A Kavita app for iPhone, iPad and Android: read your Kavita library anywhere

The short answer

TritonPanels connects directly to your Kavita server from an iPhone, iPad or Android device. You create an Auth Key in Kavita, add the server with its address and that key, and then browse series, volumes and chapters, search, and read in the full reader. Reading progress is kept in step with Kavita both ways, and chapters can be downloaded for offline reading.

You need Kavita 0.9.1.4 or later. TritonPanels needs a subscription after a 14-day free trial; there is no free version. The app talks only to your server — nothing goes through TritonApps.

What Kavita is

Kavita is a free, open-source reading server that you host yourself, on a PC, a NAS or a home server. It scans folders of comics, manga and books and organises them into libraries and series, with volumes and chapters for manga. It is a natural home for a manga collection because it understands how series are numbered.

Kavita has its own web reader. TritonPanels adds a native reader on the phone: page turning that feels right, Right to Left (Manga) direction, Double Page spreads for tablets, Panel by Panel reading, and copies that work without a signal.

Create an Auth Key in Kavita

TritonPanels signs in to Kavita with an Auth Key rather than your password. Your password is never needed.

1. Sign in to Kavita’s web interface with the account you want to read as.
2. Open User Settings → Auth Keys and create a key.
3. Copy it somewhere you can paste from on your phone.

You can revoke the key in the same place at any time. Removing the connection in TritonPanels deletes the key from the device only, so revoke it in Kavita too if you are done with it.

Which address to enter

Kavita listens on port 5000 by default. At home on the same Wi-Fi, use its home-network address with http:// typed in full, for example http://192.168.1.20:5000; without it the app assumes https://. TritonPanels will warn This connection isn’t encrypted, because the key would travel over your network unencrypted, and ask you to confirm the non-standard port. Continue only for a server on your own network that you trust.

Away from home, use a VPN back into your home network so the same address works, or a reverse proxy that gives Kavita a public domain name with HTTPS and a certificate from a public authority. Plain HTTP is refused for anything outside your home network.

Connect TritonPanels to Kavita, step by step

1. In TritonPanels, tap the + button in your library to open Connect Storage.
2. Under CATALOGS, tap Kavita.
3. Enter a Name, the Server address and the Auth Key.
4. Tap Test and save. If you see the unencrypted-connection or port warning, read it and tap Continue.
5. On iPhone and iPad, allow Local Network access when iOS asks.

The Auth Key is stored only in the iOS Keychain or Android’s encrypted storage, is never shown again, and is sent only to your server. The server then appears under Catalogs on the Libraries screen.

Kavita also offers an OPDS feed, but use the Kavita card rather than adding that feed as a general OPDS catalog: Kavita’s OPDS address carries your key inside it, and only the Kavita card syncs progress.

Series, volumes and chapters

Inside the connection you browse Kavita’s libraries and series. A series shows how much of it you have read as a percentage, and opens into its volumes, loose chapters and specials, labelled the way Kavita labels them: Volume 3, Chapter 12, Special. Search uses Kavita’s own search on the server. Tap a chapter and choose Open to read it.

For manga, set the reading direction to Right to Left (Manga), or use the Manga reader preset. The manga reading guide covers the settings worth changing.

Progress sync and offline reading

As you read, TritonPanels sends your page to Kavita, and again when you close the chapter. Open a chapter you read in Kavita’s web reader and the app picks up the page the server holds. Mark as read and Mark as unread go to the server as well. The Reading progress panel says Synced with the server, Waiting to sync or Will sync when the server is reachable.

To read without a connection, tap Make available offline on a chapter. Downloads queue on the Downloads screen, where you can pause and resume them, and Avoid Cellular Data in Settings keeps them to Wi-Fi. Pages you read offline are queued and sent when Kavita is reachable again. See reading comics offline for more.

If it won’t connect

• Nothing happens at home on iPhone: check Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network in iOS and switch TritonPanels on.
• The server couldn’t be reached: check the port (5000 by default, but Docker may map it elsewhere) and open the same address in the phone’s browser.
• The server didn’t accept that sign-in: the Auth Key is wrong or was revoked. Create a new one and enter it again; your downloads and progress are kept.
• This server isn’t a supported Kavita version (0.9.1.4 or later): update Kavita.
• This address now points to a different Kavita server: the address was reused for a new installation. Add it as a new connection.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Kavita app for iPhone and iPad?

Kavita runs on your own server and is used through a web browser. TritonPanels connects to it from iPhone, iPad and Android, with progress kept in step with the server and chapters you can download for offline reading. It needs Kavita 0.9.1.4 or later.

Does TritonPanels need my Kavita password?

No. It signs in with an Auth Key you create in Kavita under User Settings → Auth Keys. You can revoke the key there at any time without changing your password.

Does Kavita reading progress sync with TritonPanels?

Yes, both ways. Pages you read in the app are sent to Kavita, and progress recorded on the server shows up when you open the chapter. Progress made offline is sent when the server is reachable.

Can I add Kavita as an OPDS catalog instead?

Use the Kavita card. Kavita’s OPDS address includes your key in the address itself, and reading through OPDS keeps progress on the device only, while the Kavita card syncs it with the server.

Your own files: TritonPanels reads comics you already have. It does not sell, host or supply comics, and it cannot open copy-protected (DRM) purchases that are locked to another store’s app. Komga, Kavita, Calibre, Dropbox and the other names on this page belong to their owners, who do not endorse TritonPanels.