Question 1

What does Shelf actually do?

Accepted Answer

Shelf is a book tracker for your reading life. It keeps the books you're reading, the ones up next, the ones you'd like to own and the ones you've finished on four shelves, spine out like a real bookshelf. Tap a book to turn it to its cover; tap again for its page with the summary, details, your rating and notes.

Question 2

How do I add a book?

Accepted Answer

Scan the barcode on the back with your camera, paste a link from Amazon, Goodreads or any bookstore, type the ISBN, or search by title or author. You can also share a book page from Safari or the Amazon and Goodreads apps straight into Shelf. Then pick the shelf it goes on.

Question 3

Where do the book details come from?

Accepted Answer

From Open Library, the free book catalogue of the Internet Archive: title, author, cover, summary, page count and community ratings. When a link doesn't name the book itself, Shelf reads the page you pasted to find its ISBN or title.

Question 4

What is the Book Club?

Accepted Answer

The friends you share libraries with. Members browse each other's four shelves, read-only, see what everyone is reading now, and recommend books to each other, with a note if you like. Recommendations land in For You, and Shelf can notify you when one arrives.

Question 5

What do members see when I share my library?

Accepted Answer

Your four shelves, read-only: titles, authors, covers, your star ratings and the books you pair them with. Never your notes or reading dates. Members can also see what you recommend. You can stop sharing at any time.

Question 6

What is Pairs With?

Accepted Answer

When you finish a book, Shelf asks for your stars and up to three books from your library that go in the same direction. Members see your pairings, and when you rated a book four stars or more, the books a member pairs with it show up in your For You. Below those come books that resemble what you liked, worked out on your iPhone.

Question 7

Can I send someone a single book?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Send it with Send to Anyone, or pick it in Shelf's iMessage app without leaving the conversation. If your friend has Shelf, the book opens there. If not, it opens the book's page on this website, with a way to get Shelf.

Question 8

What if I have a lot of books?

Accepted Answer

Each shelf on the home screen shows your 30 most recent books. See All opens the whole shelf as a bookcase, a wall of covers or a list, with sorting, filters, sections by year and an A–Z index.

Question 9

Do I need an account?

Accepted Answer

No. There's no sign-up. Your library syncs between your iPhone and iPad through your own iCloud, if you're signed in to iCloud.

Question 10

Does Shelf work on iPad?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on iPhone and iPad with iOS 26.2 or later. Your library is the same on both through iCloud.

Four shelves. One library.

It starts with a friend.

Pick a book. Tap Shelf in the row of iMessage apps, then a cover. The book goes into your message with its author, its shelf and your stars.

Anna taps the bubble. The book opens as a card in iMessage: Open in Shelf, or buy it, without leaving the chat.

Scan the barcode. Shelf reads the ISBN and finds the edition.

Paste any link. From Amazon, Goodreads or any bookstore, or share it from Safari.

What it’s about

The edition

Your copy

No account

Your own iCloud

An open catalogue

No tracking

Your library,spine out.

Four shelves. One library.

Every book has a story.Shelf follows it.

It starts with a friend.

Pass iton.

Book Club. It lands in their For You, with your note, and Shelf lets them know.

Send to anyone. Messages, Mail, anywhere: a link that opens Shelf, or the book's page on the web if they don't have it yet.

Send itin iMessage.