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While the Kindle is the most popular e-reader in the world, it's not the best option for people who want more control over their digital libraries. If you're a true e-book nerd, you've probably heard of the Boox Palma, the e-ink device with a phone-like form factor that has attracted a huge cult following on social media.
The thing about the Palma, though, is that it's way more than an e-reader—it costs about the same as an Android tablet because it basically is one. You can sideload your e-books to read on the native reading app (called NeoReader), or you can install most any app from the Google Play Store. In short, it can do way more than a Kindle, but that also means it can be way more complicated to get it working how you want to. To that end, here are five ways to get more out of your Boox e-reader (whether that's the original Palma, the Palma 2, or the Palma 2 Pro).
Adjust your Palma's settings so you can turn pages with the volume buttons
Unlike all modern Kindles, the Boox Palma still has physical buttons, which is a big plus for anyone who prefers not to turn pages with a touchscreen. Unfortunately, not all apps are configured to recognize a press of the volume up or down button as a request to turn the page. Fortunately, this is typically an easy fix, though you'll have to check your settings in a few different spots to get it working.
Turn pages with volume buttons in the Kindle app
To use the volume buttons to turn pages in the Kindle app: Because Kindle is the most popular reading app, bespoke instructions are in order—especially because they are hardly intuitive.
Open the Kindle app and navigate to any book.
Tap the center of the screen to bring up the reading overlay menu, then tap the "Aa" icon to open display settings.
Tap the "Layout" tab and make sure the slider next to "Continuous Scrolling" is turned off.
Now tap the "More" tab and scroll down until you see "Turn Pages with Volume Controls" and set that slider to on.
Turn pages with volume buttons in a different reading app
While specific instructions might be different depending on your reading app of choice, there's also a system-level settings option you can try to enable page turns with the volume buttons:
Long-press the app icon on the home screen to open quick settings and tap "Optimize."
Tap the "Others" tab.
Next to the "Customize Buttons" menu option you'll see three icons; tap the one on the far left that looks like in a circle to set the Volume button setting to "Page-turning." (Incidentally, if you prefer to use the volume buttons to trigger the continuous scroll option, that's what the up/down arrow icon on the right is for).
Disable your Palma's touchscreen with a shake to stop accidental page turns
If you're a "turn pages with the buttons" kind of person, you might also want to turn off the touchscreen so you don't accidentally turn the page if you touch the screen accidentally or put your Palma in your pocket without putting it to sleep first. Unfortunately, there's no system- or app-level setting for this, but you can accomplish it with a third-party app.
There are a ton of options for these kinds of apps on the Google Play Store, but some of them will go too far by disabling physical buttons as well, while others will fill your screen with ads. A better alternative is an app called Touch Protector, but it's not on Google Play—so you'll have to install the Aptoide app store first. Aptoide is a decentralized, open-source alternative to Google Play.
Note: Using a decentralized app store means you're opening yourself up to a bit more risk, so look for apps with the green "Trusted" icon, indicating that they have been scanned for malware and compared against apps in other app stores to ensure they aren't copycats. You'll also need to be comfortable with overriding some system-level security recommendations; I wouldn't do this on a device I use for financial transactions or reading e-mails, but all I do with my Palma is read. In short, go with your gut on this one.
With those disclaimers out of the way, here are the steps involved:
Navigate to the Aptoide app store from your Palma's web browser, then tap the "More" option on the lower right; on the next screen, tap "Get Aptoide." (You'll have to click through some permissions screens indicating you understand there's risk in downloading an app APK file from an "unknown" source.)
Once you've downloaded the Aptoide APK file, open it from your downloads folder and install it (this will require another security acknowledgement).
Once installed, open Aptoide and search for "Touch Protector" (or use this link). The first time you use Aptoide, you'll be prompted to give it system-level permission to install apps; it will open the relevant settings menu automatically. (If you have a Boox Palma 2 Pro running Android 15, you may also receive a message indicating that Touch Protector was designed for an earlier version of Android, but you can choose to install it anyway.)
Open the Touch Protector app. The first time you do, you'll be prompted to give it "Display over other apps" permissions. The settings menu for this option will likewise open automatically; scroll down to Touch Protector, tap it, and turn the slider to "On." (If Android prevents you from doing this here, you'll need to do it manually: Open Settings > Apps & Notifications > Applications. Find "Touch Protector" in the apps list and tap the slider next to "Display on top of other apps.")
