v1.1 — Immersive Reader, TTS Word Highlighting & WCAG 2.2 AA

v1.1 — Immersive Reader, TTS Word Highlighting & WCAG 2.2 AA

Three weeks after launch, our first major release focuses entirely on accessibility and reader experience. This is the update that makes ZenFlip the only flipbook platform built for every reader — including those who rely on assistive technologies.

Immersive Reader

Immersive Reader is a distraction-free reading mode that strips the flipbook chrome and presents publication content as a clean, linear text flow. Readers can adjust font size, line spacing, and background colour without touching any publication settings.

It is designed for readers with dyslexia, low vision, or cognitive differences — and for anyone who simply wants to read long-form content without the visual noise of a page-turn interface. No other flipbook platform offers this. See it on the accessibility features page.

Real-Time Word Highlighting During TTS

Text-to-speech now highlights each word as it is spoken, synced to the exact position of the word on the page using our TextMap coordinate system. The highlight follows the reader's position across paragraphs and page turns.

This is not a text-overlay approximation — it is pixel-accurate word tracking derived from the PDF's text layer. Readers can click any highlighted word to jump playback to that position.

AI Chat Citations Now Navigable

When AI Chat answers a reader's question, it now cites the exact page the answer came from. Clicking the citation navigates the flipbook to that page. Readers can verify answers in context without losing their place.

Full WCAG 2.2 AA Semantic Overhaul

We shipped a series of targeted accessibility improvements that collectively bring every ZenFlip publication to WCAG 2.2 AA conformance:

• Semantic lists and tables — ordered lists, unordered lists, and data tables detected from PDF structure and rendered with correct ARIA roles (role="list", role="table", role="row", role="cell")

• Bold and italic from font names — text styled bold or italic in the source PDF now renders as <strong> and <em> in the viewer, not as visually-styled spans

• Smart page headings — font size analysis extracts logical headings from each page, giving screen readers a navigable document outline

• Skip-to-navigation link — keyboard users can jump past the toolbar directly to page content

• Enhanced progress announcements — ARIA live regions announce page turns, zoom changes, and loading states to screen reader users

• Boilerplate filter — running headers, footers, and page numbers are suppressed from the TTS and screen reader text layer so they do not interrupt reading flow

• Paragraph-aware TTS pauses — text-to-speech now inserts natural pauses at paragraph boundaries, making longer documents comfortable to listen to

Combined, these changes make ZenFlip the only flipbook platform with native WCAG 2.2 AA compliance — not an overlay widget, not a bolted-on plugin. Every publication inherits these accessibility features automatically.

Language-Aware TTS Voice Selection

Text-to-speech now selects a voice that matches the publication's language setting. A Japanese flipbook speaks in Japanese. A French catalogue speaks in French. Publishers set the language once in publication settings; the viewer handles the rest.

Keyboard Shortcuts Expanded

Two new keyboard shortcuts join the existing set:

• N — open the Notes sidebar

• C — copy the publication link to clipboard

Questions or feedback on accessibility? Email support@zenflip.io — we read every message.