Bookmarking tools are a great way to organize and save web content for later reading, and I use them frequently when conducting research for projects in my grad school classes or for other projects related to my website or other interests. When researching accessible bookmarking websites and apps for an assignment, I came across the Omnivore app accessibility features page and immediately started using it to figure out if it was something I could include as a potential option. What I wasn’t expecting was that I would then switch over to using Omnivore to organize all of the documents for my ongoing projects, including creating a label in Omnivore to organize information about Omnivore. Here is an overview of Omnivore app accessibility for low vision and print disabilities, and why I’ve been sharing this free and open-source app with others as well.
Omnivore app overview
Omnivore is a free and open-source digital bookmarking tool that lets users save and organize web articles, blog posts, email newsletters, RSS feeds, and uploaded PDFs for later reading. Saved content can then be displayed with a simplified reading view, applying a consistent font, text size, background color, and other visual settings to help streamline the reading experience while also eliminating ads and other distracting content. Omnivore is 100% free with no ads and can be accessed as a web application with no downloads required, or with mobile apps available for iOS and Android. Alternatively, users can also access Omnivore through the web browser on their mobile devices if they don’t want to download an app.
Per Omnivore’s privacy policy, users will need to be 18 or older to use the application.
Related links
- Omnivore website
- Omnivore: Read-it-later on the App Store (apple.com)
- Omnivore: read-it-later – Apps on Google Play
- Omnivore browser extensions
Setting up Omnivore and organizing Omnivore library
Users will need to create a free Omnivore account with an email address or Google/Apple account prior to using Omnivore for the first time. Omnivore accounts or uploaded content do not show up in web search results, though users can log into their Omnivore account on multiple devices so that their library is synchronized across devices.
Once logged in, Omnivore has a few automatically-generated categories and labels for organizing content, which is stored in an Inbox. Categories and labels are displayed in a sidebar view on the left side of the screen. Similar to an email inbox, users can set labels or tags for individual files by selecting a file and then either selecting the “Edit Labels” icon (which looks like a tag symbol) or pressing the l (lowercase L) key on their keyboard. From there, users can add their own labels or select from a list of previously used labels. This can be done either from the library or while reading the selected file.
If a user does not want to see a particular file in the library but doesn’t want to erase it completely, they can add it to their archives by selecting the Archive option (which has an icon with three dots) or pressing the e (lowercase E) key on their keyboard.
Related links
- Tips To Stay Organized In Virtual Classes
- How I Organize Emails In College
- Mainstream Technology and Low Vision: Keyboards
Adding content to Omnivore
There are several options for adding different types of content to the Omnivore library, and there is no limit to the number of links or files that can be stored. However, there is a size limit of 8 MB for PDFs uploaded by the user.
Saving from Omnivore library
When opening the Omnivore website or app, users can add content directly from the library homepage by doing the following:
- For the web browser application, select the Add button in the bottom right corner of the screen, next to the username. Paste the link to the web content, or select the PDF option to upload from the device file browser.
- For the mobile applications, select the Add button in the top right corner of the screen, which looks like a plus sign. At this time, only pasting links is supported on mobile applications, though users can also open the web browser app on their device and upload PDFs that way.
Saving from a web browser
Omnivore offers free web browser extensions for Safari, Chrome, Edge, and Firefox so users can save links directly from their browser to their Omnivore library. Once the desired link/content is open, select the Omnivore button in the toolbar or extensions menu to save it for later.
For mobile devices with the Omnivore app installed, users can open the share button for a link and then select the Omnivore button from the share sheet to save it to their library.
Saving email newsletter subscriptions
Omnivore provides users with the option to have email subscriptions and newsletters delivered to their Omnivore library in lieu of their email inbox. Instructions for how to sign up for newsletters are posted on the Omnivore website and have been pasted below for convenience.
- On the Omnivore website or app, tap your photo, initial, or avatar, which is located in the top corner of the mobile apps and bottom corner of the web browser application
- Tap Create a New Email Address to add a new email address (e.g. username-123abc@inbox.omnivore.app) to the list.
- Click the Copy icon next to the email address.
- Navigate to the signup page for the newsletter you wish to subscribe to.
- Paste the Omnivore email address into the signup form.
- New newsletters will be automatically delivered to your Omnivore inbox.
Saving Atom and RSS feeds
Omnivore also supports loading content directly from Atom and RSS feeds. Users can add a feed link by selecting the Feeds label under Subscriptions or by tapping the user’s profile icon and selecting Feeds on the web browser application. Next, select the “Add a feed” button and paste the feed URL.
