BARD Mobile

Name: BARD Mobile
Rating: 3.8 (164 reviews)
Author: Library Of Congress

Books

Free

164 Ratings
Ages

4+
Years
Category

Books
Developer

Library Of Congress
Language

EN
+ 1 More
Size

22
MB

CARRY A LIBRARY IN YOUR POCKET Access tens of thousands of books—from current best sellers to much-loved classics, popular magazines, and music instruction and scores—in audio and electronic braille, with new selections added daily. WHO IS ELIGIBLE? BARD Mobile is a service of NLS. NLS provides free audio and braille reading materials to residents of the US and American citizens living abroad who cannot read regular print. If you are blind or have temporary or permanent low vision or a physical or reading disability that prevents you from holding or reading the printed page, you may be eligible for this program. For more information, visit https://www.loc.gov/nls/about/eligibility-for-nls-services. HOW DO I GET STARTED? This app allows access for eligible users who have enrolled in the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) at the Library of Congress. To enroll, call 1-888-NLS-READ (1-888-657-7323) and follow the prompts to find your state. Or to learn more at https://www.loc.gov/thatallmayread. If you are already an NLS patron, contact your cooperating NLS library to request a BARD account. You can find your library by visiting https://www.loc.gov/nls/find-a-local-library/. SUPPORT For support and help with BARD account issues, or to report bugs, email NLSDownload@loc.gov. For FAQ, visit https://www.loc.gov/nls/braille-audio-reading-materials/bard-access/nls-bard-frequently-asked-questions/. For the User Guides: https://www.loc.gov/nls/braille-audio-reading-materials/bard-access/bard-mobile-ios-version/

Ratings & Reviews

3.8

out of 5

164 Ratings

Download problem
12/12/2025

blindaggie
Could y’all please fix the problem with the downloading of the books, and magazines on your app? I downloaded up to 20, and I tried to download another, and it said that you were download Q is full. Now I am waiting, and all the books that I have downloaded referring to the audiobooks, are still on the queue for download mode. No, I’m not on Wi-Fi, I’m on cellular data. I think your app has a problem, and it is taking forever for the books referring to the audiobooks to be downloaded. I wonder if this download problem is also happening with audio magazines, even though I haven’t done it. Please fix this as issue from now on. Thank you. I believe them that your app is excellent! But please fix the issue from now on. Thanks. Sorry for the mistakes in the review. The phone acts up. Sometimes.
Download problem
12/12/2025

blindaggie

Could y’all please fix the problem with the downloading of the books, and magazines on your app? I downloaded up to 20, and I tried to download another, and it said that you were download Q is full. Now I am waiting, and all the books that I have downloaded referring to the audiobooks, are still on the queue for download mode. No, I’m not on Wi-Fi, I’m on cellular data. I think your app has a problem, and it is taking forever for the books referring to the audiobooks to be downloaded. I wonder if this download problem is also happening with audio magazines, even though I haven’t done it. Please fix this as issue from now on. Thank you. I believe them that your app is excellent! But please fix the issue from now on. Thanks. Sorry for the mistakes in the review. The phone acts up. Sometimes.
You might not ever purchase another book!
12/01/2023

Rick Rascati
Keep in mind, a signature from a doctor or healthcare professional is required before you get approval from the NLS. Here in my state the whole process only took about one week. When initially installing the BARD app it would be beneficial to have someone fully cited by your side to help you sign in. Having said that, the app and service exceeded all expectations! I know some users have experienced issues, but that wasn't my experience. Maybe it was a software bug that has since been resolved? nevertheless, as a voiceover user I found the app and controls very easy to navigate. The layout is very straight forward and intuitive. Searching, adding books to your wishlist, downloading, and deleting are simple to perform. This goes for using the audio player as well. In voiceover mode, one flick of the finger gives you all kinds of secondary options like more titles by that particular author or subject. I was very impressed with the amount of titles in the library, with new ones being added regularly. They may not have brand new releases, but they are as recent as six months to a year. I did a comparison to Apple books and found that BARD had about 2/3 of the titles of the former, at least the ones I was looking for. Lastly, the narrators are all top-notch with great voices and diction.
You might not ever purchase another book!
12/01/2023

Rick Rascati

Keep in mind, a signature from a doctor or healthcare professional is required before you get approval from the NLS. Here in my state the whole process only took about one week. When initially installing the BARD app it would be beneficial to have someone fully cited by your side to help you sign in. Having said that, the app and service exceeded all expectations! I know some users have experienced issues, but that wasn't my experience. Maybe it was a software bug that has since been resolved? nevertheless, as a voiceover user I found the app and controls very easy to navigate. The layout is very straight forward and intuitive. Searching, adding books to your wishlist, downloading, and deleting are simple to perform. This goes for using the audio player as well. In voiceover mode, one flick of the finger gives you all kinds of secondary options like more titles by that particular author or subject. I was very impressed with the amount of titles in the library, with new ones being added regularly. They may not have brand new releases, but they are as recent as six months to a year. I did a comparison to Apple books and found that BARD had about 2/3 of the titles of the former, at least the ones I was looking for. Lastly, the narrators are all top-notch with great voices and diction.
Login frustrating for existing patrons
01/01/2025

