Reading notes

Book tracker app news, March to September 2026: syncing, shelves and new apps

Thirteen dated announcements from reading apps and e-reader makers, grouped by what they change for readers.

Best Book Tracker Apps editors · 26 September 2026 · 4 min read

Our take

This article covers announcements from March to September 2026. The biggest change was Kobo's reading sync with The StoryGraph, live since June 29. Goodreads added a Did Not Finish shelf in March, Literal shipped a rebuilt iOS app in August, and Magic Bookmark arrived on the App Store as version 1.0 on August 18. Every item links to its source on our News page.

Contents

What does this article cover?

This article groups the dated items on our News page from March 11 to September 25, 2026 by theme, so you can see what changed for readers rather than reading a list of release notes. Each item comes from a public source: an App Store or Google Play listing, a company blog or a press release. Where a source gives only a month, such as Literal's changelog, we say so.

What changed in syncing?

On May 19, 2026, Rakuten Kobo and StoryGraph announced that Kobo reading progress would sync to StoryGraph from June, with finished books marked as read automatically. On June 29, Kobo said the integration was live for all users of Kobo e-readers and apps, at no extra cost. Books you read on Kobo now appear on your StoryGraph Currently Reading shelf, and your percentage progress follows.

Among the apps we rank, it is the only live e-reader sync we found published. Kindle readers still rely on imports: Fable lists Kindle list imports on Google Play, and Basmo imports Kindle highlights. Our article on automatic reading tracking explains how to connect the two accounts.

What changed in shelves and statuses?

On March 13, 2026, Goodreads announced a Did Not Finish shelf that works like Want to Read, Currently Reading and Read, rolling out over the following weeks. A DNF book with a read date counts toward the Reading Challenge. On March 26, Goodreads' iOS app version 4.34.0 added review drafts that save automatically while you type. On August 17, version 4.36.0 added a US-only Get the book option for finding physical copies of books on your list.

Fable's Android app, updated on September 25, 2026, lists an updated read-date picker as its latest change. Read dates matter more than they look: they decide which year a book counts toward, and on Goodreads they now decide whether a DNF book counts at all. Our guide to using a DNF shelf covers the routine.

Which apps were rebuilt or updated?

March 11: The StoryGraph iOS version 1.23 adopted the iOS 26 floating tab bar and improved giveaway prize downloads.
May 17: BookBuddy 10.1.0 added menu bar support on iPadOS and macOS, with keyboard shortcuts for common library tasks.
June 19: Hardcover 2.1.3 added swipe-back navigation on iOS.
August 7: Literal released version 1.22.0, described as rebuilt from the ground up, with a refreshed design, dark mode that follows the in-app theme, free public-domain books, reviews and Goodreads import.

Literal's changelog also says, in an entry dated May 2026 without a day, that it is sunsetting the current version of Clubs and that existing clubs still work in the meantime. We note it on the Literal review and on Fable vs Literal.

Was there a new app?

Yes. Magic Bookmark, from Yomu Inc., appears in the App Store version history as version 1.0 on August 18, 2026. It is a spoiler-free reading companion rather than a tracker: you photograph your current page, or enter the last phrase you heard in an audiobook, and it syncs to your exact place in a supported title. It is not a tracker, so it is ranked separately in Best apps for getting back into a book without spoilers, where it places 1 of nine.

What happened around the apps?

Two announcements from Rakuten Kobo shape where readers read, even though they are not tracker updates. On May 27, 2026, Kobo launched its Kobo Plus subscription in the Czech Republic, Greece, Luxembourg, the Philippines, Poland and Romania, with Read, Listen and Read & Listen plans. On August 27, Kobo said its e-readers, including Clara Colour, Clara BW and Libra Colour, were on sale in over 500 Best Buy stores in the US, alongside kobo.com, Staples and Target.

What should readers do with this?

If you read on Kobo and track on StoryGraph, link the two accounts and check your Currently Reading shelf after a few pages.
If you use Goodreads, move any custom DNF shelf onto the new Did Not Finish shelf, and decide whether DNF books should count toward your goal.
If you run a Literal club, keep an eye on Literal's changelog for what replaces the current version of Clubs.
Whatever you use, export your library once a quarter. Updates are good; a copy you control is better.

We add new items to News as they are announced and re-check every listing each quarter.

Sources

News Automatic reading tracking Using a DNF shelf StoryGraph review