Reading Tap Guard stops a double tap from switching Reading view to editing

Name: Reading Tap Guard
Author: theluckystrike

Keep a note in Reading view when a finger taps twice by accident, or pick what a double tap does.

MIT · no telemetry · core features free

A note in Reading view after a double tap on its first paragraph is still in Reading view. — Open larger

version: 1.0.0
released: 2026-10-25
downloads: 1
review: Passed
health: Excellent
license: MIT
listed for: Desktop, Mobile
obsidian: 1.13.4 or later

The tests send touch input from the test driver in the Obsidian desktop app at phone and tablet size. They have not run on a real iPhone or Android device.

Directory facts fetched 2026-10-25 03:29 UTC from community.obsidian.md/users/theluckystrike.

About Reading Tap Guard

You read notes on a phone or tablet and an accidental double tap opens the editor and the keyboard.

In current versions of Obsidian, two quick taps with a finger on a note in Reading view open the editor. On a moving bus or with a shaky hand this happens by accident. Reading Tap Guard turns the double tap off, or lets you pick what it does.

The tests run in the Obsidian desktop app with phone and tablet emulation. They do not run on a real iPhone or Android device.

The same note twice. Without the plugin a double tap opens the editor. With the plugin the note stays in Reading view

Free features

Double tap stays in Reading view

Install the plugin and the double tap no longer opens the editor. The note stays in Reading view until you select the edit button or run the Toggle reading view command. Both work as before.

Single taps still work

One tap on a link opens the link, and one tap on a task checkbox checks the task. Tags, footnotes and callout folds also react to one tap, and a drag scrolls the note.

The linked note is open after one tap on its link in Reading view. — Open larger

Pick what a double tap does

The setting Double tap in reading view has three values. Do nothing is the default, Select the word selects the word under your finger, and Switch to editing gives the Obsidian behavior back. The change takes effect at once.

Reading view with the word quick selected after a double tap on it. — Open larger

The free version uses the 500 ms interval of Obsidian, and on Obsidian 1.13 a tap that a short scroll cancels can still count.

Pro features

Pro costs $5 a month or $15 one time through GitHub Sponsors. One sponsorship turns on Pro in every plugin that has it.

Shorter double tap interval Pro

Obsidian counts two taps as a double tap when they are less than 500 ms apart. Pro adds the setting Double tap interval, from 150 ms to 500 ms. With a short interval, two slow taps do not count.

The settings tab shows the double tap setting, the Pro interval setting and the Pro section. — Open larger

See how Pro works

Set up Reading Tap Guard

needs

Obsidian 1.13.4 or later

steps

Enable the plugin. There is nothing to set up.
Open a note in Reading view on your phone or tablet and read as usual.
To edit, select the edit button in the view header or run Toggle reading view.
To change what a double tap does, open the settings of Reading Tap Guard.

If the app can't find a new plugin yet, try again later. Obsidian says a plugin that passes the review shows in the app within 24 hours.

Why this exists

A forum request from January 2026 asks to turn off or customize the double tap that switches to the editing view. The topic has 66 likes and its first post has 25.

Turn off (or customize) double tap to switch to editing viewopened 2026-01-22

Questions about Reading Tap Guard

Can I still edit a note?

Yes. The edit button in the view header and the Toggle reading view command work as before. You can also set the double tap back to Switch to editing at any time.

Does it work on iPhone and iPad?

The plugin uses only standard browser events that iOS and Android both send. The tests run in the desktop app with phone and tablet emulation, not on a real iPhone or Android device. If a double tap still opens the editor on your device, open an issue with your device and Obsidian version.

A double tap still opened the editor once. Why?

When a tap starts a small scroll, the browser cancels the tap, but Obsidian can still count it. On Obsidian 1.13 the plugin cannot stop that, because that version counts the cancelled touch at once. On Obsidian 1.14.5, the version in the tests, the plugin resets the tap count after such a touch.

Does it change Live Preview or my notes?

No. The plugin never writes to your notes. It does not change Live Preview, Source mode, Canvas or embedded notes in hover previews.

Network use

Until you select Sign in with GitHub, Reading Tap Guard makes no network requests. Sign in and the sponsorship check contact github.com and api.github.com with the scope read:user, and a successful check is reused for 7 days. The plugin sends no note content, file names or other vault data.

Read the full network disclosure