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๐Ÿ“ฑ Use the Library on a Phone or Tablet

Your phone Easiest way
Any phone near a laptop, tablet or ARK Vault running the library Open the library shared over Wi-Fi in its browser. Everything works, even the AI. See Start on any device
Android Install Kiwix (reading) and OsmAnd (maps) from the drive. Steps below
iPhone / iPad Install Kiwix and OsmAnd from the App Store now, while you have internet

Android can also run the full library with search and AI: see Start on any device.

Just want a map? The library has one that works in the phone's browser, with topo lines and property lines and no app: see Offline maps.


๐Ÿค– Android

The two apps are on the drive in OfflineLibrary โ†’ Phone-Apps. No Play Store or internet needed.

1. Install the apps

  1. Plug the drive into the phone (with a USB adapter if needed) and open the Files app.
  2. In Phone-Apps, tap the Kiwix file (ends in .apk).
  3. If it says the phone isn't allowed to install unknown apps, tap Settings, turn on Allow from this source, and go back.
  4. Tap Install. (If Play Protect warns you, install anyway: these are the free official apps.)
  5. Do the same with the OsmAnd file.

2. Add things to read

  1. Copy the .zim files you want onto the phone (see What fits below).
  2. Open Kiwix, tap ๏ผ‹ (or Open file) and pick a .zim file.

PDF books open in any PDF app.

3. Add the maps

  1. Copy your area's map files (in the drive's OsmAnd folder, ending in .obf.zip) to the phone. For Oregon, that's the files starting with Us_oregon.
  2. Open OsmAnd โ†’ Menu โ†’ Download maps โ†’ Import and pick the files.

๐Ÿ iPhone and iPad

Apple doesn't allow installing apps from a file, so get them from the App Store first.

  1. While you have internet, install Kiwix and OsmAnd Maps (both free).
  2. Plug the drive into the iPhone with a USB adapter. In the Files app, copy what you want onto the iPhone.
  3. Open the .zim files in Kiwix and the maps in OsmAnd. (If a map won't open, tap it once in Files to unzip it.)

๐Ÿ“ What fits on a phone

Copy what you need most. Good first picks: the medical encyclopedia (Medical\WikiMed, about 1.7 GB), the survival guides (Manuals\Survival-Water-Food, under 1 GB) and your area's maps (Oregon: about 0.4 GB). All of Wikipedia with pictures (about 120 GB) is too big for most phones; while you have internet, the Kiwix app can download the short one (wikipedia_en_all_mini, about 13 GB) straight to the phone.

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