Release Notes
Web Application Domain Migration: Following the successful transition of all users to the current web application over the past 18 months, the platform is returning to the primary flagship domain. The web application is moving from newapp.readcube.com back to app.readcube.com. While redirects are in place to ensure a user is not impacted and can continue working without interruption, it is recommended to update any saved bookmarks to the new address as a matter of best practice.
New Features
Research Assistant for ReadCube Pro The Research Assistant has officially transitioned out of the beta phase phase and is now available as a feature for premium ReadCube Pro license holders. This tool provides advanced AI-driven capabilities for literature discovery and analysis directly within the workspace.
Supplementary File Support for Bulk Export The bulk PDF export feature now includes an option to incorporate supplementary files. This allows the user to download all associated research materials alongside primary documents in a single action, ensuring a more comprehensive data retrieval process.
Improvements
Refined Library Organization Workflow The interface for moving and copying items has been updated to provide greater clarity regarding library permissions. If a user doesn’t have permission to delete items in a library, the “Move to” option is hidden at the library level and remains available only at the list level. This change accurately reflects that items remain in the source library while being organized into new collections, preventing confusion regarding item ownership and placement.
Optimized Research Assistant Streaming The Research Assistant interface has been updated to handle data streaming more efficiently. This technical refinement ensures that AI-generated answers appear more smoothly and responsively during the research process.
Search Filter Defaults To improve search performance and provide more comprehensive initial results, the “Exclude references” filter is now deselected by default. The user can still choose to apply this filter manually when refined results are required for a specific query.
Bug FixesShared Library Access A fix has been implemented to resolve an issue where an “action_not_permitted” error occasionally appeared when accessing shared library settings. The user can now manage these settings without interruption.
In this release, we have focused on enhancing the stability, interface layout, and overall navigation experience. These updates ensure a more reliable workflow for researchers and professionals, particularly those using iPad devices and the latest iOS versions.
Improvements
iPad Interface Optimization The placement and responsiveness of buttons on the iPad have been refined, specifically within the search interface. This update ensures that interactive elements are more accessible and behave consistently across different iPad models, providing a more intuitive experience during literature discovery.
Bug Fixes
Search and Navigation
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Navigation Flow: Resolved an issue where a user could become unable to return to the library from the search landing page. This fix ensures seamless transitions between library management and search activities.
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Search Page Stability: Addressed a crash that occurred when removing search terms or interacting with the search popup. These improvements provide a more robust experience during complex search sessions.
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Landscape View on iPad: Fixed a layout bug in iPad landscape orientation where the keyboard would occasionally overlap the search bar, ensuring the search input remains visible while typing.
PDF Reading and Annotation
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Google Scholar Integration: Fixed a crash that occurred when a user attempted to use the Google Scholar tool after selecting text within the PDF reader. This ensures uninterrupted citation lookups and external research.
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Annotation Reliability: Resolved an issue where adding an annotation from selected text could lead to an unexpected application exit.
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Literature Import: Addressed a bug in the PDF import workflow where downloading and adding new files from external sources like Google Scholar would encounter errors. This fix ensures a smooth process for expanding a library with new research materials.
Interface and Metadata
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Visual Polish for iOS 18: Corrected UI elements on iOS 18 where organization titles and recommendation headers were previously cut off or missing.
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Metadata Accuracy: Fixed the formatting of author names and the alignment of metadata lines in the list view. These corrections ensure that bibliographic information is presented clearly and professionally.
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Header Layout: Resolved an issue on iPad where the menu title and logo could overlap with the device status bar, improving the readability of the main navigation menu.
System Stability
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Startup and Loading: Fixed a rare startup issue on iPad devices and addressed an error that caused the application to hang during the initial loading of data in the library list.
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Background Management: Resolved a crash that could occur when a user returned to the application after it had been in the background, specifically when interacting with library sections.
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App Notifications: Addressed an internal error related to the delivery of in-app notifications to improve background stability.
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Onboarding Experience: Fixed a bug where help tips and onboarding prompts on the library screen could not be dismissed, allowing for a cleaner workspace once the user has completed the tutorial.
AI Autofill for Subforms
AI-assisted data entry is now supported within subforms, extending the automated capabilities that were previously limited to main forms. A user can populate sub-sections automatically using the autofill button, which streamlines the literature review process and reduces the need for manual data entry. To maintain accuracy and oversight, a user can verify any AI-generated content by selecting the magic icon and providing manual adjustments if necessary.
