So Marvin’s Gone!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by thm22

I have enjoyed Marvin 3 for quite some time on my old iPad 2 Mini for reading books in my Calibre Library. Unfortunately, the iPad removes apps if it is in need for space. So, unfortunately, it removed Marvin one of these days. Since it's no longer on the App Store, it can not re-install it when requested.
What is/was the reason to withdraw this handy app? It served its users well, and there was nothing wrong with it.
Please put it back on the app store.
Thanks,
Thm22.

That's not correct. There is something wrong with it. The highlighting controls are not visible with iOS 16. I don't know if there are other problems with it.

The author did not fix the problem(s) and thus it got pulled. The reason it worked on your iPad Mini is that your iPad mini is running an older version of iOS. This is when when a newer iOS is being released that you see a lot of your app get updated.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by thm22

I have enjoyed Marvin 3 for quite some time on my old iPad 2 Mini for reading books in my Calibre Library. Unfortunately, the iPad removes apps if it is in need for space. So, unfortunately, it removed Marvin one of these days. Since it's no longer on the App Store, it can not re-install it when requested.
What is/was the reason to withdraw this handy app? It served its users well, and there was nothing wrong with it.
Please put it back on the app store.
Thanks,
Thm22.

It hasn’t been updated since 2017 so Apple removed it per their App Store policy.

[Turtle91]

We have no control over Apples decisions to remove Apps.

However, if you look at page 5 or 6 of this thread I posted a way to reinstall Marvin even though it is no longer on the App Store.

[Faterson]

Originally Posted by thm22

I have enjoyed Marvin 3 for quite some time on my old iPad 2 Mini for reading books in my Calibre Library. Unfortunately, the iPad removes apps if it is in need for space. So, unfortunately, it removed Marvin one of these days. Since it's no longer on the App Store, it can not re-install it when requested.

Apple's perversity sinks to ever deeper lows. To even remove Marvin from an existing iPad, without even notifying the user, with no possibility to restore the app... that just leaves you speechless.

[Turtle91]

Again, there is the possibility to restore the app. Look at my previous post...

However, I agree that apple shouldn't be removing apps from your device without your permission...if you run out of space it should just NOT load a new app and let the user decide what to delete....it's like there should be a setting that disables this...

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Faterson

Apple's perversity sinks to ever deeper lows. To even remove Marvin from an existing iPad, without even notifying the user, with no possibility to restore the app... that just leaves you speechless.

Obviously Marvin was not used in a rather long time. As @Turyle91 pointed out, it's user error.

[Spfamy1]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But will you be able to restore your purchase with Marvin on a different iOS device now that it's gone?

i traded in my old iPhone 8s to get the iPhone 14 Pro Max a few days ago and thought everything would be swell after doing the transfer into my spanking new phone and lo and behold i was horrified to find out Marvin wasn’t transferred to my new phone. THOUSANDS of ebooks I had converted to epub so i could read them in Marvin - gone instantly. I was bitter and angry that i was sucker punched like this. Thankfully all my purchased ebooks were originally on my Amazon Kindle account so I immediately downloaded the Kindle app and was able to get my ebooks back…but lost the feature rick environment of Marvin. What a slap in the face this was. I mean really. Apple deserves to face a class action lawsuit for people who purchase ebooks only to have third party apps disappear on their accounts and lose all that money to reading those ebooks. They should be forced to tell anybody who purchases ebooks can freely download their purchases onto a service that backs up their ebooks to be installed on any new platform of their choice. i don’t know why the developer of marvin decided to shaft us users of this app but that was a real rude awakening. akin to having salt rubbed in your face. Say what you want about the Kindle eco system but for once Amazon saved my ass with the Kindle ebook app. i legally purchased every ebook i have and was thankful i at lease was able to salvage my library…although the kindle app is no match for marvin. i still have marvin on my iPad Pro…which makes me wonder if there’s a way to backup marvin onto my pc to see if i can then manually reinstall it on my new iphone.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Spfamy1

i traded in my old iPhone 8s to get the iPhone 14 Pro Max a few days ago and thought everything would be swell after doing the transfer into my spanking new phone and lo and behold i was horrified to find out Marvin wasn’t transferred to my new phone. THOUSANDS of ebooks I had converted to epub so i could read them in Marvin - gone instantly. I was bitter and angry that i was sucker punched like this. Thankfully all my purchased ebooks were originally on my Amazon Kindle account so I immediately downloaded the Kindle app and was able to get my ebooks back…but lost the feature rick environment of Marvin. What a slap in the face this was. I mean really. Apple deserves to face a class action lawsuit for people who purchase ebooks only to have third party apps disappear on their accounts and lose all that money to reading those ebooks. They should be forced to tell anybody who purchases ebooks can freely download their purchases onto a service that backs up their ebooks to be installed on any new platform of their choice. i don’t know why the developer of marvin decided to shaft us users of this app but that was a real rude awakening. akin to having salt rubbed in your face. Say what you want about the Kindle eco system but for once Amazon saved my ass with the Kindle ebook app. i legally purchased every ebook i have and was thankful i at lease was able to salvage my library…although the kindle app is no match for marvin. i still have marvin on my iPad Pro…which makes me wonder if there’s a way to backup marvin onto my pc to see if i can then manually reinstall it on my new iphone.

In this case, it's not Apple's fault. It is because Marvin was not updated and it is not fully working with iOS 16. We have no idea why Kris did not update Marvin.

[Turtle91]

Really guys….

Please read the thread before making these kinds of statements.

1) Apple has complete control over which apps are, or are not, hosted on their store.

2) We have no idea why Kris stopped updating Marvin. I can guarantee it wasn’t from some desire to slap anyone in the face, or rub salt in anyone’s eyes… Is he even among the living? Or did he succumb, like millions of others, to Covid??

3) Please read page 5 (or 6?) of this thread where I posted very simple directions for you to install Marvin on your new device, even though it is not hosted on Apple’s App Store any more.

[mariosipad]

@Turtle91

Regarding point 2 "Is he even among the living?".....

Google.com for "University of Malta" + "name of the developer of Marvin (his name, we all know it)" and you can find him.

I think he just went on with his life and career.

[Turtle91]

Thank you Mario - I think I found him!! I sent an email. Hopefully he is able/willing to respond.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Turtle91

Thank you Mario - I think I found him!! I sent an email. Hopefully he is able/willing to respond.

Please let us know if you get a replay and what he has to say.

[Richard Moody]

Unfortunately thm22, it is Apple’s policy to remove apps which are not updated by their creator. Hence Marvin going. If you had another copy on another Apple device, as I had, you could copy it over. And if you had a recent backup of Marvin’s data, you could reload that too. I was lucky.
Marvin works again for me, with a couple of glitches which have come over time, due to not being updated. Still, it is very usable.
But, in the meantime I have now migrated to MapleRead, which acts in a similar way. Although I have kept my resuscitated Marvin, for now!

[Richard Moody]

Just realised my iPad jumped and you’d all answered thm22 already.
Would love to hear from Kris, though.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Richard Moody

Unfortunately thm22, it is Apple’s policy to remove apps which are not updated by their creator. Hence Marvin going. If you had another copy on another Apple device, as I had, you could copy it over. And if you had a recent backup of Marvin’s data, you could reload that too. I was lucky.
Marvin works again for me, with a couple of glitches which have come over time, due to not being updated. Still, it is very usable.
But, in the meantime I have now migrated to MapleRead, which acts in a similar way. Although I have kept my resuscitated Marvin, for now!

That is a stupid policy from Apple. If the app doesn't need any updating because it works properly, then why would Apple remove it?