[Problem Android] Zotero stopped work with S-pen

igoracguimaraes · 2026-08-07T14:18:37+00:00

Since the last update, i can't do any annotations or use any other features from the Toolbar using the pen of the tablet.
And yet, the use of fingers for selecting text are facing some problems and bug here and there.

My hardware is a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10 FE

DimaP · 2026-08-07T15:03:11+00:00

What app version do you have? Are you on Beta?
With S-pen are you trying to edit a PDF or EPUB?
When selecting text with fingers what kind of bugs do you encounter?

malp87 · 2026-08-08T18:30:00+00:00

Same problem on Lenovo Tab M11 and Lenovo Tab Pen with Beta 1.0.0-263.
The problem occurred while trying to edit a PDF; I did not try it with an EPUB.
The pen stopped working altogether, and it was impossible to use the annotation tools with fingers.

warguelles · 2026-08-08T20:17:43+00:00

I think that it is a very similar behavior as in my case

https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/133084/android-beta-263-reader-is-not-responding

stcvinced26 · 2026-08-09T14:08:53+00:00

I am also experiencing the same thing. It appears that I can't annotate with and without the S-pen. Please resolve this.

jakrauss · 2026-08-10T13:59:54+00:00

Same problem for me, Samsung Galaxy Tab S9, Zotero Version 1.0.0-263 (beta), Android Version 16, One-UI 8.0, S-Pen Software Version 146.
I can use the pen when I click the little "pen-button" in the header, but only when the writing tool is selected. When the pen-mode is active, I can't use my fingers to select and highlight text. When the pen-mode is not active, I can't use the pen at all but I can select and highlight text with my fingers.

juliedurette · 2026-08-12T02:41:14+00:00

Same problem for me.

Zotero Version 1.0.0-263 (beta).
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 lite, Android Version 14, One-UI 6.1. With the standard S Pen that came with the tablet.

I uninstalled zotero from the play store and reinstalled it, but same problem.
I am annotating pdf. Do you want us to test epub?

In fact, I am able to write 1 letter (one stroke) in the margin, but not more. One stroke per pdf. I am not able to highlight, add text box, erase.

oyvindbs · 2026-08-12T08:51:21+00:00

I have the same issue with a Boox. It seems like the pen is not working in the pdf nor epub reader. It works for navigating the app (moving the list view, opening article, selecting annotations/search etc.) but not for doing anything to the pdf. It does not look like Zotero registers the pen if I try to move the text, if I try to press one of the page previews in the preview bar, if I long press a word, if I first select an annotation option and then "annotate" the text.

I'm also on the 1.0.0-263 (beta?) version. The Boox is old, Note air 2 plus

Alex_Cuan · 2026-08-12T11:38:58+00:00

Same problem here, Galaxy tab s6 lite 1.0.0-263 (beta)

RBpieper · 2026-08-12T11:38:58+00:00

Same problem.
Not able to use s pen to highlight, annotate...

-GALAXY TAB S10
-zotero v 1.0.0-263

dstillman · 2026-08-13T14:19:29+00:00

OK, please try the latest beta, 266.

oyvindbs · 2026-08-14T05:52:01+00:00

Thank you! It works again now!

burgarth · 2026-08-14T09:28:44+00:00

It works again, but I cannot get the menu for color choice or text width appear any more. Boox Note 4C. So I always write in red size 1. I believe this is related to eInk issues (many parts of the interface do not work reliably).

Alex_Cuan · 2026-08-14T10:19:53+00:00

Works well, however I've noticed I cannot open snapshots and pdfs from "All items" view (and yes from inside their specific collection)
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u8969941/qry1qf9145pvdojuyv0x.jpg

UPDATE: When I open an element that is a webpage link, and exit and enter again, it works and open pdfs and snapshots

DimaP · 2026-08-18T09:37:39+00:00

@burgarth Please try on the build 1.0.0-267

burgarth · 2026-08-18T14:27:36+00:00

Thanks a lot @DimaP , this fixed it, but there is something related, if I can ask you to consider this quick video recording I made: https://youtu.be/30v1WCPXtvM

DimaP · 2026-08-19T05:37:53+00:00

Thank you for the video.
For the lagging pencil issue we assume the problem is either within the "Nutrient" library we use for PDF rendering or bug in our code around that library or just that "non-e-ink-device-manufacturer apps" like our simply can never match the drawing performance of e-ink-device-manufacturer apps like NeoReader due to the e-ink-manufacturers not providing the API to enable such performance for other apps.
We are not going to fix that issue for now, because we are almost finished transitioning our app from using Nutrient to our very own "pdf.js Reader" library.
pdf.js Reader is not currently avaialble in Beta build, but will shortly.
In the internal builds even our pdf.js Reader currently has pretty noticable delay between drawing and scribbles appearing on the screen, though scribbles do render completely and do not get so severly oversimplified like on your video. What helps, even though not too much, is setting render mode to Ultrafast on my Boox device.
I promise to take closer look about what we can do on the pdf.js Reader to speed it up, but my one-year-ago research shows that an Android app developer have no way to interact with E-ink device software to ask it to "do the drawing with native app's level speed". But maybe things changed since and it has become possible. Will take a look at this after beta release.

burgarth · 2026-08-19T06:50:48+00:00

Great, thanks so much for the detailed information. I agree with you that supporting native refresh rates on ebook devices is near impossible, and I am not asking for it. That’s why the rapid draw service https://github.com/sergeylappo/boox-rapid-draw is a decent intermediate solution imho. In combination with the internal build this should become very acceptable! If it helps debugging: I have noticed that the first stroke is often more precisely rendered than the second or third etc; perhaps the stroke buffer is not fast enough.