Help Centre
Find answers below or email us — we typically respond within 24 hours.
Getting started
Tobi supports EPUB and PDF files that are DRM-free. Most ebooks you buy from Kindle or Apple Books have DRM protection and cannot be imported — the file will appear to open but Tobi won't be able to read the text inside.
Recommended: Use the built-in Get Books tab to download from Project Gutenberg — 70,000 public domain classics, always DRM-free.
Books purchased from Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo, and most major retailers include DRM (Digital Rights Management) copy protection. This prevents any app other than the official reader from accessing the text — including Tobi.
DRM-free alternatives:
Yes — Tobi registers as a handler for EPUB and PDF files on your iPad. From any app that supports sharing (Safari, Mail, Files, Dropbox), tap the Share button, then tap Open in Tobi.
Note: If "Open in Tobi" doesn't appear, scroll right in the share sheet or tap "More" to enable it.
Long-press any book card in your Library to reveal the delete option. This removes it from your library and frees storage on your device. Any existing conversions are unaffected.
Generation
A full volume conversion takes around 20 minutes from tapping Convert to the finished panels being ready to read. Behind the scenes Tobi builds a character consistency profile from the entire text, plans every panel of the volume, and then generates the panel art one image at a time. It's a lot of work for one credit.
You don't have to sit and watch it — conversions continue in the background. Feel free to close the app, put the phone down, and come back later. The finished volume will be waiting.
Tobi includes 8 preset styles: Akira, Grimoire, Horror, Sci-fi, Shonen, Noir, Romance, and Epic. The style input also accepts any freeform description. Try things like:
The more specific you are, the more consistent the results.
Yes — each conversion uses one credit. Pro subscribers get one credit per month and can purchase additional credit packs (1 credit for $7.99 or 3 credits for $22.99) any time. Supporters start with 12 credits and can purchase additional packs the same way. Converting the same book in a different style is treated as a separate conversion and uses one credit.
You can navigate away from the progress screen at any time — generation continues in the background. To fully stop a conversion, force-quit the app. Any panels already generated will be lost and the conversion will need to be restarted.
Output quality
Tobi builds a character consistency profile from the full text of your book before generating any panels. For most books this works very well. Occasional variation can happen when a character appears rarely or is described vaguely. Try converting again — a second attempt often produces better results.
Blank or oddly rendered panels usually indicate the scene was too abstract for the AI to interpret — philosophical passages or short transitional beats can produce this. It can also be caused by a temporary API timeout.
To flag a problem panel: double-tap and hold on the panel in the Reader. This opens a quick review sheet where you can pick a reason (border artifact, character mismatch, deformity, caption issue, or other) and add an optional note. Flagged panels are reviewed and regenerated by our team when the same panel is flagged by enough readers, and the improved version appears the next time anyone opens the book.
Tobi reads the text layer of PDF files. If your PDF is a scanned image (a photo of a physical book), there is no text layer and Tobi cannot extract the content. Try selecting text in your PDF — if you can't, it's image-based. EPUB format works better whenever available.
The biggest impact comes from a more specific style description. Instead of "manga style", try "black and white manga with heavy ink lines, dramatic shadows, close-up character expressions, cinematic panel composition".
Billing
Tobi uses a credit-based conversion model. One credit converts one volume of a book (roughly 40–60 panels).
| Tier | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Read the Discover screen. Purchase one credit ($7.99) to try one conversion. |
| Reader | $4.99 / month | Full read access to the community cache. Purchase one credit ($7.99) to try one conversion. |
| Pro | $9.99 / month | 1 credit included per month. Full cache access. Additional credit packs available any time. |
| Supporter | $99.99 one-time | 12 credits included upfront — a year of Pro at a discount. Full cache access. Additional credit packs available any time. No renewal. |
Additional credits for Pro and Supporter: 1 credit for $7.99 or 3 credits for $22.99. Credits do not expire.
All subscriptions are managed by Apple. To cancel:
Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period.
Refunds are handled by Apple directly. Visit reportaproblem.apple.com, sign in with your Apple ID, find the Tobi purchase, and submit a refund request.
Open Tobi on your new iPad, go to Settings, and tap Restore Purchases. Sign in with the same Apple ID you used originally.
Troubleshooting
If the crash is reproducible, please with details — this helps us fix it quickly.
Your library and already-converted graphic novels are available offline. Converting a new book requires internet as it uses AI services to generate the panels.
The app itself is small (~50MB). Each converted graphic novel takes approximately 15–20MB. A library of 10 converted books uses roughly 150–200MB total.
Get in touch
Can't find an answer above? Email us and we'll get back to you within 24 hours. For billing issues, include your Apple ID email.