Android-Apps: Tachiyomi — Open Source (Ad-Free) Manga Downloader and Reader

Tachiyomi logo from apkplay.io

Tachiyomi is my favorite Android app for downloading and reading manga (Japanese), manhua (Chinese), or manhwa (Korean). 

Tachiyomi image from  tachiyomi.org

    By itself, Tachiyomi is just a manga reader. You are able to select the source from local and read manga from. However, the more useful function is the manga downloader extensions. The extensions here mean the manga sites where you can browse and download manga chapters from. There is a lot of extensions available for Tachiyomi and you will be spoilt for choice. However, due to such a large pool of manga sites to find manga, below are the extensions that I use that are currently working:

• Mangahub
• Mangabat
• ManhuaUS
• MangaDex

    You can select multiple manga sources in Tachiyomi. The above extensions are all enabled in my tablet (Asus ZenPad 8.0 (Z380KL) P024). I mainly use Mangahub and sometimes Mangabat or ManhuaUS for those less common or sometimes manga chapter issues such as missing chapters or slower release.

    You can also get updates for Tachiyomi and its extensions through the app. So unless the extension is no longer supported, you should always download and update to the latest. 

To select a manga to read:

1. Go to Browse option at the lower right.
2. Go to Extensions tab.
3. Select an extension to install. I choose Mangahub. Click "install" on the right.
4. Go to source tab.
5. Click "latest" from the Mangahub.
6. Click the Manga you want to read.
7. Click "add to library" to add this manga to the library.
8. Click upper right "download" button and select "All".
9. Exit and click on "More" and select "Download queue" option.
10.  Click "resume" button to start manga chapters download or "pause" to stop downloading. 
    
11. Go to the library tab at the bottom right and select the manga you want to read. 
12. Click "Start" button to start reading the manga. 

    Reading manga works better on a larger screen, preferably on a tablet compared to a mobile phone. The experience is different as a bigger screen makes it feel like you are reading from a book feel, except maybe heavier.  To me, a minimum of a 7-inch tablet is needed. I also got a Huawei T1-701u but as the Android operating system (Android 4.4.2) is not supported, I used another Android app and manga downloader for it.

    Now, this is my favorite free entertainment that I have other than playing with Linux. For anyone who likes to read manga, it is worth trying out Tachiyomi and its extensions. 

    On low specs tablets, you may encounter longer loading time, especially higher resolution pictures of the manga you are reading. Sometimes it even crash Tachiyomi app but if the window allows you to close app, remember to close it. I had Tachiyomi crashed until my whole tablet hang. Had to wait for battery drained to zero and try to charge it before back to normal again. I am using a Asus ZenPad 8.0 (Z380KL) P024 tablet with 1GB RAM. I got around this problem by using Perfect Viewer to read the mangas downloaded by Tachiyomi as it loads faster and uses a lot less RAM, since no crashes when I use it.

Note: Tachiyomi is not listed in Google Play Store as its extensions are in packages (apk), that Google Play Store does not allow. However, you may visit Tachiyomi website to download and install Tachiyomi. Remember to enable Security -> Unknown sources to allow the app to install properly.  

Recently after updating Tachiyomi to 0.13.1, I have issues updating manga chapters. Saw a youtube video to fix this issue. Go to Settings -> Library -> Library update restrictions. Uncheck both Completed read series and Ongoing series. Click OK and update manga. This should update all manga chapters in your library now.