visually by modifying the colors, the fonts, the spacing and even the alignment of the text. And when my eyes get tired of reading, I can simply go to the high voice in integrated reading. A horizontal line also helps my eyes wavering.

What really excites me is that the applications of the reading mode are not limited to web pages. It also makes SMS from emails, social media and even RSS readers – with acceptable limitations, making it ideal for reading LinkedIn long messages on B2B lessons hidden in sorrows or consuming my daily starters from Newsletters. It can simply be mentioned on any application with simple gestures, quick parameter tiles or a dedicated accessibility button.

Although the reading mode deserves to be a basic Android feature, it must be downloaded separately from the Play Store. Fortunately, the initial configuration and the following parameters are quite simple.

Like most of the outdated millennials, I take unfinished tasks of the day in bed. Naturally, my reading list is not left behind. But as I become sleepy, even the lowest brightness on the screen of a phone can retard sleep or make my eyes in a few minutes. While several Android telephony manufacturers promoting tips, such as incredibly low pulse modulation frequency frequency values ​​(PWM), in particular for Amoleds, a tip deposits all default solutions: the “Extra DIM” function on Android.

As its name suggests, an additional Sun lowers the brightness of the screen below what can be made with the brightness cursor. But, instead of replacing the overall control of the brightness, it works like a filter over it, cutting the brightness of the screen by percentage, instead of adjusting it to a specific value.

When the lights go out, a weaker makes the screen light much less likely to prevent me from falling asleep. Associated with a dark background in reading applications makes the experience even more soothing. Not only that, wake up in the middle of the night and look at the screen does not feel piercing through the eyes.

Until this happens, you can count unofficial applications which also reproduce similar features and even work with older android versions. When I use telephones from other brands, such as OnePlus or Oppo, I go to Night Owl, an application that does not only allow me to reduce the screen but also adds a blue light filter, making a sepia-esque screen.

Despite Amazon’s tyrannical approach to property, the Kindle app on Android remains my favorite application to store and read books. It is also because Amazon Prime Reading, which is part of my Prime subscription, allows me to access a set of common books that I should otherwise buy separately. Likewise, a monthly Kindle subscription is more economical than buying several books.

Although the Kindle Android application offers many personalization features to modify the style and layout of the books, there is one that I really swear: continuous reading. This parameter deactivates the default filming of the pages and passes instead on an endless vertical parchment.

Although the standard turning point in a page in Kindle – just like a physical book – can arouse a feeling of accomplishment associated with the number of pages read, I often find that my attention oozes to take a break each time I pass some microseconds to return a page. By making a slight passage to a continuous scrolling, I can avoid any unwanted rupture in my attention and channel my propensity to Doomscroll on a short video application to be really engaged in reading.

When all efforts fall flat, I opt for a method supported by science to improve reading, especially in the event of poor concentration or low conviction. It was then that I changed the police in the Kindle application to Opendyslexic.

Opendyslexic belongs to a family of fonts that are supposed to reduce the cognitive load for people with dyslexia. The letters of these fonts are heavier at the bottom, which allows our brain to treat what we see more quickly and to distinguish letters of similar form. Although I am not diagnosed with any form of neurodivergence, I actively have Opendyslexic to reduce the visual submerging. In such scenarios, the simple fact of changing the font allows me to read – even if you are less than usual – instead of not reading at all.

Among all the tips listed above, this may seem limiting, especially since web browsers do not support the modification of the font, letting the web pages are out of the question. In particular, researchers are always divided on the effectiveness of these fonts for those who really suffer from dyslexia, so I cannot recommend it to these people.

But if you only try to add a feeling of novelty to your reading experience, I am confident, this font will be effective.

In my pursuit to dodge distractions while I read on my phone, I highly intend not to disturb (DND) or the development mode of Android. However, I often forget to actively light these modes, leaving the doors open to a distractions torrent.

As a remedy, I came to use automation applications on my Android devices to automatically activate DND when I open the Kindle application and turn off the mode when I close it. For this work, I trust Macrodoid for an extremely easy to use interface. If you prefer a more reliable automation solution, you can use Holderwhich costs around $ 3.50, or if you prefer to have highly personalized workflows, Automate Can also help get the same results – although I find myself overwhelmed by its flow interface.

The configuration of workflows, called “macros” in Macrodoid, is simple and takes less than a minute, which makes my choice. And although you also need to buy the full version to continue using it beyond the seven-day trial period, the application allows you to watch ads to unlock more days.

All these tips are my personal recommendations which help me every day to break with distractions during reading. Do you use one of these tips or do you have others that you recommend to others? Make sure you let us know in the comments below!