Subform Naming Validation
The platform now includes validation to prevent the creation of duplicate subforms names within the same project. When a user edits a project during the review phase, the system ensures that each new subform has a unique name. This improvement maintains data integrity and prevents confusion by ensuring that subforms are clearly distinguishable from one another.
‘Publication Year’ Filter in Search
The user can now refine search results within the full text search module using Publication Year. This is designed to help enterprise users navigate large volumes of literature and identify relevant research more efficiently.
References and ‘Materials & Methods’ Exclusion in Search
To improve the precision of search results, a new option has been added to exclude specific sections like the Bibliography or “Materials & Methods” from the search process. When this toggle is enabled, the search query only matches against the core content of an article, ensuring that results are focused on primary findings rather than peripheral citations or methodological details.
Bulk PDF Export from Library
A new bulk action is available in the library menu that allows the user to export multiple PDFs at once. This update standardizes the export experience across web and desktop applications.
Reliability of Bulk Operations
Several updates have been made to ensure bulk actions are more dependable. The “Select All” functionality now correctly processes the entire selection when copying or moving files between folders by using drag/drop action. Additionally, the system now handles the cancellation of bulk processes gracefully, preventing unexpected error messages.
Accurate PDF Export Naming and Scoping
The bulk PDF export tool has been corrected to ensure that file names are generated properly when using the publication year token.
Interface Consistency and Stability
Updates to the library workspace ensure that selected items remain visually highlighted while sorting or updating queries. The action footer also correctly updates its state when a search returns no results, providing a more predictable experience.
Enhanced Group Email Notifications
Email notification management for group-based libraries has been refined. Group members will now see their shared libraries and lists within their account notification settings. Additionally, the system is preventing duplicate emails for individuals who are members of both a group and the library directly.
Improved Filtered List Error Handling
The process for creating filtered lists has been updated to handle search query issues more gracefully. Instead of a general interruption, the system now provides specific feedback if a query is invalid, ensuring that the user is informed of the exact reason for the error.
Filtered List Cancellation Workflow Optimisation
The filtered list creation dialog has been corrected to prevent unnecessary error popups when a user manually stops the process immediately after it begins.
General Platform Stability
Several background issues have been addressed to improve overall application performance. These include resolving a memory leak in the PDF viewer, ensuring correct article status persistence, and preventing the accidental removal of articles from lists during AI filtering operations.
Research Assistant DOI Resolution
The AI Research Assistant has been updated to more accurately identify and process DOI links. The system now automatically filters out common formatting characters, such as brackets and periods, that may be inadvertently included in a link. This refinement ensures that literature identification remains consistent and reduces errors when users access documents through the assistant.
EndNote Import Tagging
A correction has been made to the reference import process for EndNote. Previously, tags assigned during the import were not being consistently applied to the resulting references. This update ensures that all tags are correctly assigned, allowing for proper organization and metadata management of new literature within the library.
Unified Email Notifications and AI Summaries
The email notification system has been redesigned to provide a more cohesive experience for both users and administrators. Regular notifications and AI-generated summaries are now unified into a single feature, allowing for easier management of content and frequency. Administrators have gained the ability to manage notification settings for all library members more granularly, while individual users can now view and adjust their specific library alerts directly from their account settings. To ensure better visibility, a new option allows users to receive a status email even when no new items are added, providing confirmation that the library remains up to date.
Transparent Bulk Actions
To provide better visibility into large-scale operations, success notifications now include a precise count of the items processed. Whether a user is deleting papers or linking files in bulk, the interface clearly indicates the specific number of items successfully affected by the action.
Search and Organization Refinements
The bulk “Add to List” tool now includes a search function and item counts, making it easier to organize large collections. For users utilizing advanced filtering, the system now provides immediate feedback if a query is invalid, preventing silent failures and helping users correct their search terms quickly.
Enhanced Interface Responsiveness
The speed of the application has been improved by optimizing the way data refreshes after specific actions. Operations such as removing items from a list, updating AI access, or resolving duplicate entries now reflect changes instantly. This update removes unnecessary waiting periods during common tasks, resulting in a more fluid and efficient workflow.
Bug FixesA fix has been implemented to handle instances where a user navigates to a collection or list that has been deleted. Instead of a silent redirect, a clear notification dialog now explains the status of the resource, which reduces confusion when users access old bookmarks.
Corrected Permission Enforcement
An issue was resolved where the “Link Existing Files” permission was not consistently checked when using the PDF button in the side panel. This ensures that access controls are applied correctly across all parts of the platform.
