How to use DropSauce

Installing the app

DropSauce is not on the Play Store. You install it directly from GitHub Releases as an APK.

1. 1
   Go to the latest release on GitHub and tap Download APK.
2. 2
   When Android asks if you want to allow installs from unknown sources, tap Settings and enable it for your browser or file manager. This is a one-time step.
3. 3
   Return to the download and tap Install. The app will appear in your launcher.

First launch — choosing source languages

The first time you open the app, a screen will appear asking which languages you want sources for. This filters the list of available sources down to just the ones relevant to you.

By default, the app selects the languages that match your Android system language. You can change this later from Settings → Sources.

The five main tabs

The bottom navigation bar has five sections:

• Favorites — Your saved manga, organized by category.
• History — Every manga you have opened, sorted by most recent.
• Explore — Browse and search across all your installed sources.
• Feed — New chapter notifications for manga in your favorites (requires the tracker to be on).
• Suggestions — Manga recommendations based on your library.

What are sources?

DropSauce does not come with manga built in. It is a reader — you bring your own sources. A source is a website or service the app can fetch manga from. Sources come packaged as extensions, which you install through an extension repository.

Adding an extension repository

Before you can install extensions, you need to point the app at a repository that lists them.

1. 1
   Open Settings → Extensions.
2. 2
   Tap the + button and paste the URL of the extension repository.
3. 3
   The app will download the repository index. You will see a list of available extensions.

Installing an extension

1. 1
   Go to Settings → Extensions.
2. 2
   Find the extension you want and tap Install.
3. 3
   Android will ask you to confirm the installation. Tap Install.
4. 4
   Once installed, the source shows up in Explore → Manage sources.

Source-specific settings

Many sources let you configure things like domain, login, or content filters. To find these:

1. 1
   Go to Settings → Extensions.
2. 2
   Find the installed source and tap the settings icon next to it.

Managing which sources are visible

You can pin, hide, or reorder sources in Explore → Manage sources. Pinned sources appear at the top of the Explore tab. Hidden sources disappear from browsing but are not uninstalled.

Alternative sources for a manga

If a manga is no longer available on its current source, or you just want to try a different one, DropSauce can find the same title on your other installed sources.

1. 1
   Open the manga details screen.
2. 2
   Tap the ⋮ menu and select Find alternatives.
3. 3
   The app searches your other sources for a matching title. Tap one to switch.

Adding manga to your library

Tapping the heart icon on any manga details page adds it to your favorites. From that point on, it appears in the Favorites tab and is tracked for new chapters.

Viewing reading history

The History tab shows every manga you have opened, in the order you last read them. This is your full reading log — it is not limited to favorites. You can clear individual entries or wipe the entire history from the ⋮ menu.

Bookmarks

Bookmarks let you save specific pages inside a chapter. While reading, long-press on a page and tap Bookmark. To view all your bookmarks, go to the manga details page and tap the bookmark icon, or find the Bookmarks section under the manga's detail screen.

Reading statistics

DropSauce tracks how many chapters you have read, how many pages, and how much time you have spent reading. To view your stats, tap Statistics from the main screen menu or from your profile area.

Update tracker (new chapter feed)

The tracker checks your favorites for new chapters in the background. When new chapters are found, a notification appears and the Feed tab updates. You can adjust how often checks run in Settings → Tracker.

Manga suggestions

The Suggestions tab recommends manga based on what is already in your library. The app looks at genres, authors, and tags from your favorites to find similar titles on your installed sources. These suggestions update automatically in the background.

What categories are for

Categories let you group your favorites however you like — for example "Reading", "On hold", "Completed", or by genre. A manga can belong to more than one category.

Creating a category

1. 1
   Open the Favorites tab.
2. 2
   Tap the ⋮ menu and select Manage categories.
3. 3
   Tap the + button and type a name for your new category.

Adding manga to a category

1. 1
   Open the details page for any manga in your favorites.
2. 2
   Tap the heart icon again (or the Categories chip below it).
3. 3
   A sheet appears with your categories. Select as many as you want and tap Save.

Filtering the Favorites tab by category

In the Favorites tab, swipe the tab row at the top or tap a category name to filter the view to just that category. Tap All to return to the full list.

Reading modes

DropSauce supports several reading modes. You can set a default in Settings → Reader, or change it per-chapter from the reader's bottom sheet.

• Standard (right to left) — Classic manga page layout. Tap or swipe right to go forward.
• Standard (left to right) — For webtoons and manhwa formatted as pages. Tap or swipe left to go forward.
• Webtoon (vertical scroll) — Continuous vertical scroll. Best for tall-strip webtoons.
• Reversed webtoon — Vertical scroll but pages are flipped, useful for some right-to-left webtoons.

