User Guide

Overview

EinkBro is a browser specifically designed for E-Ink devices. As E-Ink screens have gotten faster and more capable, more people are browsing the web on e-readers. But mainstream browsers are full of animations, dimming effects, and UI patterns that look terrible on E-Ink displays.

EinkBro follows two core design principles:

Minimize repaint counts — fewer screen refreshes means a smoother experience
Minimize repaint area — smaller updates reduce ghosting artifacts

The result is a browser with high-contrast icons, no animations, and features like page-turning by touch areas, volume keys, reader mode, vertical text layout, and AI-powered content interaction.

First Launch

When you first open EinkBro, you'll see a bottom toolbar with configurable action icons. The default layout includes:

Phone: New Tab, Touch, Reader Mode, Refresh, Back, Bookmark, Tab Count, Input URL, Settings
Tablet: Title, New Tab, Touch, Reader Mode, Refresh, Back, Bookmark, Tab Count, Settings

Tap the Settings icon (hamburger menu) to open the Action Menu, which gives access to all browser functions.

Toolbar Actions

EinkBro has over 40 toolbar actions. You can add any of them to your toolbar and reorder them freely. Below is the complete reference.

	Action	Click	Long Click
info	Title	Edit current URL; type keyword to search	—
arrow_back	Back	Go to previous page	Show recent 5 web histories
	Refresh	Reload current page (shows Stop icon while loading)	Enter fullscreen
	Touch Turn Page	Toggle touch page-turning	Show touch configuration dialog
upload	Page Up	Scroll up by one page	Scroll to top
download	Page Down	Scroll down by one page	Scroll to bottom
looks_one	Tab Count	Show tab list	Enable incognito mode
format_size	Font Size	Show font size dialog	Enter reader mode
menu	Settings (Menu)	Show action menu	Show quick access dialog
bookmarks	Bookmarks	Show bookmarks	Add current URL to bookmarks
straighten	Toolbar Setting	Open toolbar configuration	—
view_column	Vertical Layout	Toggle vertical reading mode	—
chrome_reader_mode	Reader Mode	Toggle reader mode	—
	Bold Font	Toggle bold font style	—
text_increase	Increase Font	Increase font size by 10%	—
text_decrease	Decrease Font	Decrease font size by 10%	—
fullscreen	Fullscreen	Enter fullscreen mode	—
arrow_forward	Forward	Go to next page	—
rotate_right	Rotate Screen	Rotate screen orientation	—
translate	Translation	Translate current page	Show different translate modes
cancel_presentation	Close Tab	Close current tab	—
edit	Input URL	Show pen icon to edit URL (no web title)	—
library_add	New Tab	Create a new tab	—
	Desktop Mode	Toggle desktop user agent	—
toc	TOC	Show table of contents (EPUB/reader)	—
search	Search	Search text on current page	—
folder_copy	Duplicate Tab	Duplicate current tab	—
record_voice_over	TTS (Read Aloud)	Read web content aloud	—
	Page Info	Show page position / page count	—
g_translate	Google In-Place	Google Translate in-place	—
segment	Translate by Paragraph	Inline paragraph-by-paragraph translation	—
minimize	Move to Background	Move browser to background	—
swipe_vertical	Touch Direction Up/Down	Toggle touch area direction (up/down)	—
swipe	Touch Direction Left/Right	Toggle touch area direction (left/right)	—
schedule	Time	Show current time on toolbar	—
space_bar	Spacer	Flexible space between icons	—
share	Share Link	Share current page link	—
article	Save EPUB	Save/open EPUB dialog	—
invert_colors	Invert Color	Invert page colors	—
chat	Chat With Web	Open AI chat about current page	—
	Page AI	Run AI actions on full page content	—
	Audio Only	Hide video, keep audio and captions	—

Content Adjustment

Collapsible section with content display and transformation tools:

Chat With Web — AI chat about current page Split screen — Open a second panel alongside current page Translate — Translate current page Vertical mode — Vertical text layout for CJK content Reader mode — Strip clutter for clean reading Touch setting — Configure touch areas Read content — TTS: read page aloud Invert colors — Invert page colors White background — Force white background (helps on dark sites) Black font — Force black font color Bold font — Make all text bold for E-Ink readability Font size — Adjust font size and font style

Settings: UI

App Language

Change interface language. Default: system language.