General Interface and Accuracy Fixes
Several refinements have been made to the user interface to ensure a consistent experience:
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Read indicators now update immediately when a user views a PDF from the sidepanel.
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The “Remove from list” action has been restored to the footer menu for better accessibility during bulk selection.
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Search results are now correctly cleared when the user navigates back to the main library view.
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Sub-collections in shared libraries are now displayed in the correct alphabetical order.
Multi-Level AI PDF Summaries for Enterprise Users
Enterprise users with access to ReadCube’s AI Assistant can now tailor how PDFs are summarized with new AI summary modes. The Summarize button is available wherever Chat with PDF is enabled, allowing a preferred summary depth to be selected before generating
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Brief (default) for a quick overview,
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Standard for a balanced summary, or
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Deep Dive for a more detailed analysis.
After a summary is generated, it can be rerun in another mode to explore the document at a different level of detail without starting over.
Refinements to custom color application
Adjustments were made to how custom colors are applied within the interface. This ensures that selected colors are reflected more consistently and predictably, improving visual clarity and alignment with organizational branding preferences.
Improved login experience
An issue affecting the login experience has been resolved to provide more stable and predictable behavior during sign in.
Improved linking from documents to the application
A problem affecting links from documents into the application has been fixed. Links now direct users more reliably to the intended location within the app, supporting smoother navigation between documents and library content.
Depositing to Library UX improvements
The Save PDF flow has been updated to improve the library selection modal and expand saving options. This makes it clearer where a document will be saved and reduces the risk of saving to the wrong library.
Improved support for Quintessence publisher content
Handling of specific page structures on Quintessence journal sites has been improved. Articles from these pages can now be better identified and saved more consistently.
Resolved PDF download failures for selected journals
Issues preventing PDF downloads from BJPT and TATS journal pages have been fixed. Full text retrieval from these sources now works as expected.
Fixed arXiv download issue in Firefox
An issue that blocked arXiv PDF downloads in Firefox has been resolved, restoring normal download behavior in that browser.
Corrected tag application from search results
When adding items to the library directly from the search results page, tags were not always applied correctly. This has been fixed to ensure selected tags are saved with the item.
Stability improvements on Karger journal pages
Unexpected behavior encountered on Karger journal pages during article capture has been resolved, improving reliability.
Corrected dropdown positioning on Pensoft pages
Dropdown menus in the left column on Pensoft pages were displayed in the wrong position. This has been corrected to ensure proper interaction.
Fixed Safari dark theme dropdown styling
A layout issue affecting dropdown menus in Safari when using dark theme has been fixed, ensuring proper display and usability.
More control over AI Access at the organization level
Organization administrators can define access more precisely, including the use of deny lists and stricter overwriting rules. This supports compliance requirements and gives better oversight of how AI capabilities are used across teams.
Improved bulk PDF retrieval
Bulk PDF download has been expanded to better support items with PMID identifiers. This increases the number of articles that can be retrieved automatically and reduces manual follow up.
Custom field visibility in library view
A new view toggle makes it easier to show or hide all custom fields at once. Users can quicker adapt the library layout to better match their workflow.
Option to adjust .bib exports
A new option allows character escaping in .bib exports. This provides more flexibility for teams with Latex workflows.
Clearer feedback when an item is already in the library
Messaging around items that are already present in the library has been improved. Users can more easily understand why an article is not added again and what its current status is.
Improved metadata capture when adding from Research Assistant
An issue where certain identifiers were not transferred correctly when adding items from Research Assistant has been resolved. This helps ensure records are more complete once saved.
Custom fields reliably included in exports
A problem that caused custom fields to be missing in export mapping screen has been fixed, improving trust in exported data.
Restored access to Advanced Search
Issues that prevented Advanced Search from opening in certain cases have been resolved.
Improved handling of document delivery states
Errors triggered by pending document delivery statuses no longer interrupt the Get PDF workflow.
Fixed parsing issue affecting titles with special characters
Titles containing characters such as the less than symbol are now processed correctly.
Interface fixes across settings and add to library flows
Several visual issues, including long names overflowing and icons not displaying correctly, have been corrected to make interactions clearer.
Leave Library option works correctly in small groups
An issue affecting the ability to leave a library with a limited number of members has been resolved.
Bibliography accent color configuration
Alongside the existing option to apply the accent color to both references and bibliography, we’ve added a new setting that lets you apply the accent color to the bibliography section only, giving more flexibility across workflows.