Panels 1.9.0 will introduce Reading Modes. On its first iteration we will include 4 different modes:
Default: page by page navigation (same as before)
Panels view: panel by panel navigation (still work in progress)
Fit to width: a really nice reader in landscape mode
Vertical scroll: pages will adapt to the whole width of the screen and will be presented vertically with free scrolling.
There is a 5th mode we have been experimenting with, double page for iPad. We are aware this mode would be really nice to have, especially for the iPad with big screen. We haven’t started working on this mode yet but it will definitely be available in future versions of the app.
Here is a quick video going over the new features:
The new beta version will be available later today or tomorrow (depending on Apple’s review team).
As always, we will really appreciate any feedback you might have or any bugs you might encounter. Thank you for helping us making Panels the best comic reader for iOS!
Is sorting comics in the near future or distant future for planned updates? I have several sections of my list alphabetical order. It is awkward scrolling through to find comics. If no sorting feature is there a possibility that you could create a way to disable manual organization?
Hello @Krazedjer211
We usually tackle specific parts of the app in each major release. Our next focus will be in the library. We haven’t yet discussed which features will be added, but you can expect some improvements to the library in the next version.
I did already mention my love for panels and I wanted to try the Test Drive for 1.9 to support you fabulous guys. But how can I restore my purchase (or tip). Am I stupid or is it apple that forbids that feature in test drives?
Thank you @Japga
You have to “buy” premium again. While you are using the beta version you won’t be charged (a little pop up will appear when you try to buy it saying that you are using the sandbox and won’t be charged).
We should explain it better as we have had many people asking us over email. We will add some kind of alert next time.
Hi, Panels is great as ever, but after introducing new views modes, it doesn’t remember the last used view. I always use fit to width, and now i have to choose this option every time I open a new comic or pick from the recently tab.
Please, could you fix it?
Yes you are right. Panels should (and will) remember your last/preferred reading mode. We will fix this in the next version.
In the meantime, you can tap the top right corner (while reading) to quickly access the reading modes’ menu.
Hi Victor, thank you so much for fixing it so fast, it is working great now!
I don’t know for sure, but i think that in this last update the navigation by tapping on the sides of the screen is a little bit slower, is it normal?
Hi @msaggion , you’re absolutely right. It is normal, but we are trying to find a way to improve it.
As you might know, we recently added the option to double tap on the page to zoom in. We found that this was not working correctly when tapping on the side. Instead of zooming into that area, it was navigating to the next/previous page.
We fixed this in the latests build but, unfortunately, that means we have to “wait” until the double tap gesture can be discarded to determine that you wanted to perform a single tap. That’s why now there’s a small delay when tapping on the edges of the screen.
We know it’s a bit annoying and we are trying to find a way to work it around.
Hi Dani,
Thanks again for the response!
Wow, there are a thousand stuff to think when adding a new option, that we (users) can’t imagine.
Maybe a toggle switch (one more!) in prefs to disable double tap zoom, for those who rarely use it. It is a quick fix, but i don’t know if it is the best.
One thing that annoys me is when I swipe from page to page the next page fades in from black.
It would be better if it was preloaded and was fully opaque when it sides in.
Even if I slide it a little and let go so it doesn’t come on screen, then I know it’s been loaded, when I swipe again it fades in from black. Very annoying visual hiccup.