Opening the reader controls

Tap the center of the screen. A top bar and bottom bar will appear with the chapter title, progress slider, chapter list, and the settings gear icon.

• The progress slider at the bottom lets you jump to any page.
• The chapter list icon lets you jump to a different chapter.
• The gear icon opens quick reader settings.

Tap zones (navigation areas)

By default, the left edge of the screen goes to the previous page and the right edge goes to the next page. You can customize exactly which parts of the screen do what in Settings → Reader → Tap grid.

Zoom modes

In Settings → Reader, the zoom setting controls how pages fill the screen:

• Fit to screen — The whole page is visible at once.
• Fit to width — The page is as wide as the screen, you scroll vertically.
• Fit to height — The page is as tall as the screen, you scroll horizontally.
• Original size — The page is shown at its actual pixel size.

Background color

In Settings → Reader, you can set the background behind pages to black, white, or gray. Black works well at night; white suits day reading with white-background manga.

Page turn animation

In Settings → Reader, you can choose a page turn animation: none, slider, or the curved page-flip effect. Turning animation off gives the snappiest feel.

Screen rotation

The reader can lock to portrait or landscape independently of your system rotation. Tap the screen while reading, then tap the rotation icon in the top bar to cycle through: follow system → portrait → landscape.

Saving a page as a bookmark

Long-press any page while reading and tap Bookmark this page. You can find all bookmarks on the manga details screen.

Downloading chapters for offline reading

Not all sources support downloads — it depends on whether the source extension allows it. When downloads are supported:

1. 1
   Open the manga details page.
2. 2
   Long-press a chapter (or tap the checkbox to select multiple chapters).
3. 3
   Tap the Download icon in the action bar that appears.

Where downloads are stored

By default, downloads go to the app's private storage. You can change the storage location to an SD card or another folder in Settings → Storage.

Reading manga from local files (CBZ, ZIP, folder)

If you have manga saved on your device as CBZ files, ZIP archives, or folders of images, DropSauce can read them without a source.

1. 1
   Go to Explore → Local storage.
2. 2
   Navigate to the folder containing your manga files and tap it.
3. 3
   The app will list found manga. Tap one to read it.

Importing PDF files

DropSauce can convert PDF files into readable CBZ chapters when you point it at a local folder. The PDF import happens automatically when the app encounters a PDF inside a scanned local directory. No extra steps are needed — just include the PDF in your manga folder.

Freeing up storage

To delete downloaded chapters, go to the manga details page, long-press a downloaded chapter, and tap Delete download. To manage all downloads at once, go to Settings → Storage → Clear downloads.

What a backup includes

A DropSauce backup saves everything about your library state to a single file:

• Favorites and their categories
• Reading history and per-chapter progress
• Bookmarks
• Reading statistics
• App settings

Creating a backup

1. 1
   Go to Settings → Data & backup.
2. 2
   Tap Create backup.
3. 3
   Choose a location to save the backup file (your Downloads folder is a safe choice).

Restoring from a backup

1. 1
   Go to Settings → Data & backup.
2. 2
   Tap Restore backup and locate your backup file.
3. 3
   The app will merge the backup with your current data. You can choose to overwrite or merge.

Restoring backups from Kotatsu or Mihon

DropSauce can import backups created by the original Kotatsu app. This lets you move your library without starting over. Use the same Restore backup flow — Kotatsu backup files are auto-detected.

For Mihon (and Tachiyomi-compatible) backups, go to Settings → Data & backup → Import from Mihon. The app will import favorites, history, categories, and reading progress.

What sync does

Google Drive sync keeps your library in step across multiple Android devices. When you read a chapter on one phone, the progress shows up on your tablet the next time it syncs. Everything synced goes into a hidden, private file inside your own Google Drive that only DropSauce can access.

What gets synced

• Favorites and categories
• Reading history and chapter progress
• Bookmarks
• Tracking data
• Reading statistics
• App settings
• Manga cover images (optional, can be disabled to save Drive space)

Enabling sync

1. 1
   Go to Settings → Sync.
2. 2
   Tap Sign in with Google and pick your account.
3. 3
   The app will ask for permission to access its own Drive data folder. Grant it.
4. 4
   Tap Sync now to do an immediate sync, or let it run on its automatic schedule.

Setting up sync on a second device

1. 1
   Install DropSauce on the second device.
2. 2
   Go to Settings → Sync and sign in with the same Google account.
3. 3
   Tap Sync now. The app will pull your library from Drive.

Deleting synced data

In Settings → Sync, tap Delete all synced data. This removes the sync file from your Google Drive. Your local data on the device is untouched. You can sign out at any time from the same screen.