Hide Statusbar

Toggle Always hide the system status bar. Default: off.

Desktop Mode

Toggle Request desktop versions of websites. Default: off.

Always Enable Content Zooming

Toggle Force all content to be zoomable, even on sites that disable it. Default: on.

Show Default Selected Text Menu

Toggle Show the system default text selection menu after selecting text. Default: off.

Show Icons on Action Menus

Toggle Show/hide icons in action menus. Default: on.

Page Reserved Height

Input Pixels or percentage reserved when turning to the next page (overlap for context). Default: 80.

Padding for Reader Mode

Input Padding in px for reader mode content. Default: 10.

Dark Mode

Select Options: Follow system, Force On, Disabled. Default: Follow system.

E-ink Image Optimization

Select Adjust web images for E-Ink display. Options: Off, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 100%. Default: Off.

Floating Button Position

Select Position of the navigation floating button. Options: Right, Left, Center, Don't show, Custom. Default: Right.

New Tab Behavior

Select What to show when opening a new tab. Options: Start input URL, Show homepage, Show bookmarks. Default: Start input URL.

Clear Recent Bookmark List

Action Clear the list of recently used bookmarks.

Settings: Behavior

Tab Management

Save Tabs

Toggle Restore tabs from previous session. Default: on.

Load Non-Active Tabs

Toggle Load background tabs in the background. Default: on.

Show Next Tab

Toggle Show next (not previous) tab when closing current. Default: off.

Back Key Behavior

Toggle Close tab when already at first page in history. Default: on.

Confirm Tab Close

Toggle Show confirmation dialog when closing a tab. Default: off.

URL & Navigation

Trim Input Text Content

Toggle Remove non-http prefix text from pasted input. Default: off.

Prune Tracking Query Parameters

Toggle Strip utm_* and other tracking params from URLs. Default: off.

1 Touch to URL Action

Toggle Long-click on URL and drag to item to trigger action. Default: on.

Show Bookmarks When Editing URL

Toggle Show matching bookmarks while typing in URL bar. Default: off.

Video

Allow Video Autoplay

Toggle Allow videos to play automatically. Default: off.

Enable Video Play in Fullscreen

Toggle Auto-resize video to fullscreen when playing. Default: off.

Show Video in Small Window

Toggle Picture-in-picture when leaving fullscreen video. Default: off.

Input & Controls

Vi Key Binding

Toggle Enable Vi-style keyboard shortcuts. Default: off.

Disable Long Press on Touch Area

Toggle Prevent long-press actions in touch areas. Default: off.

Use Up/Down Key

Toggle Use D-pad up/down for page turning (Bluetooth keyboards). Default: off.

Display & Rendering

Keep Screen Awake

Toggle Prevent screen from turning off. Default: off.

Text Wrap Reflow

Toggle Reflow text when zooming for easier reading. Default: off.

Zoom in Custom View

Toggle Enable 2-finger zoom in fullscreen mode. Default: off.

Security & Network

Show SSL Error Dialog

Toggle Show dialog when SSL certificate errors occur. Default: on.

Enable Web Cache

Toggle Cache web content for faster loading. Default: off.

Settings: Gestures

Touch Area Click Actions

Configure what happens when you tap or long-press the touch page-turning areas. Each can be set to: Page Up, Page Down, Scroll Up, Scroll Down, Scroll to Top, Scroll to Bottom, Overview, and more.

Up Click Action

Select Default: Page Up.

Up Long Click Action

Select Default: Scroll to Top.

Down Click Action

Select Default: Page Down.

Down Long Click Action

Select Default: Scroll to Bottom.

Two Finger Swipe Gestures

Toggle Enable two-finger swipe on web content. Default: off.

Swipe Up / Down / Left / Right

Select Configurable action for each swipe direction.

Floating Button Gestures

Use Gestures on Floating Button

Toggle Enable swipe gestures on the floating navigation button. Default: off.

Swipe Up / Down / Left / Right

Select Configurable action for each swipe direction on the floating button.

Long Click

Select Action for long-pressing the floating button. Default: Overview.

Settings: Backup

Export App Data

Action Export history, bookmarks, settings, and WebView login data (cookies & storage) as a zip file.

Import App Data

Action Import from a previously exported zip file, including WebView login data.

Share App Data

Action Share app data to another device over local network.