SuperStarEars
I am 71 years old and have been a library patron since I was about age 7. I have used this app for many years. I have had to change my password unnecessarily a number of times. I am currently trying to reset my password from my iPhone. I don’t really want to do this, but the website will not let me login with different devices. I am repeatedly told that my ticket is incomplete even though I enter all the information and follow all the instructions. I have repeatedly requested instructions for resetting my password be sent and I have followed the instructions I’ve gotten only to hit a brick wall. For existing patrons, this is absolutely ridiculous. I know the website has to be secure and protected from people who are in eligible to use it, but I shouldn’t be experiencing this much difficulty when I have followed all the steps necessary. Otherwise, the app is OK although some other things need to be fixed as well. I should also be able to login without going to a website browser. I went to Safari, logged in there, and downloaded a book that I wanted but was unable to listen to it without re-downloading the app. When I re-downloaded the app, I thought maybe the problem would be fixed and I still can’t listen to the book that I downloaded from the web browser. totally ridiculous.
Login frustrating for existing patrons
01/01/2025

SuperStarEars

I am 71 years old and have been a library patron since I was about age 7. I have used this app for many years. I have had to change my password unnecessarily a number of times. I am currently trying to reset my password from my iPhone. I don’t really want to do this, but the website will not let me login with different devices. I am repeatedly told that my ticket is incomplete even though I enter all the information and follow all the instructions. I have repeatedly requested instructions for resetting my password be sent and I have followed the instructions I’ve gotten only to hit a brick wall. For existing patrons, this is absolutely ridiculous. I know the website has to be secure and protected from people who are in eligible to use it, but I shouldn’t be experiencing this much difficulty when I have followed all the steps necessary. Otherwise, the app is OK although some other things need to be fixed as well. I should also be able to login without going to a website browser. I went to Safari, logged in there, and downloaded a book that I wanted but was unable to listen to it without re-downloading the app. When I re-downloaded the app, I thought maybe the problem would be fixed and I still can’t listen to the book that I downloaded from the web browser. totally ridiculous.
Excellent Book Library, Decent App
03/03/2024

Caedus2692
I've been a listener of NLS books since way back when, and by that I mean I used to wait around for my box of cassette tapes to come in the mail so I could load my next books into a massive machine with a bunch of weird slider controls and switches. Now I can just download books into the app, and I must say I'm a huge fan. The audiobook library is truly massive, and the app is usually pretty reliable. The only thing holding me back from a 4 or 5 star review? Well, as a user of a lot of apple products, I often play my Bard books on my Homepod speaker through Airplay, and this is a very frustrating experience because the Bard app has yet to be updated to use the Airplay 2 standard. Without being too technicle, this means that using Airplay is a very sluggish and glitchy experience. I was hoping the recent update to the app would finally fix this, but unfortunately it did not. Bottom line, I love the massive library, and the app works well enough, but it doesn't work well with my set-up which is frustrating.
Excellent Book Library, Decent App
03/03/2024

Caedus2692

I've been a listener of NLS books since way back when, and by that I mean I used to wait around for my box of cassette tapes to come in the mail so I could load my next books into a massive machine with a bunch of weird slider controls and switches. Now I can just download books into the app, and I must say I'm a huge fan. The audiobook library is truly massive, and the app is usually pretty reliable. The only thing holding me back from a 4 or 5 star review? Well, as a user of a lot of apple products, I often play my Bard books on my Homepod speaker through Airplay, and this is a very frustrating experience because the Bard app has yet to be updated to use the Airplay 2 standard. Without being too technicle, this means that using Airplay is a very sluggish and glitchy experience. I was hoping the recent update to the app would finally fix this, but unfortunately it did not. Bottom line, I love the massive library, and the app works well enough, but it doesn't work well with my set-up which is frustrating.

The newest version of BARD Mobile brings major improvements to performance, accessibility, and ease of use. 1. BARD Login Integration • Updated to the latest BARD Login system • A smoother, more accessible login experience • Improved password reset, EULA review, and Terms of Use acceptance 2. BARD 2.0 Integration • Updated to work seamlessly with the newest BARD system • Better overall reliability and performance 3. iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 Support • Fully compatible with iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 • Also supports the two previous OS versions 4. Updated User Guides • English and Spanish guides now reflect current functionality 5. Bug Fixes and Improvements • Bluetooth headsets (including Shokz) now pause/play reliably • Playback resumes correctly with a single Bluetooth button tap • Get Books search results no longer show duplicates • Music, Magazine, and Series searches now match the BARD 2 website • VoiceOver improvements, including smoother scrolling in long lists • Wishlist items remain accessible after deleting a book 6. Technical Enhancements • Improved monitoring, analytics, and data tracking

Version 2.2.5

11/19/2025

Data Linked to You

The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
- Location
- Contact Info
- User Content
- Identifiers
- Usage Data
- Diagnostics
Data Not Linked to You

The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
- Diagnostics