How to use BeeLine Reader on Android

2023/03/26
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Short version

I got BeeLine Reader to fully work with three web browsers: Kiwi Browser, Lemur Browser, and Mises Browser.

What is BeeLine Reader?

BeeLine Reader is a nifty software product designed to make reading on screens easier.

In this example, notice how the
coloring of the text works. Three
colors are used in total. A line starts
with one color, then gradually
changes to another. The next line
starts with the same color that the
previous line ended with. This way,
the eye is pulled to the correct line
because it wants to look at the same
color.

 

I found out about the software at a presentation named Visual Tracking and Readability Issues on Mobile at the 2023 CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. After returning home, I gave it a try and quickly became a fan.

Desktops and laptops

On Windows and Mac, it’s easy to use BeeLine Reader. Just install the add-on for Firefox, Edge, Safari, or Chrome.

Android

On Android, it’s trickier. Chrome, Firefox, and Edge on Android have limited or no support for add-ons. But good news: by using a lesser known browser, it is possible to add any add-on. Thanks to Nick Lum of BeeLine Reader for pointing me in the right direction.

Using my Pixel 5, I tested many different browsers. I only tested one device; your results may vary.

Here are the results of my experiments.

  1. Kiwi Browser, Lemur Browser, and Mises Browser (Fully work.)
  2. Flow or Yandex Browser (These mostly work.)
  3. Firefox Nightly, Fennec, or Mull (These don’t work.)
  4. SmartCookieWeb Preview (This doesn’t work either.)

Kiwi Browser, Lemur Browser, and Mises Browser (Fully work.)

Kiwi Browser is an open-source, Chromium-based browser app that “supports most chrome desktop extensions” according to its ad copy. Lemur Browser and Mises Browser are also two Chromium-based web browsers for Android. So far, these are the only three Android browsers I’ve found where all features of BeeLine Reader are available.

Installation is easy:

  1. Download Kiwi Browser, Lemur Browser, or Mises Browser from the Play Store.
  2. In the browser, go to the BeeLine Reader extension in the Chrome Web Store.
  3. Click the “Add to Chrome” button at the top right.

BeeLine Reader appears in the extensions menu. You can click to access all settings and register the full version.

Note that BeeLine Reader is meant to have four settings screens that are displayed one at a time. In Kiwi Browser, all four screens appear at the same time, next to each other and very small! You’ll just need to zoom in to use the screens.

Four settings screens displayed in one horizontal row. The screens have various labels and form elements. However, the screens are so small as to not be readable.

Flow or Yandex Browser (These mostly work.)


Flow and Yandex Browser are two proprietary web browsers for Android. It’s possible to use the full version of BeeLine Reader with these browsers, except that the settings window is unavailable. Here’s how:

Flow

  1. Download Flow from the Play Store.
  2. In Flow, go to the BeeLine Reader extension in the Chrome Web Store.
  3. Click the “Add to Chrome” button at the top right.

Yandex

  1. Download Yandex Browser from the Play Store.
  2. In Yandex, go to the BeeLine Reader extension in the Chrome Web Store.
  3. Before downloading the extension, go to your browser settings and enable Desktop version. You can disable this later.
  4. Click the “Add to Chrome” button at the top right.

Final steps for Flow or Yandex

If you’ve previously paid for the full version of BeeLine Reader, and you want to use your license in Android, you’ll need to register this browser.

  1. In your browser, open the BeeLine Reader Browser License Recovery web page.
  2. Enter your email address you originally used to register, and click “Send Recovery Link”.
  3. In the email you receive, copy the URL for the “Recover License” button.
  4. Load the URL in Flow or Yandex.
  5. You should receive a button to register the browser. Click the button and you’re on your way!

The only caveat: you’ll just have to be happy with the default settings.

  • Flow will attempt to load the settings window, but fails.
  • Yandex doesn’t even have a button to load the settings window.

But, at least you can enjoy your improved reading, until Android browsers develop better add-on support.

Firefox Nightly, Fennec, or Mull (These don’t work.)


Before you read on: This doesn’t work. But I’m including the instructions in case someone smarter than me figures out why and fixes it.

Firefox Nightly allows add-ons to be installed from “collections” stored at https://addons.mozilla.org. You can set up your own collection using these instructions. Or, you can use my pre-made collection containing BeeLine Reader. There are a few steps to unlock the add-ons feature.

  • Install Firefox Nightly from the Play Store.
  • In the main menu, click Settings.
  • Click “About Firefox Nightly.”
  • Tap the Firefox icon five times, until a message appears that says “Debug menu enabled.”
  • Go back to the Settings menu and click “Custom Add-on collection”
  • Enter the following information:
    • Collection owner (User ID): 17837497 (or your own ID)
    • Collection name: BeeLineReader (or your own Collection name)
  • Firefox Nightly will quit. Reopen the app.
  • Go to the main menu and click Add-ons.
  • Install BeeLine Reader.
  • A new submenu appears under Add-ons with BeeLine Reader. Click this new menu item.

Unfortunately, this is where the procedure fails. Firefox does not display the BeeLine Reader options correctly. All that is displayed is the BeeLine Reader loading indicator, which never goes away.

Part of a web page that is mostly white and empty. At the top left of the screenshot is a blue box with the words BeeLine Reader in white. In the middle of the screenshot there is a big blue underlined letter B, partly outlined by a blue hexagon.I tried using TalkBack to swipe through to the options if they were invisible. That did not work. The options are not there at all. Also nothing happens on the original web page; it is not colored.

Note that, instead of Firefox Nightly, you can perform this same process using Fennec for F-Droid or Mull instead. The results are the same.

SmartCookieWeb Preview (This one doesn’t work either.)


SmartCookieWeb Preview is a Gecko-based web browser for Android that allows “sideloading” extensions via the XPI file.

When opening the add-on, a modal window pops up. This window has the same behavior seen with Firefox Nightly and Fennec. There is a loading indicator that never stops. The web page text is not colored.

Conclusions

  • If you’d like to fully enjoy the benefits of BeeLine Reader on Android, you can download and use Kiwi Browser, Lemur Browser, or Mises Browser.
  • If you don’t want to use those three browsers, then Flow and Yandex Browser will give you much of the experience.
  • Hopefully someday Firefox, Chrome, and Edge on Android, as well as open source alternatives, will have better support for add-ons.

Change log

  • 2023-04-10: Updated with more browsers.
  • 2023-04-13: Updated with Lemur Browser.
  • 2023-04-19: Updated with Mises Browser.

    • 2023-08-05: Updated to change Kiwi Browser to fully functional.