syncing Kindle among Platform

[Edy]

Hi

I'm currently reading a book on my Kindle 2 and on my iPad using the Kindle edtion.

I have experienced that syncing among to platform to "furthest read" was not always working. I'm curious why. I always set a bookmark when I finished reading for the moment to be sure.

The Kindle 2 had wireless reception, but I do turn off the device after reading. Is that the problem?

I'm not really sure how Kindle is synching. Unfortunately the manual doesn't mention it.

Thanks
Edy

[Maggie Leung]

Originally Posted by Edy

Hi

I'm currently reading a book on my Kindle 2 and on my iPad using the Kindle edtion.

I have experienced that syncing among to platform to "furthest read" was not always working. I'm curious why. I always set a bookmark when I finished reading for the moment to be sure.

The Kindle 2 had wireless reception, but I do turn off the device after reading. Is that the problem?

I'm not really sure how Kindle is synching. Unfortunately the manual doesn't mention it.

Thanks
Edy

Try returning to "Home" when you stop reading on the actual Kindle, with Whispernet on. That way, you're telling Amazon where you stopped in your book. If you don't return to "Home" while Whispernet is on, chances are Amazon's database won't register where you stopped, so your devices can't sync.

That works both ways. You have to have wi-fi or 3G on when closing your book on iPad. Then when you turn on your Kindle and open your book, you have to have Whispernet on for a little while, so that your Kindle can pick up where you stopped on iPad.

[Edy]

Thank you for the tip!

Will do

Edy

[Maggie Leung]

Sure. Someone else might have a better explanation of how things work. Meanwhile, think of the Kindle and the iPad needing to "talk" to each other, to tell where each stopped and needs to pick up. Without Whispernet and wi-fi / 3G on, they can't communicate. Of course, you don't need to have Whispernet and wi-fi / 3G on the whole time you're reading. It just matters when you stop and start.

[Edy]

Sure, there is a need to comunicate. I'm just not sure when it occurs and the hint about going to "home" makes sense.

[Maggie Leung]

Yup, I don't think they explain it, so trial and error and word of mouth, unfortunately.

There also is a book format called Topaz, which has trouble remembering where you stopped even when you're not trying to sync, say if you're just reading on Kindle. With that stupid format, your best bet is to bookmark, and syncing might not work at all.

You can manually force a sync from Home by using the menu item Sync & Check for Items. If I'm going to use my iPod touch, I first make sure Whispernet is turned on on my KDXG and use this menu. Then I turn off the KDXG. When I open the book in the Amazon app on the touch, it asks if I want to sync to farthest read, I say yes, and it works. Before I learned this trick, I was not always seeing the farthest page read.

[Edy]

@Maggie Leung

You were right, I had to go back to home on both device Kindle and Kindle for iPad to initiate the sync. Now it works perfectly.

Before I just turned off the Kindle.

Thanks
Edy

[petemagsig]

I've been using my kindle and my iPhone together for more than a year now and only recently have I been having sync problems. I never had to go back to home in the past, and even when I do that now it is not guaranteed to sync. Introducing a manual step in the syncing process beyond simply shutting off the kindle or exiting the iPhone app would be an extraordinarily bad design decision, so I can only assume that this is a bug in the kindle whispersync software on one or more of these devices. I am going to be contacting Amazon about this problem.

In other words, I wouldn't assume you're "doing something wrong", I'd assume the software isn't working appropriately.

Originally Posted by petemagsig

I've been using my kindle and my iPhone together for more than a year now and only recently have I been having sync problems. I never had to go back to home in the past, and even when I do that now it is not guaranteed to sync. Introducing a manual step in the syncing process beyond simply shutting off the kindle or exiting the iPhone app would be an extraordinarily bad design decision, so I can only assume that this is a bug in the kindle whispersync software on one or more of these devices. I am going to be contacting Amazon about this problem.

In other words, I wouldn't assume you're "doing something wrong", I'd assume the software isn't working appropriately.

You might be on to something here. I've started noticing that even when it does correctly sync to the farthest page read, it does not always have all the latest highlighting. There is something not quite right about their syncing.

[Talldog]

I'm frustrated with the Kindle sync function because the only control you have is to turn it on or off. My Amazon account has 3 Kindles and an iPad on it, and I don't want them to all sync together. My wife would love to have her K2 and DX sync because she reads the K2 during lunch at work and switches to the DX at home, but I can't allow it because we sometimes read the same book at the same time. I can't imagine that it would be all that technically difficult for Amazon to implement sync pairing.

[petemagsig]

I just had Kindle tech support on the phone for a solid thirty minutes.

There is a known bug in Kindle device sync. Whispersync *should* always sync when the device goes to sleep or is shut off or you shift out of the book. It doesn't right now, so you can hit the Home button, which is supposed to force a whispersync.

This is a workaround, and will be fixed some time in the near future. It is *not* the way the device is supposed to work. In other words, you should not have to perform any conscious actions to force a sync. The same is true for the whispersync on the iPad and iPhone.

However, I have a case where nothing will force a whispersync on my Kindle, and so my case is now in the hands of development. We tried home button, shutting the device off, forcing a sync from the book, and forcing a sync from the main menu. Nada.

Tech support was very helpful and took down all kinds of information about the problem, and then thanked me profusely for taking the time to call and let them know exactly what was wrong. I encourage everyone... if you've got a problem: call them. They listen and they really want to make things right.

I couldn't get a date when they'll fix it, but the more people that call them, the more pressure brought to bear, the faster they will fix it. Double thumbs up to Amazon Tech Support for being attentive and honest with me.

[Edy]

Thank you for taking the time to call the tech support. Very helpful information.

I also think when I have received my Kindle 2 months ago it was working, but then it was upgraded to 2.5.3 firmware. It's a believe, I'm not sure.

Thank you
Edy

[LagaV]

Originally Posted by petemagsig

However, I have a case where nothing will force a whispersync on my Kindle, and so my case is now in the hands of development. We tried home button, shutting the device off, forcing a sync from the book, and forcing a sync from the main menu. Nada.

Tech support was very helpful and took down all kinds of information about the problem, and then thanked me profusely for taking the time to call and let them know exactly what was wrong. I encourage everyone... if you've got a problem: call them. They listen and they really want to make things right.

I couldn't get a date when they'll fix it, but the more people that call them, the more pressure brought to bear, the faster they will fix it. Double thumbs up to Amazon Tech Support for being attentive and honest with me.

Good to hear that others are having the same problem. I'm experiencing the exact same problem. My K2 can download "Furthest page read" positions saved by my iPad and iPhone, but the other way around doesn't work at all. Non of the posted "tips" regarding forced sync helped.

I would appreciate if you could keep the community informed about any further development.

LagaV