Receive App Data

Action Receive app data from another device over local network.

Export Bookmarks

Action Export bookmarks to a file.

Import Bookmarks

Action Import bookmarks from a file.

Settings: Start Control

Images

Toggle Enable network images. Disabling saves data. Default: on.

Auto Fill Form Data

Toggle Auto-fill form fields. Default: on.

History

Select Options: Save when opening, Save when closing, Disabled. Default: Save when opening.

Debug WebView

Toggle Enable remote WebView debugging via Chrome DevTools. Default: off.

Remote Content

Toggle Allow third-party content (ads, analytics, etc.). Default: on.

Location

Toggle Allow websites to access your location. Default: off.

AdBlock

Toggle Block ads for faster page loading. Default: on.

Update AdBlock Content

Action Manually trigger ad-block filter list update.

AdBlock Whitelist

Action Sites allowed to show ads.

JavaScript

Toggle Enable JavaScript. Many sites need this. Default: on.

JavaScript Whitelist

Action Allow JavaScript only for trusted sites (when JS is globally disabled).

Cookies

Toggle Enable cookies. Default: on.

Cookie Whitelist

Action Allow cookies only for trusted sites (when cookies are globally disabled).

Request 'Save Data'

Toggle Tell websites you prefer reduced data usage. Default: on.

Settings: Data Control

Clear Cache

Toggle Clear cached web data.

Clear History

Toggle Clear browsing history.

Clear Indexed DB & Local Storage

Toggle Clear IndexedDB and WebView local storage.

Clear Cookies

Toggle Delete all cookies, including for whitelisted sites.

Clear On App Exit

Toggle Automatically clear all checked data types when quitting. Default: off.

Delete Database

Action Danger: Delete the entire database (bookmarks, history, whitelists).

Settings: Search

Search Engine

Select Options: Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Startpage, Startpage (de), Baidu, Searx, Qwant, Ecosia, Yandex.

Custom Search Engine URL

Input Custom search URL with %s placeholder. Default: https://www.google.com/search?q=%s.

Search Suggestions

Toggle Show search suggestions while typing. Default: on.

Custom External Search URL

Input URL prefix for searching text highlighted from other apps.

Use Popup for PROCESS_TEXT

Toggle Show search as popup dictionary (useful for reader apps). Default: off.

Split Search Settings

Action Configure search + split-screen result opening.

Tab for External Search

Toggle Reuse the same tab for external search queries. Default: off.

Remote Query Action

Select Action for remote queries. Default: Search. Can also use custom ChatGPT actions.

Settings: Misc

Highlight Style

Select Choose visual style for text highlights.

Translation Text Block Style

Select Choose display style for paragraph translation.

Custom User Agent

Action Enable and set a custom User-Agent string.

Edit Homepage URL

Input Set your preferred homepage URL.

Printed PDF Paper Size

Action Select paper size for PDF printing.

Translation Languages

Input Customize languages for Google Translate (e.g., en, fr, de, zh-TW, zh-CN).

Translate Image API Key

Input API key for image translation service.

Dual Captions for YouTube

Action Select language for second subtitle track on YouTube.

Reader Mode: Keep Extra Content

Toggle Preserve styles, classes, and math (MathJax/KaTeX) in reader mode. Default: off.

Settings: GPT

General

GPT Result History

Action View saved GPT query results.

ChatGPT Action Definition

Action Define custom prompts for different AI actions.

Use ChatGPT in Dictionary Search

Toggle Use AI for dictionary lookups in reader apps. Default: off.

Reply In-Stream

Toggle Stream responses character by character. Default: on.

Web Content Processing

Summary GPT Type

Select Engine for summarization. Options: Default, OpenAI, Self-hosted, Google Gemini.

Prompt for Full Webpage Content

Input Prompt sent with full page content. Default: Summarize in 50 words:.

Web Processing GPT Type

Select Engine for web content processing. Same options as Summary GPT Type.

OpenAI

OpenAI API Key

Input Your OpenAI API key.

OpenAI Model Name

Input Default: gpt-4.1. Can use other OpenAI models.

Use OpenAI API to Read Web Content

Toggle Use OpenAI TTS for text-to-speech. Default: on.

OpenAI TTS Model Name

Input Options: tts-1 (default), tts-1-hd, gpt-4o-mini-tts.

Audio Output Instructions

Input Voice instructions when using gpt-4o-mini-tts model.

