Two Kobos, One Kobo Account?

geojenna · 11-15-2010, 12:41 PM

I work at chapters and am considering buying a kobo. Both me and my boyfriend are. We like to read the same books, and we are going to be away from eachother for 4 months, hence the two kobos. I was wondering if it is possible to share an account, and therefore books without having to buy each book twice? Would this work or not? It is going to heavily influence my decision and I need some advice on it. Thanks!

Jenna

Psyke · 11-15-2010, 01:47 PM

yes, this should work, and this is how I plan on managing my daughters books once she and my wife gets their kobo's for Christmas; I'll purchase the books for her, and then sync them to her account, removing the books I don't want her to be reading yet (9 years old). the only thing you can't do is link two different accounts to one kobo, but linking multiple devices to one account is fine. Just keep in mind that if you're both syncing bookmarks while you're reading the same book, it could mess you up

Steph S.

taming · 11-15-2010, 06:33 PM

Yes, it would work. Keep in mind that you also need to share the same ADE account. Two ADE encryption schemes on the same machine does not work. If you were to download a book using ADE #2, you would be locked out of any of the books loaded onto the device using ADE #1.

PeterT · 11-15-2010, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taming

Two ADE encryption schemes on the same machine does not work. If you were to download a book using ADE #2, you would be locked out of any of the books loaded onto the device using ADE #1.

Curious... is this multiple ADE's per MACHINE or per Windows Login ?

pholy · 11-15-2010, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Curious... is this multiple ADE's per MACHINE or per Windows Login ?

Just looking through the key retrieval code, it looks like it is one ADE account per Windows User. But I know Python and Linux better than I know Windows...

But it is still one ADE account per Reader device.

HamsterRage · 11-15-2010, 08:24 PM

I just use the Kobo desktop application for managing our Kobos, so no ADE on our computer. Anyways, it works fine. Two Kobos, one desktop app, one Kobobooks account and no problems.

p_a_smith · 11-15-2010, 08:48 PM

My wife and I each have a Kobo and share an account. Works fine. As for ADE as long as they are authenticated to the same account there is no problem (and I think you can do 8 computers/devices in total)

KrowNB · 12-14-2010, 06:33 PM

When you have more than one Kobo per account, is each device a replica of the others?? Is the "I'm Reading" list the same on them all? If I download a book into one, I know it would be available to the other(s) on the same account, but do the others automatically load the book as well when they are synced?

Sorry if this is an elementary question, my wife just got her's and I'm thinking I might buy one as well. We're both completely new to the ebook world.

Keith

taming · 12-14-2010, 06:39 PM

Welcome, Keith.

Whoever syncs up will get whatever is there--both in terms of books AND bookmarks. The bookmarking is not a problem as long as you are not reading the same book at the same time.

Our solution to the bookmark issue is that my husband connects by sync, and I load all of my books as ePUBs, authorized through Adobe Digital Editions (ADE). I sideload using Calibre. Other folks use ADE to transfer the books onto their reader.

KrowNB · 12-15-2010, 08:23 AM

Thank you for that info, Taming. Is "sideloading" any means of getting files to the reader other than through the Zobo Desktop - drag and drop or transfers through ADE or Calibre? Haven't figured out how to do the latter yet although have downloaded the software. Can books purchased through Kobobooks be sideloaded? How do you get them onto the ereader without syncing? I would thinking connecting via WiFi would update/copy everything from the online DB, cloning the first unit. If so, it makes the WiFi capability of the 2nd Kobo a useless feature.

Guess I'll have to read a bit more about how to use ADE and Calibre.

taming · 12-15-2010, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KrowNB

Thank you for that info, Taming. Is "sideloading" any means of getting files to the reader other than through the Zobo Desktop - drag and drop or transfers through ADE or Calibre?

Yes. Both ADE and Calibre are easy to use. You will have to download through ADE to then load books on using Calibre so that ADE can "apply" the DRM to the file. Download ADE here. ADE can be used without calibre, just drag the books onto the Kobo icon when you have connected your reader through the USB and are in "manage" mode.

Some people like Calibre for its library management features. There are also useful plugins and recipes for it.

molman · 07-18-2011, 10:39 PM

Ok, thought I'd bring this thread back up as I thinking of doing this very thing - sharing one account across two Kobo Touches that wife and I just got. Obviously like our physical library which we share, we don't wish to buy two copies of a book we both wish to read. We also do this with our other digital librarys too - itunes, audiobooks etc..

So having read this;

1. I appreciate that it can be done easy enough (linking two Kobo's to one account)

2. Understand the bookmark syncing consideration - if reading at same time, and this issues this may present.

3. Am curoius if the new social etc.. features of the Kobo Touch will cause any issues? or can I just ignore these?

4. Any thing one needs to watch out for with sync? Assume new books/bookmarks will just get pushed down onto the device.

I'm also curious about ADE. I have it installed, but haven't created a AdobeID yet. I'm a little curious how this works. From what I can make out Adobes or Kobo's authentication servers can both validate purchased eBooks (from Kobo), and authorise the use of said ebook on said device(s)? I'm assuming there is some communication happening in the background so Adobe is aware of your Kobo ID and/or eBooks authorised against this ID?