Related links
- Helpful Ways To Bookmark Websites For Low Vision Users
- How I Find Research Sources In Accessible Formats
- Accessing The News With Assistive Technology
Highlighting and annotation
Within content in the Omnivore library, users can highlight content by selecting text and choosing a highlight color, or by pressing the h (lowercase H) key on their keyboard. Highlighted content can be viewed at any time by selecting the Notebook icon or by pressing the t (lowercase T) key on the keyboard.
To add notes to highlighted text, select the notes icon or press the n (lowercase N) key on the keyboard to type notes or add annotations to the document, which can be viewed at any time by selecting the Notebook icon or by pressing the t (lowercase T) key on the keyboard.
Reading Preferences in Omnivore: Omnivore app accessibility with large print
Omnivore offers several options for customizing the display of text in the Reading Preferences menu for the web and mobile applications, which can be accessed by selecting the Tt icon or by pressing the d (lowercase D) on the keyboard.
Users can customize the following settings in Reading Preferences:
Font
- Inter
- System Default
- Merriweather
- Lora
- Open Sans
- Roboto
- Newsreader
- Lexend
- Montserrat
- Crimson Text
- OpenDyslexic
- Source Serif Pro
- LXGWWenKai
- Atkinson Hyperlegible
- IBM Plex Sans
- Fraunces
- Literata
- SuperNotesPro
Font size
18 different font sizes are available, and are controlled by a slider. The largest font size is estimated to be equivalent to size 48 pt font.
Line Height and Margins
There are 9 options each for adjusting the line height and margins of the page, which are controlled by a slider.
Themes/Colors
- White
- Black (dark mode)
- Sepia
- Dark gray
Advanced settings
- Justify text (on/off)
- High contrast text (on/off)
- Right-to-left text (on/off)
- Auto highlight mode (on/off). Automatically highlights selected text
Related links
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
- My Favorite Free Fonts For Print Disabilities
- Mainstream eReader Apps and Low Vision Accessibility
Omnivore app accessibility for text-to-speech/read aloud
As of May 2024, only the Omnivore app for iOS offers a built-in feature for text-to-speech/read aloud, which can be enabled by opening an item from the library and selecting the Listen button (headphones icon) at the top of the screen. However, Omnivore’s web browser and mobile applications can still be used with other read aloud or text-to-speech extensions or assistive technology applications, such as the Ctrl-Shift-U shortcut for the Microsoft Edge web browser.
Related links
- How To Use Text-To-Speech With Low Vision
- How I Use Microsoft Immersive Reader With Low Vision
- Google Reader Mode and Low Vision
Omnivore app accessibility for screen readers and keyboard access
Keyboard access and keyboard shortcuts are available for all major features in the Omnivore web browser application, which can be accessed either through the command line or by pressing keyboard commands directly on the keyboard. Users can view an up-to-date list of all keyboard shortcuts by typing a ? while reading content in the Omnivore web browser app (shift key required). Users can also use the screen reader of their choice to listen to text content within the Omnivore library, though in my experience alt text for images is not supported.
Related links
- Keyboard Commands | Omnivore Docs
- How To Access Images Without Alt Text
- How To Create Custom Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows
How I use the Omnivore app with low vision
I started using the Omnivore app to store articles, research sources, and other links of interest for my research projects for grad school and other work, as I wanted to use a tool that integrated bookmarking and simplified reading display tools all in one place. Reading text directly from a webpage can be challenging as it is more difficult to resize the font and adjust text spacing without distorting the appearance of other content, so I often rely on simplified reading displays that let me configure the display settings of a page as well as options to bookmark pages for later if I need a break from reading. Omnivore helped to streamline my workflow tremendously and makes it easier to not only read content, but ensure I can access it later. Another bonus has also been the option to subscribe to newsletters or other email lists, as this has helped to clear out my email inbox and make it easier for me to go back and read past newsletters.
Since I started using it a few months ago, I’ve shared Omnivore with other low vision students that are looking for a way to better organize bookmarked articles and large amounts of readings for class, instead of leaving dozens of tabs open in a web browser or in a bookmarks folder with limited search options. While it does take some time to get used to its interface, many of the students have also added Omnivore to their “toolbox” of assistive technology for college and beyond.
Related links
- Simplified Reading Displays and Low Vision
- How I Read Research Sources With Assistive Technology
- Activity Ideas For Vision Breaks
- My Talk At A Future Date: What I Wish I Learned About AT Before Starting College
More resources on Omnivore App Accessibility and low vision
- Looking for more support on how to use Omnivore? Read Welcome to Omnivore | Omnivore Docs
- Want more posts on assistive technologies and strategies for reading and writing with low vision? Check out Reading And Writing Archives | Veronica With Four Eyes (veroniiiica.com)
- Interested in learning more about assistive technology for digital reading? Here’s a post I wrote as part of a grad school project: A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
