What's New

Recent updates to Readstead

October 2, 2026

Genre pages, a redesigned monthly recap & Hardcover imports

  • Browse books by genre. Discover has a new Genres tab. Each genre has its own page listing the books Readstead readers shelve most, so it's easy to find a well-loved next read in whatever you're in the mood for. You can also tap the genre tags on any book page to jump straight there.
  • A redesigned monthly recap. Recap cards have a new look. Shelf gives each book its own row with title, author, and your rating, and Gallery shows your month as a grid of covers. Your pages read and average rating sit up top. Pick from five themes and size the card for Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, or anywhere else. The preview now matches the image you download exactly.
  • Monthly recap emails. On the 1st of each month you'll get a short email with the books you finished and the time you spent reading the month before, plus a link to make your recap card. You can turn it off under Email in Settings.
  • Import from Hardcover. Moving from Hardcover? Upload your Hardcover export on the Import page (here's how to export it), the same way you would a Goodreads or StoryGraph file.
  • Smoother imports. If you leave in the middle of a large import and come back, you'll see its progress instead of starting over. When it finishes, any books that couldn't be imported are listed first, and uploading the same file again retries only those. We've also made duplicate detection more accurate, so books land on the right edition instead of creating duplicates.
  • Live on web now, mobile rolling out soon. Everything above is live on web today. The new recap design is coming to the Readstead app on iOS and Android over the next day or two.
September 18, 2026

Fiction vs. nonfiction tracking, redesigned Goals & Stats

  • Track fiction vs. nonfiction. Readstead now automatically classifies the books you finish as fiction or nonfiction. Your Stats tab breaks down completions by category, and you can set a fiction or nonfiction sub-goal on top of your yearly reading goal, expressed as a percentage of your total or a specific number of books.
  • Redesigned Goals & Stats pages. The Goals and Stats tabs on your Activity page have a cleaner new look, including a more detailed day-of-week breakdown so you can see which days you read most.
  • Settings moved under your profile picture (web). On web, Settings has moved out of the top navigation bar and into the menu under your profile picture, matching where it already lives on mobile.
  • Live on web now, mobile rolling out soon. Everything above is live on web today. Look for it in the Readstead app on iOS and Android over the next few days.
September 5, 2026

Dark mode, and a new list view for your library

  • Dark mode is here. Readstead now comes in Midnight, a dark theme that's easier on the eyes for late-night reading. Pick it under Appearance in your settings on web, iOS, or Android. It applies across every screen, and there's a Match system option if you'd rather it follow your device. Update your mobile app to the latest version to find it.
  • A list view for your library. Your Library now has a grid/list toggle next to the sort control. List view packs a lot more books on screen, showing your progress, rating, and quick actions on a single line. It's handy for scanning a long shelf. Readstead remembers which view you prefer.
June 20, 2026

Plan your next reads with Up Next

  • Introducing Up Next. Line up your next five reads so you always know what to pick up when you finish a book. Head to the To Read tab of your Library to start building your Up Next list.
  • Available everywhere. Up Next is live on web, iOS, and Android. Update your mobile app to the latest version to plan your reading on the go.
June 14, 2026

Readstead mobile is here, plus profile, challenge & badge redesigns

  • The Readstead mobile app is live!. Take your reading everywhere — the Readstead app is now available on iOS and Android. Download it on the App Store or Google Play.
  • Redesigned challenge pages. Challenge pages have a fresh new look that makes tracking your progress and exploring what's available cleaner and more enjoyable.
  • Redesigned achievement badges. We've given our achievement badges a complete visual refresh — they look better than ever as you earn them.
  • Redesigned profile page. Your profile page has been redesigned to better showcase your reading journey, badges, and activity.
  • Reviews now show your username. Reviews now display your username instead of your real name. All of your existing anonymous and privacy features still apply.
  • Book length chart on your stats. A new book length chart has been added to your stats page, giving you fresh insight into the lengths of the books you read.
April 18, 2026

Edition overhaul, challenges UI & search improvements

  • Edition overhaul. Selecting an edition when adding a book to your collection is now a much richer experience — browse edition cards with covers, publisher, page count, and ISBN, and filter by keyword if there are a lot to choose from. You can also update the edition for any book already in your collection from the book page or your My Books shelf.
  • Book page now shows your edition's cover. If you have a specific edition in your collection, the book page will now show that edition's cover image rather than the default.
  • Challenges UI improvements. The challenges browsing experience has been cleaned up significantly — it's now easier to explore what's available and find the right challenge for you.
  • Minor search UI improvements. Small refinements to the search experience to make finding books faster and cleaner.
  • Book data quality enhancements. Various improvements to the book processing pipeline to help ensure more accurate and complete book data across the catalog.
April 8, 2026

Activity log updates, default editions, profile badges & import fixes

  • Enhanced activity log. Your activity log now includes Start and Finish events alongside reading sessions, giving you a fuller picture of your reading journey. We also automatically log a reading session when you mark a book as read directly, so your pages always count toward your goal.
  • Default edition selection. When you add a book to your library without choosing a specific edition, we now automatically select a default edition for you so your reading stats stay accurate.
  • Badges on your profile. Earned badges now show up on your public profile page for others to see.
  • Import fixes. Cleaned up several edge cases in the import pipeline to ensure your books come in cleaner and more accurately than before.
April 2, 2026

My Books search & filters, tier list maker & onboarding

  • Search, filters & sorting in My Books. Each status tab (To Read, Reading, Read) now has its own search bar, plus new filter and sort options to help you find exactly what you're looking for.
  • Tier list maker. Build your own custom tier lists from your read books. Head to the Recap page to try it out.
  • New user onboarding. New users now get a guided onboarding flow to help them get up and running with Readstead.
  • Bulk import fixes. Resolved edge cases that caused some books to fail during bulk CSV imports.
March 22, 2026

Custom page counts, heatmap fixes & challenges redesign

  • Custom page counts for editions. You can now set a custom page count for any edition. Open the book page and click the edit button under your reading status, or tap the pencil icon on a book's card in your Currently Reading section.
  • Activity heatmap timezone fix. The activity heatmap now correctly reflects your local timezone setting, so your reading days show up on the right date.
  • Challenges page redesign. The Challenges homepage has a new look. Browsing and discovering challenges is cleaner and easier than before.
March 16, 2026

Smarter search, timezone support & new challenges

  • Live search preview. See the top three matching books as you type — no need to hit enter just to peek. Results update every few keystrokes. Press enter as usual to see the full results page.
  • Timezone support. Head to Settings to set your local timezone. Your reading sessions will now be logged at the right time, keeping your streaks accurate and your stats meaningful.
  • New challenges. Fresh challenges have been added to the Challenges page. Whether you want a light goal or something to really push you, there's something new worth checking out.
March 8, 2026

Social profiles, recap upgrades & bug fixes

  • Follow friends. Follow friends and see what they've been reading. Visit your profile by clicking your avatar and selecting "My Profile"
  • Recap upgrades. Recap graphics now fit up to 12 books, show individual star ratings, and make much better use of space
  • New challenges. New official challenges are live. Head to the Challenges page to see what's up for grabs
  • Bug fix. Fixed a bug where books in search results didn't reflect their status in your collection