If I purchase an eBook from another store using Adobe DRM, do I somehow link these to my AdobeID? or even use this ID when I purchase the book from said store?

If there is a thread covering all this, please do just point me to it.

JaxB · 03-10-2013, 07:01 PM

My husband and myself both have a Kobo and at present have separate accounts. Is there any way to amalgamate them into 1 account and if so - how is it done?

Hoping someone can help!

davidfor · 03-10-2013, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaxB

My husband and myself both have a Kobo and at present have separate accounts. Is there any way to amalgamate them into 1 account and if so - how is it done?

I think you would have to ask Kobo support to do this for you. They can move books between accounts as people have reported them doing this to solve account issues. Whether they would be willing to do it in this case, I don't know.

jlg432 · 03-10-2013, 11:34 PM

From what I understand KOBO's DRM and Adobe's DRM are different, hence you can purchase ebooks from KOBO without having an Adobe account. The Adobe account comes into play when purchasing ebooks from other epub vendors that support Adobe's ADE DRM.

In the USA Barns and Noble's EPUB DRM is different from ADE; therefore, epubs cannot be read using the other's DRM format.

E-readers that are assigned to the same accounts can access that accounts purchased ebooks.

KOBO only syncs ebooks that have been purchased through their online store. This means that any ebooks that have been transferred to your KOBO and not purchased through KOBO is NOT sync'ed to your KOBO account. In this case you do not need to worry about reading the same book as your partner at the same time. I am not sure if the reading stats for these books are kept.

You can also obtain non-DRM epubs in which case there is no authorization required (totally free access) in order to read them regardless of which DRM format is used by your e-reader as long as it supports epub.

Some people remove DRM off of their purchased e-books so as to free themselves of the danger of loosing access to their purchased ebooks through future changes in hardware/software support. (This has happened once with Adobe when they changed their encryption methodology). If you missed their deadline for end of life support you missed the chance of converting library.

My wife and I each own a Kobo Touch and GLO. All are tied into the same account both KOBO and ADE. As long as we are not reading the same book purchased from KOBO we do not have a syncing problem. On another note: I always keep our wifi off so as to not be forced into a firmware update that may have issues. If you want a new release you can always purchase it via another vendor and side load the book to avoid the firmware update. we are currently at FW 2.1.5 for all devices and by doing so we have avoided some of the pittfalls that some of the newer FW's have produced. Right now our KOBO touch's are our back up readers as the GLO is great for all lighting conditions.

03-10-2013, 07:01 PM	#13
JaxB Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2013 Device: Kobo Touch	Linking 2 accounts My husband and myself both have a Kobo and at present have separate accounts. Is there any way to amalgamate them into 1 account and if so - how is it done? Hoping someone can help!

03-10-2013, 11:34 PM	#15
jlg432 Addict Posts: 237 Karma: 15786 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: jetBook, ALP, Pandigital 7"Color(Black+ White), Kyros MID7015a	From what I understand KOBO's DRM and Adobe's DRM are different, hence you can purchase ebooks from KOBO without having an Adobe account. The Adobe account comes into play when purchasing ebooks from other epub vendors that support Adobe's ADE DRM. In the USA Barns and Noble's EPUB DRM is different from ADE; therefore, epubs cannot be read using the other's DRM format. E-readers that are assigned to the same accounts can access that accounts purchased ebooks. KOBO only syncs ebooks that have been purchased through their online store. This means that any ebooks that have been transferred to your KOBO and not purchased through KOBO is NOT sync'ed to your KOBO account. In this case you do not need to worry about reading the same book as your partner at the same time. I am not sure if the reading stats for these books are kept. You can also obtain non-DRM epubs in which case there is no authorization required (totally free access) in order to read them regardless of which DRM format is used by your e-reader as long as it supports epub. Some people remove DRM off of their purchased e-books so as to free themselves of the danger of loosing access to their purchased ebooks through future changes in hardware/software support. (This has happened once with Adobe when they changed their encryption methodology). If you missed their deadline for end of life support you missed the chance of converting library. My wife and I each own a Kobo Touch and GLO. All are tied into the same account both KOBO and ADE. As long as we are not reading the same book purchased from KOBO we do not have a syncing problem. On another note: I always keep our wifi off so as to not be forced into a firmware update that may have issues. If you want a new release you can always purchase it via another vendor and side load the book to avoid the firmware update. we are currently at FW 2.1.5 for all devices and by doing so we have avoided some of the pittfalls that some of the newer FW's have produced. Right now our KOBO touch's are our back up readers as the GLO is great for all lighting conditions. Last edited by jlg432; 03-11-2013 at 12:12 AM.