OpenAI Compatible Server

Use Alternative Server

Toggle Connect to a custom OpenAI-compatible API. Default: off.

Alternative Model Name

Input Model name for the alternative server.

Custom Host URL

Input Server URL. Default: https://api.openai.com.

Google Gemini

Use Google Gemini Model

Toggle Enable Gemini as AI provider. Default: off.

Gemini API Key

Input Your Google Gemini API key.

Gemini Model Name

Input Default: gemini-2.5-flash.

Reader Mode

Reader mode strips away headers, sidebars, footers, and ads, leaving only the main article content. It's ideal for long-form reading on E-Ink screens.

Activate via Reader Mode toolbar button or Action Menu → Reader mode
Long-press the Font Size toolbar button also enters reader mode
Customize padding in Settings → UI → Padding for Reader Mode
Enable Keep Extra Content in Settings → Misc to preserve math notation (MathJax/KaTeX) and styling
Reader mode has its own toolbar configuration with: Rotate, Fullscreen, Bold Font, Font Size, Touch, TOC, Page Info, Settings, Close Tab

Split Screen

Split screen opens a second web panel alongside the current page. Useful for reading news lists while viewing articles, or for AI chat alongside content.

Activate via Action Menu → Split screen or long-press any link
The split panel has its own mini toolbar (top to bottom):
- Orientation — Toggle vertical/horizontal split. Long-click flips the two screens.
- Dual screen link — When enabled, clicking links in main panel opens in the second panel
- Scroll sync — Synchronize scrolling between panels (useful for translation comparison)
- Font size +/− — Adjust font in the split panel
- Close — Close split screen

Translation

EinkBro offers multiple translation methods:

Paragraph-by-Paragraph Translation

Translates each paragraph inline, showing the translation alongside the original text. Activate via the Translate by Paragraph toolbar action or long-press the Translate button for mode selection. Providers: Google Translate, DeepL, OpenAI, Gemini.

In-Place Translation

Translates content inline using OpenAI or Google Gemini, replacing the original text in place. Activate via long-press on the Translate button and selecting in-place mode.

Full Page Translation

Translates the entire page via Google Translate. Activate via Action Menu → Translate or the Translation toolbar button.

Image Translation

Translates text within images. Results are cached to disk for faster subsequent access. Long-click the translate icon to batch-translate all remaining images. Requires an API key configured in Settings → Misc → Translate Image API Key.

Dual Captions

Display subtitles in two languages on YouTube videos. Configure in Settings → Misc → Dual Captions for YouTube.

EPUB Export

Save web articles as EPUB ebook files, complete with images and table of contents.

Activate via Action Menu → EPUB
The dialog has tabs for opening existing EPUBs and saving new ones
Save multiple web pages into the same EPUB — each becomes a chapter
Drag and drop to reorder chapters in the TOC editor
EPUB files include an EinkBro identifier for easy identification
Content must be reader-mode compatible for best results

Touch Page Turning

EinkBro's signature feature for E-Ink devices. Tap the left or right (or top/bottom) edges of the screen to page up/down, just like turning pages in an e-book.

Enable via the Touch Turn Page toolbar button
Ebook touch mode — tap to turn pages directly in WebView with native touch interception (no JS injection)
Configure touch areas and actions in Settings → Gestures
Choose between left/right or up/down touch area layout
Long-press volume key temporarily disables page turning for 5 seconds
Volume keys can also be used for page turning (enable in Quick Toggle)
Adjust Page Reserved Height in Settings → UI to control overlap between pages

AI / ChatGPT Integration

Interact with web content using AI directly in the browser.

Chat With Web

Open a split-screen AI chat panel to ask questions about the current page. Activate via the Chat With Web toolbar button or Action Menu → Chat With Web.

Page AI

Run AI actions on the full page content (e.g., summarize, extract key points). Uses the prompt configured in Settings → GPT → Prompt for Full Webpage Content.

Custom GPT Actions

Define reusable AI actions with custom system prompts in Settings → GPT → ChatGPT Action Definition. These appear in the text selection context menu and can be triggered on selected text or full page content.

Supported Providers

OpenAI — GPT-4.1 and other models via API key
Google Gemini — Gemini 2.5 Flash and others
Self-hosted / Ollama — Any OpenAI-compatible server via custom host URL