Troubleshooting BookLens

The cover and ISBN scanners need permission to use your camera. If you tapped “Block” or “Don’t Allow” earlier, your browser remembers that choice. Allow the camera for booklens.org, then tap Restart on the scanner screen.

Chrome, Brave and Opera (computer)

Click the icon to the left of the web address, turn Camera on (or set it to Allow), then reload the page.

Chrome, Brave and Opera (Android)

Tap the icon to the left of the web address, tap Permissions, and allow Camera. Also check that the browser itself is allowed to use the camera in your phone’s Settings → Apps.

Microsoft Edge

Click or tap the lock icon next to the web address, choose Permissions for this site, and set Camera to Allow.

Safari (iPhone and iPad)

Tap aA in the address bar, choose Website Settings, and set Camera to Allow. You can also go to Settings → Apps → Safari → Camera (on older versions, Settings → Safari → Camera). If Lockdown Mode is on, turn it off for this site.

Safari (Mac)

Open Safari → Settings → Websites → Camera and set booklens.org to Allow. Also check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera and make sure Safari is switched on.

Firefox

Click the camera or permissions icon in the address bar and remove the “Blocked” setting, then reload. You can also go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Permissions → Camera and allow booklens.org.

“The camera is in use by another app”: close video calls, other camera apps and other browser tabs that might be using the camera, then tap Restart.

Wrong camera: use the Camera menu above the scanner to switch to the back camera.

Links opened inside Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest, the Google app and similar apps open in a built-in browser that usually can’t use the camera.

Tap the menu button (… or ⋮) and choose Open in Safari, Open in Chrome or Open in browser. You can also type booklens.org into your regular browser.

The barcode scanner downloads the first time you use it. If you see “Could not load the barcode scanner”, check your internet connection. Turn off any ad blocker, content filter or VPN for booklens.org, then tap Restart.

For a good read:

• Scan the barcode that starts with 978 or 979. This is usually on the back cover. The smaller price barcode next to it isn’t an ISBN.
• Hold the barcode flat inside the gold box, about 4–8 inches (10–20 cm) from the camera.
• Hold steady for a second or two while BookLens confirms the number.
• Use good lighting and avoid glare from shiny covers.

If the barcode still won’t scan, use Manual Search with the title and author.

• Fill the frame with the front cover, held flat and straight on.
• Use bright, even light, and tilt the book slightly to remove glare.
• Very decorative or stylized title lettering can be hard to read. Try Scan ISBN or Manual Search instead.
• You can tap the round capture button at any time instead of waiting for auto-capture.

Brave users: Brave Shields’ strict fingerprinting protection can slightly change camera snapshots. If cover scanning keeps struggling, click the Brave lion icon in the address bar and lower Shields for booklens.org.

Browsers can only turn on a phone’s flashlight on Android, in Chrome, Edge, Brave or Opera. iPhones, iPads, Firefox and computers don’t allow websites to control the flashlight.

If you need more light, turn on a lamp or use your phone’s flashlight from a second device.

When BookLens finds an existing review, it tries to open it in a new tab. Many browsers, especially Safari and Firefox, block this as a pop-up. That’s normal. Tap the Open the BookLens review button on the results screen.

To let reviews open automatically, allow pop-ups for booklens.org:

Chrome, Edge, Brave and Opera

When a pop-up is blocked, click the blocked pop-up icon at the end of the address bar and choose Always allow pop-ups from booklens.org.

Safari (iPhone and iPad)

Go to Settings → Apps → Safari (or Settings → Safari) and turn off Block Pop-ups.

Safari (Mac)

Open Safari → Settings → Websites → Pop-up Windows and set booklens.org to Allow.

Firefox

When the yellow bar appears, click Options (or Preferences) and choose Allow pop-ups for booklens.org.

Reviews stored in Google Drive also offer a Download the PDF button so you can keep a copy.

The bookshelf remembers the age group you picked. If your browser blocks every website from saving any data, the bookshelf can stop loading. Allow booklens.org to save site data, then reload the page:

Safari (iPhone and iPad)

Go to Settings → Apps → Safari (or Settings → Safari) and turn off Block All Cookies.

Safari (Mac)

Open Safari → Settings → Privacy and turn off Block all cookies.

Firefox

Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data → Manage Exceptions, enter booklens.org and click Allow.

Brave

Click the Brave lion icon, open the advanced controls, and make sure cookies aren’t set to Block all for this site.

Chrome, Edge and Opera

Open the browser’s settings and search for “cookies” (Chrome and Opera), or go to Cookies and site permissions (Edge). Add booklens.org to the sites that are allowed to save data.

First check your internet connection and try again in a minute. The book lookup services BookLens relies on are sometimes briefly unavailable.

Older iPhones and iPads: BookLens search currently needs iOS or iPadOS 16 or later. Devices that can’t update past iOS 15 can’t complete searches in any browser. This includes the iPhone 6s, iPhone 7 and the first iPhone SE. To check your version, go to Settings → General → About. If you can’t update, use BookLens on a newer phone, tablet or computer.

Other browsers: update to the latest version of your browser and try again.

Very old versions of Safari, on Macs running macOS 10.15 Catalina or earlier, can’t display some of the image formats BookLens uses. Updating macOS, or using a current version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave or Opera on that Mac, fixes this. Searching and reports still work without the images.

Book covers come from outside services and sometimes aren’t available for every title. That’s expected.

BookLens can be installed like an app, with no app store needed. How you install it depends on your browser:

Chrome, Edge and Brave (computer and Android)

Tap the Install button on the BookLens home page, or use the install icon in the address bar or the browser menu (“Install BookLens”, “Add to Home screen” or “Apps → Install this site as an app”).

Safari (iPhone and iPad)

Tap the Share button, scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen, then tap Add.

Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave and Opera (iPhone and iPad)

Open the browser’s Share option (in Firefox, Edge and Opera it’s inside the menu), then choose Add to Home Screen. This needs iOS 16.4 or later. On older versions, use Safari.

Safari (Mac)

With BookLens open, choose File → Add to Dock. This needs Safari 17 or later.

Firefox (Android)

Tap the menu (⋮), then Install or Add to Home screen.

Firefox and Opera (computer)

These browsers may not offer installing websites as apps. Bookmark BookLens instead, or install it from Chrome or Edge.

BookLens keeps a copy of itself on your device so it opens quickly. Updates normally appear on your next visit. If something still looks old, reload the page once or twice. If you installed BookLens, close it completely and open it again.

In private or incognito windows, BookLens can’t keep this copy, so it reloads everything on each visit. That’s normal.