Unknown 1.26 fixes freezes when opening large books
New in Unknown 1.26: opening a big book no longer freezes the app, and first-launch setup no longer locks up the window while it prepares the narration engine. Everything heavy now happens in the background while the app stays responsive.
What was broken
Two things could stop the app in its tracks, both on our side.
Opening a large book could freeze the app for several seconds. When you tapped a book in your library, Unknown built every page - reading the text, scanning the book's image folder, and decoding every page image - before it let the window breathe again. Small papers opened instantly, but a few-hundred-page textbook could beachball the whole app while it churned.
First-launch setup could hang the window. On some Macs, the one-time setup that prepares the on-device narration engine did its downloading and unpacking on the same thread that draws the interface. The setup finished fine, but the app looked frozen while it worked.
What 1.26 changes
Both jobs moved off the interface thread. Books now load their pages in the background - the app stays responsive the moment you tap, and the reader appears as soon as the pages are ready. Loading is also simply faster: the app now scans a book's image folder once instead of once per page, which mattered a lot for long books.
First-launch setup does its downloading and unpacking in the background too, with the progress message keeping you posted, so a fresh Mac no longer looks stuck while it gets ready.
Nothing about your library changes. Bookmarks, notes, reading progress, and scheduled reading sessions all behave exactly as before - just without the wait.
How to update
- In the app: choose Check for Updates from the Unknown menu. The update installs in place and keeps your whole library.
- Fresh install: download the latest version from unknown.ac.
You are on the fixed version if About Unknown shows 1.26 or later.
Unknown turns the PDFs and EPUBs you own into interactive audiobooks - narrated by lifelike on-device voices, highlighted in sync, nothing uploaded.
Download Unknown for Mac →Free for 50 pages a month · macOS 14.1 or later
FAQ
Do I need to reinstall the app?
No. Updating in place - via Check for Updates or by dropping the new version into Applications - is enough. Your library and settings carry over.
Was any of my data affected?
No. The freezes were purely a matter of where the work ran. Nothing was lost, and your books never leave your Mac in the first place.
Which books were affected?
The bigger the book, the longer the freeze - long textbooks and image-heavy PDFs were the worst. Short papers mostly opened before you could notice.
Does this change how books look or play?
No. Pages, narration, sync highlighting, bookmarks, and notes are unchanged. The only difference is that the app stays responsive while a book loads.