Sync your library across iPhone, iPad and Mac
How Yomite syncs library, bookmarks, positions and imported books across devices via iCloud (Premium), and how to back up with a .novelvoice file.
Yes, you can continue on your Mac or iPad where you stopped on your iPhone. With iCloud sync (Premium) turned on, your library, bookmarks, reading and playback position, and pronunciation dictionary sync between every iPhone, iPad and Mac signed into the same Apple ID. Speech is still generated on each device.
Related use case: Your library and read-later
You’re halfway through a novel on iPhone during your commute. By the time you’re at your desk, you want to pick up right where you left off — on Mac, on the bigger screen, through real speakers. Yomite makes that handoff possible through iCloud.
What syncs, and what doesn’t?
Yomite syncs your library, bookmarks, reading position, and pronunciation dictionary across devices via iCloud (iCloud sync is a Premium feature). Which books are in your library, exactly where your bookmark sits in a chapter, and which custom readings you’ve registered for which proper nouns — all of that travels between iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Where you stopped listening syncs too, so you can pick up on your iPad or Mac where you left off on your iPhone.
What stays on your device is the speech synthesis itself. Text is never sent to a server to be voiced, and the generated audio is never uploaded. Imported book files are stored in your own iCloud only if you turn iCloud sync on (files over 200 MB and comics saved from web pages are not synced and stay on that device). This is the same design that keeps all of Yomite’s speech synthesis fully on-device (see Why Yomite’s Speech Synthesis Runs Entirely On-Device for the full picture). Apart from book files, what makes the trip between devices is the information you need to resume: where your bookmarks are, and how you want it read.
How do I set it up?
All you need is to be signed into the same Apple ID with iCloud enabled on each device. Turn on iCloud sync in the app’s settings, and from then on, updating a bookmark on one device propagates to the others automatically — no manual export step required.
Say you register a reading for an invented fantasy name like 影廊アルス in the pronunciation dictionary while riding the train on your iPhone. Open the same book on Mac later that evening, and that registration is already in effect. The pronunciation dictionary is a per-book feature that sticks permanently once set (see How to Fix Japanese TTS Misreadings) — iCloud sync is what keeps it from being locked to a single device. The same goes for your bookmark: set one mid-chapter on the subway, and it is waiting for you when you open the book again on a different screen.
How do I back up before switching devices?
Separately from day-to-day syncing, Yomite can bundle your entire library into a single .novelvoice file for backup and restore. This is useful before switching to a new device, before a major OS upgrade, or simply when you want a snapshot of your current state preserved. Think of iCloud sync as sharing incremental day-to-day changes, and .novelvoice as a point-in-time snapshot you can save and restore in full.
Do I have to buy Premium on each device?
Yomite’s premium unlock, purchased on iOS, iPadOS, or macOS, applies to every supported device signed into the same Apple ID. Buy it once on iPhone, and it’s already active on your iPad or Mac — no separate purchase needed on each device.
Which devices does it run on?
iCloud sync, along with the rest of Yomite, requires iPhone (A12 Bionic or later), iPad (A12 or later), or Mac (M1 or later), running iOS 17, iPadOS 17, or macOS 14 respectively. These requirements exist because on-device speech synthesis needs Apple Silicon-class performance to run smoothly.
FAQ
Is iCloud sync free?
No. iCloud sync is a Premium feature.
Do my imported book files sync too?
Yes, to your own iCloud, once sync is on. Files over 200 MB and comics saved from web pages are not synced and stay on that device.
Is my text sent to a server to be read aloud?
No. Speech synthesis runs on your device, and the generated audio is never uploaded.
The takeaway
Yomite keeps its privacy-first design — speech synthesis stays entirely on-device — while syncing exactly the information you need to keep reading without losing your place: library, bookmarks, reading and playback position, pronunciation dictionary and your imported books, all via iCloud (Premium). Pick up a commute read on your Mac at home, or continue a weekend chapter from your iPhone the next morning, without thinking about which device has what. When you switch devices for good, a .novelvoice backup carries everything over in one step.
Get 読み手 Yomite on the App Store
Related: Why Yomite’s Speech Synthesis Runs Entirely On-Device · How to Fix Japanese TTS Misreadings · Free vs Premium — How Much of Yomite Is Actually Free?
Questions or feedback: [email protected]
— Yomite Team