Frequently Asked Questions
The things people ask most. If your answer isn't here, write to us from Help & Support.
Why is everything free? Will there be a charge later?
Everything in the catalogue is public domain or openly licensed: either the copyright has expired, or the institution that produced the work released it freely. The sources are Project Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks, Wikisource, LibriVox, OpenStax, Wikibooks, The Met, Art Institute of Chicago, NASA, Wikimedia Commons, Poly Haven, the Great 78 Project, Google Fonts and the Prelinger Archives. These are legally free for everyone - there is no hidden fee, trial period or subscription.
Can I read or listen without internet?
Content is fetched when you open a title, so reading and listening need a connection. For offline use, tap Download on the product page: the file is saved to your phone and opens without internet.
Where are my downloads saved on the phone?
Inside your Downloads folder, split by type: Shopy 101/Books Shopy 101/Textbooks Shopy 101/Audio Shopy 101/Music Shopy 101/Video Shopy 101/Photos Shopy 101/Fonts Shopy 101/Art You can reach them from any file manager and copy them to a computer.
If I change phones, do I lose my place?
No. For titles in your library, your page position — and for audiobooks the chapter and exact spot — is saved to the cloud with your account. Sign in on another device and you continue where you left off. Your favourite lists and reading streak carry over the same way.
Does audio keep playing with the screen off?
Yes. It keeps playing when you leave the app or turn the screen off. You can pause, change chapter and stop it from the notification. Playback pauses by itself when you unplug your headphones.
Why is most content in English? Is there content in my language?
Public-domain archives are mostly English, so the catalogue is too. Other languages come from Wikisource and other sources, and their number grows over time. Use the language chip at the top of Explore to see only the language you want.
How do I use a font I downloaded? Can I use it commercially?
The file lands in Downloads/Shopy 101/Fonts as a .ttf. On a computer, double-click it and choose Install; on Android you need a font-manager app. The fonts in the catalogue are openly licensed (mostly SIL Open Font License or Apache), so commercial use is allowed. The exact licence is named in the product description.
What does the 🔥 streak mean?
It counts consecutive days on which you opened something. Read or listen on a given day and the number goes up; skip a day and it resets. Opening several titles in one day does not add more. Your longest streak is shown on the Profile screen.
How do favourite lists work? How do I remove something?
Tap the heart on any title and pick which list to add it to. You can create your own lists, rename them, and reorder them by long-pressing and dragging. To take something out of a list, open the list in Favourites and long-press the item.
Can I download something and share it with a friend?
Yes. Public-domain works can be read, downloaded, copied and shared freely — that is what public domain means. The app's own design, code and brand are not public domain.
Can I sell my own work here?
The seller side is currently closed. When it opens, uploads will pass an automatic rights and content review before going live, and a separate seller agreement will be published. Write to us from Help & Support if you'd like to be told when it opens.
How do I delete my account and data?
From the Delete account row at the bottom of the Profile screen. After you verify your identity, your account, library, reading progress, favourites and reviews are permanently deleted. This cannot be undone. Files you already downloaded stay on your phone.
I found a bug, or a title looks broken.
Write to us from the Help & Support row, or email help@shopy101.com directly. Including the title makes it much faster to find. Texts come from the source archives, so some older scans can have formatting problems; we fix the ones you report.
Where do the textbooks come from? Can I use them at university?
From two sources. OpenStax (Rice University) publishes 129 complete textbooks — algebra, calculus, physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, sociology, economics, anatomy. These are the assigned textbooks for hundreds of thousands of US students. Wikibooks adds open course material in six languages. Everything is Creative Commons licensed: you can use and share it in homework, slides, even your own lecture notes. The only condition is attribution. OpenStax books are PDFs and large (30-100 MB). Downloading on Wi-Fi is easier.