How merge conflicts are handled

If you read on two devices without syncing in between, the app merges both sets of progress when you next sync. Chapters marked as read on either device stay marked as read. No data is silently lost.

What tracking does

Tracking (also called scrobbling) automatically updates your manga list on external services as you read. For example, when you finish a chapter in DropSauce, it can mark that chapter as read on AniList or Shikimori so your list there stays accurate without you having to update it manually.

Supported services

DropSauce supports logging in to and syncing with multiple tracking services. Check Settings → Tracking for the current list of supported services.

Setting up tracking

1. 1
   Go to Settings → Tracking.
2. 2
   Tap the service you want to use and sign in with your account for that service.
3. 3
   Once signed in, go to the details page of any manga in your favorites.
4. 4
   Tap the tracking chip or the Track button and search for the matching entry on the service.
5. 5
   Select it and save. From now on, reading chapters in the app updates your score on the service automatically.

Tracking is per-manga

You link each manga individually to its entry on the tracking service. This is intentional — some manga have multiple versions or seasons, and automatic matching is often wrong. Linking manually means you always know exactly what is being tracked.

What app lock does

App lock adds an authentication step when you open DropSauce. This can be your fingerprint, face unlock, or your device PIN/pattern — whatever your phone uses for biometrics or screen lock. It is useful if you share your device and want your library to stay private.

Enabling app lock

1. 1
   Go to Settings → Privacy & security.
2. 2
   Toggle on App lock.
3. 3
   Choose whether to use biometrics, device credentials, or both. The system biometric prompt will appear to confirm setup.

How long before it locks again

In the same Privacy & security settings screen, you can set how quickly the app locks after going to the background — immediately, after 30 seconds, or after a few minutes. This way a quick app switch doesn't force you to re-authenticate.

Available widgets

DropSauce offers home screen widgets that let you jump back into reading without opening the app. Available widgets include:

• Continue reading — Shows the manga you were reading last with a button to open the next chapter.
• Favorites — A grid or list of manga from your favorites that you can tap to open.
• Reading stats — A glanceable view of your reading statistics like chapters read this week.

Adding a widget

1. 1
   Long-press an empty area of your home screen.
2. 2
   Tap Widgets (varies by launcher).
3. 3
   Scroll to find DropSauce and drag the widget you want onto the home screen.

Moving from Kotatsu

If you were already using the original Kotatsu app, you can transfer your entire library to DropSauce in a few steps:

1. 1
   In the original Kotatsu app, go to Settings → Data and create a backup.
2. 2
   In DropSauce, go to Settings → Data & backup → Restore backup.
3. 3
   Select the Kotatsu backup file. DropSauce will recognize it automatically and import everything.

Moving from Mihon or Tachiyomi

DropSauce has a dedicated import tool for Mihon/Tachiyomi-compatible backup files.

1. 1
   In Mihon, create a backup from Settings → Data and storage → Create backup.
2. 2
   In DropSauce, go to Settings → Data & backup → Import from Mihon.
3. 3
   Select the .tachibk or .proto.gz backup file.
4. 4
   The app imports favorites, categories, history, and progress. Install the matching extensions to resume reading.

Updating the app

DropSauce can check for and install updates without leaving the app.

1. 1
   Go to Settings → About.
2. 2
   Tap Check for updates. If a new version is available, you will see a download button.
3. 3
   Tap Download & install. The app downloads the new APK and prompts you to install it.

You can also download the latest APK manually from the GitHub Releases page.

Updating extensions

Source extensions update independently of the app. When a source breaks (common with web-scraped sources), check for an extension update first:

1. 1
   Go to Settings → Extensions.
2. 2
   If any extension has a pending update, an Update button appears next to it. Tap it.

A source stopped working

Sources break when the website they scrape changes its layout. The fix is usually an extension update. If no update is available yet, the source maintainer has likely been notified — check the extension repository's issue tracker.

Images not loading

If images fail to load in the reader or on manga details screens:

• Check your internet connection.
• Some sources require a VPN or are geo-restricted. A proxy setting is available in Settings → Network → Proxy.
• Try clearing the image cache in Settings → Storage → Clear image cache.
• Check if the extension needs an update.

Progress not saving

If your reading progress keeps resetting:

• Make sure you are not clearing app data or using a battery optimizer that kills the app's background service before it can save.
• If you use sync, make sure a sync has happened recently on all devices.
• Progress saves when you leave a chapter, not while reading mid-page.

Getting help

If something is not working and this guide didn't solve it:

• Join the Discord server and describe your issue.
• Open an issue on the GitHub Issues page. Include your app version (found in Settings → About) and a description of what went wrong.