Now you'll need to configure your Touch Protector settings to choose how you'll lock and unlock the touchscreen. I suggest tapping "Shake," which allows you to toggle the option on or off by gently shaking your device. (Yes, you can adjust how hard you need to shake it so you won't do so accidentally.)
All of that accomplished, you can now temporarily disable the touchscreen in whatever reading app you're using by shaking your Palma. Shake it again when you want touch controls back.
Set a one-touch refresh to instantly get rid of "ghosting" on the Palma
Like any e-ink tablet, Boox devices suffer from occasional "ghosting," or visible afterimages once you've turned a page. While the device will automatically refresh itself after a certain number of screen touches and you can adjust your settings so it refreshes more often, I like to set a one-touch refresh that I can trigger whenever I want. This is convenient, because some types of content, including anything with images, will require more frequent refreshes than others. There are two ways to set a one-touch manual refresh: a button or a gesture.
Use a button to perform a one-touch refresh: Though you could map this function to any button, it makes most sense to use the Palma's Smart Button for this—that's the button on the top left-hand side of the device, and it can do different things based on whether you press it once, twice, or hold it down. On my own Palma, I've mapped a manual refresh to a single Smart Button press, as it's the thing I find myself doing most often (a long-press takes me back to the home screen). To remap your Smart Button, open the Settings app and tap "Smart Button." Tap your preferred option ("Short-press Function," "Double-click Function," or "Long-press Function") and select "Full-refresh."
Use a gesture to perform a one-touch refresh: Open Settings and scroll down to "System Navigation." Under "Bottom Navigation," tap "More Settings." Choose the area of the screen you'd like to map the refresh to by swiping between the left, center, or right side options. Tap "Custom" and then choose "Full-refresh" from your list of options.
Manage your sleep settings so you can listen to audiobooks or podcasts with the Palma's screen off
Listening to audiobooks or podcasts on the Palma can be a frustrating experience, especially if you have a case with a magnetic cover that puts the device to sleep when you close it, as doing so will also pause any audio you're listening to. However, you can fix this with a few settings changes.
The first thing you'll need to do is adjust your settings to allow apps that play audio to continue running in the background. In the interest of preserving battery life, the Palma OS turns this setting off for every app you download from the Google Play Store, but you can change that. First, you can long-press the icon of any app on the home screen. This will bring up a menu with a few different options. Tap "Optimize." From the next pop-up menu, select the "Others" tab, then make sure the slider next to "Stay active in the background" is turned to On.
Next, you need to "unfreeze" background apps so they don't try to update when not in use. You can make this change globally, or on a per-app basis. Freezing apps improves battery life, so keep that in mind as you make your decision. To unfreeze a single app, open Settings and scroll down to "Apps and Notifications." Tap "Freeze Settings," find your audio-playing apps in the list of installed programs, and turn the slider to off. To unfreeze all your apps, from this same menu, turn the "Do not freeze apps running in the background (audio, input methods, etc.)" slider to On.
The last thing you'll need to do is keep the Palma from turning off Bluetooth and disconnecting your headphones after the device goes to sleep. To do that, open Settings and scroll to Power. On the next screen, tap "Bluetooth Status After Sleep" and select "Stay Connected" from the pop-up menu. (I'd also suggest turning on "Always turn Bluetooth on when the device starts up" from this menu, so you won't have to manually turn Bluetooth on every time you want to connect your headphones—though this too will affect your overall battery life).
You might assume that because your Palma is signed in to Google Play and active in your account, locating it (or triggering lost mode) will work—but you also need to have location services turned on at the system level, or you'll be out of luck. To do this, go to Settings and scroll down to "Location Information." Turn on the slider next to "Access my location information." You can then tap "Location permission of apps" to adjust the settings for any apps you don't want tracking you, while still keeping your pricey e-reader perfectly findable.
Note that in order to be findable, your device must be turned on and connected to the internet. For the Palma 2, that means whoever finds it will need to turn it on and connect it to wifi; for the Palma 2 Pro with an active SIM card, it will likewise need to be powered on and not in sleep mode.