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11-15-2010, 12:41 PM	#1
geojenna Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: none	Two Kobos, One Kobo Account? I work at chapters and am considering buying a kobo. Both me and my boyfriend are. We like to read the same books, and we are going to be away from eachother for 4 months, hence the two kobos. I was wondering if it is possible to share an account, and therefore books without having to buy each book twice? Would this work or not? It is going to heavily influence my decision and I need some advice on it. Thanks! Jenna

11-15-2010, 01:47 PM	#2
Psyke Evangelist Posts: 482 Karma: 534340 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Ottawa/Canada Device: Kobo Wi-Fi - Kobo Touch - GNex - N7	yes, this should work, and this is how I plan on managing my daughters books once she and my wife gets their kobo's for Christmas; I'll purchase the books for her, and then sync them to her account, removing the books I don't want her to be reading yet (9 years old). the only thing you can't do is link two different accounts to one kobo, but linking multiple devices to one account is fine. Just keep in mind that if you're both syncing bookmarks while you're reading the same book, it could mess you up Steph S.

11-15-2010, 06:33 PM	#3
taming Trying for calm & polite Posts: 4,012 Karma: 9455193 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mostly in Canada Device: kobo original, WiFI, Touch, Glo, and Aura	Yes, it would work. Keep in mind that you also need to share the same ADE account. Two ADE encryption schemes on the same machine does not work. If you were to download a book using ADE #2, you would be locked out of any of the books loaded onto the device using ADE #1.

11-15-2010, 08:24 PM	#6
HamsterRage Evangelist Posts: 435 Karma: 24326 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: Kobo	I just use the Kobo desktop application for managing our Kobos, so no ADE on our computer. Anyways, it works fine. Two Kobos, one desktop app, one Kobobooks account and no problems.

11-15-2010, 08:48 PM	#7
p_a_smith Me, Myself, but not I Posts: 161 Karma: 228652 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Kobo Original, Acer 200, Asus FHD, Kobo Touch	My wife and I each have a Kobo and share an account. Works fine. As for ADE as long as they are authenticated to the same account there is no problem (and I think you can do 8 computers/devices in total)

12-14-2010, 06:33 PM	#8
KrowNB Enthusiast Posts: 44 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Canada Device: Kobo WiFi, Sony PRS-650	When you have more than one Kobo per account, is each device a replica of the others?? Is the "I'm Reading" list the same on them all? If I download a book into one, I know it would be available to the other(s) on the same account, but do the others automatically load the book as well when they are synced? Sorry if this is an elementary question, my wife just got her's and I'm thinking I might buy one as well. We're both completely new to the ebook world. Keith

12-14-2010, 06:39 PM	#9
taming Trying for calm & polite Posts: 4,012 Karma: 9455193 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mostly in Canada Device: kobo original, WiFI, Touch, Glo, and Aura	Welcome, Keith. Whoever syncs up will get whatever is there--both in terms of books AND bookmarks. The bookmarking is not a problem as long as you are not reading the same book at the same time. Our solution to the bookmark issue is that my husband connects by sync, and I load all of my books as ePUBs, authorized through Adobe Digital Editions (ADE). I sideload using Calibre. Other folks use ADE to transfer the books onto their reader.

12-15-2010, 08:23 AM	#10
KrowNB Enthusiast Posts: 44 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Canada Device: Kobo WiFi, Sony PRS-650	Thank you for that info, Taming. Is "sideloading" any means of getting files to the reader other than through the Zobo Desktop - drag and drop or transfers through ADE or Calibre? Haven't figured out how to do the latter yet although have downloaded the software. Can books purchased through Kobobooks be sideloaded? How do you get them onto the ereader without syncing? I would thinking connecting via WiFi would update/copy everything from the online DB, cloning the first unit. If so, it makes the WiFi capability of the 2nd Kobo a useless feature. Guess I'll have to read a bit more about how to use ADE and Calibre.

07-18-2011, 10:39 PM	#12
molman Evangelist Posts: 436 Karma: 538958 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	Ok, thought I'd bring this thread back up as I thinking of doing this very thing - sharing one account across two Kobo Touches that wife and I just got. Obviously like our physical library which we share, we don't wish to buy two copies of a book we both wish to read. We also do this with our other digital librarys too - itunes, audiobooks etc.. So having read this; 1. I appreciate that it can be done easy enough (linking two Kobo's to one account) 2. Understand the bookmark syncing consideration - if reading at same time, and this issues this may present. 3. Am curoius if the new social etc.. features of the Kobo Touch will cause any issues? or can I just ignore these? 4. Any thing one needs to watch out for with sync? Assume new books/bookmarks will just get pushed down onto the device. I'm also curious about ADE. I have it installed, but haven't created a AdobeID yet. I'm a little curious how this works. From what I can make out Adobes or Kobo's authentication servers can both validate purchased eBooks (from Kobo), and authorise the use of said ebook on said device(s)? I'm assuming there is some communication happening in the background so Adobe is aware of your Kobo ID and/or eBooks authorised against this ID? If I purchase an eBook from another store using Adobe DRM, do I somehow link these to my AdobeID? or even use this ID when I purchase the book from said store? If there is a thread covering all this, please do just point me to it.

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