Frequently asked
questions.

What is Parlor Study?

Parlor Study is a browser-based study companion from Nevel Trade Inc. You can read books, discuss passages with AI, practice with lecture notes, and return to saved ideas and study history.

Why is it called Parlor Study?

“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare asks in Romeo and Juliet. Our answer? Quite a lot.

A parlor is a room for conversation—a place to gather, exchange ideas, and hear another perspective. Study brings purpose to that conversation: reading closely, asking questions, and putting understanding into your own words.

Parlor Study is where reading becomes a conversation, and conversation becomes a way to learn.

Who is Parlor Study for?

Parlor Study is for readers and students ages 13 and up who want to work through books or their own study material. It focuses on explaining ideas in your own words and checking your understanding against the source.

How do I request an invitation?

The web preview is available by invitation. Request an invitation with a short form, or email [email protected]. Use the email address you want to sign in with. Your invitation is assigned to that address; first-time sign-in asks for your invitation code and confirmation that you are at least 13.

I’m an instructor. Can my class use Parlor Study?

Yes. During the preview we set up free class pilots: your section gets one class link and code instead of an invitation per student, optionally limited to your school’s email addresses. Joining a class doesn’t share students’ work with you or with classmates. See Parlor Study for instructors.

Students who received a class link or code from their instructor use it in place of an invitation: open the link, or enter the code on the sign-in page under “Have a class code or a friend’s code?” Students who already have an account join in Settings.

How do I sign in if I already have an account?

Choose Sign in. Enter the email address you used to join and choose Email me a code, or continue with your Google account. Returning admitted accounts do not need to enter an invitation again. If you are already signed in, opening parlorstudy.com takes you to My desk.

Can I sign in without a Google account?

Yes. Enter your invited email address on the sign-in page and choose Email me a code. Enter the six-digit code sent to your inbox; it expires after 10 minutes. No password or Google account is needed. On your first sign-in, you will also enter the separate invitation code and confirm that you are 13 or older.

If the email does not arrive, check your spam folder and the address you entered. Use Send a new code when it becomes available; requesting a new code replaces the previous one. Your email sign-in code verifies your inbox, while your invitation code admits you to the preview.

Do I need to install an iPhone app?

No. The current preview runs in your web browser. An iPhone app is planned for later.

How can I practice reading comprehension?

Read a passage, discuss its meaning, and explain your interpretation using evidence from the text. Parlor includes book discussion and practice activities, with saved reading state and history so you can return to your work.

What books and study material can I use?

You can explore books from Project Gutenberg or add your own reading material as pasted text or PDF text. Lecture notes have a separate workflow under Lectures & notes, where you can organize notes by course and practice section by section.

Can I study from a PDF?

Yes. For lectures, you can compare extracted text with the original PDF pages, correct it, and select reviewed pages before using the material. Imported reading material uses PDF text and does not offer the same page-review workflow. Keep your original files separately.

Can I use Word or PowerPoint files?

Not directly yet. Save the file as a PDF first, then import the PDF as a lecture and review its pages. In Word or PowerPoint, use File › Save As or File › Export and choose PDF; in Google Docs or Slides, File › Download › PDF Document; in Pages or Keynote, File › Export To › PDF. A slide PDF leaves out speaker notes, so paste any notes you want to practise into the lecture’s notes as text.

What about scanned pages, formulas, and diagrams?

PDF extraction can miss or distort content. Lecture page review includes tools for reviewing figures and correcting mathematical text. The optional Improve Formulas feature asks permission to send a page image to OpenAI for a transcription proposal. Check the result against the original before accepting it.

Can I study math or other subjects with formulas?

Yes. Formulas in your lecture notes are shown rendered, whether you paste them as LaTeX or import PDF pages. Practice questions ask you to explain the ideas: what a definition means, why a result needs its conditions, how concepts connect. Concept maps show how the ideas relate, with labels in words and formulas shown in the quoted passages.

Parlor doesn’t check proofs, derivations or worked calculations, and won’t ask you to write one. AI feedback on individual proof steps isn’t reliable enough yet: it can approve a step that is wrong. For that kind of work, use your course’s solutions or ask your instructor.

Can I rely on AI feedback as a grade?

AI feedback can help you question and refine an explanation, but it can make mistakes. Compare it with the source and your course guidance. Practice feedback is not a formal grade or proof of mastery, and Parlor does not promise a particular learning outcome.

Will my work be saved across devices?

Confirmed account records, including saved notes, book reading state, discussions, and book challenges, are stored on the server. Some unfinished drafts, pending saves, and preferences stay in the original browser or tab. Wait for save confirmation and preserve unfinished work before signing out or switching accounts.

Can I download my study data?

Yes. In Settings, go to Your data and choose Download my data. The download is a JSON export of available data, with any limits stated in the export. It is not a PDF of your notes or a guarantee that every item can be imported back into the web app.

How is my information handled?

The Parlor Study privacy policy describes account information, saved study material, AI processing, and support services. Review the sharing choices shown in the app before using optional features.

What are the terms for using Parlor Study?

Using Parlor Study means agreeing to its Terms of Use for the invitation-only preview. In short: features can change or stop while the preview runs, AI feedback can be wrong and isn’t a grade, you shouldn’t use Parlor to cheat on graded work or upload material you don’t have the right to use, and accounts are for one person aged 13 or older.

Where can I get help?

Use Help in the app for product questions or email [email protected] for invitation and account questions. The Help chatbot cannot issue invitations or change your account’s AI allowance.