eBook Progress Synch

[brudigia]

I am reading sometimes the same ebook on 4 different devices, the desktop app, an H2O reader, and iPad and iPod. I am speaking of Kobo ebooks, bought in the kobo shop.
It usually happens that with the iPAD and the iPod, I get the pages synchronised, and to a minor degree also the desktop app is also in synch. This means that if I read on one of my mobile devices, the desktop app is slightly in delay, it is not completely in synch.
What does not synch is the H2O. I tried reading a few pages on the iPAD, and then synching again the H2O, but nothing shows. The reverse is also true.
Where am I in error ? Is there something to tick, to enable the synching ?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

[Cinisajoy]

Are you on wifi when you finish reading on one?
Sometimes you have to have the wifi on both at the same time.
If that doesn't work, I have no clue.

[brudigia]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Are you on wifi when you finish reading on one?
Sometimes you have to have the wifi on both at the same time.
If that doesn't work, I have no clue.

The tests I have performed were with wifi on. Infact I can read say 10 pages on the iPAD, synchronise between with the iPOD which tells me that I have read on another device and asks me if I wanto to go to the new position, whereas the H2O does not do it, it seems to ignore the progress.

[Cinisajoy]

I don't know where it is on Kobo but check your settings to make sure sync is on for your H2O.

[davidfor]

A while ago, I did some experimenting with the sync across the devices and the iOS and Android apps. The apps do a sync when they start plus a periodical one. You can also trigger a sync, but I think the iOS app won't do it if you try to frequently.

But you shouldn't need to do an explicit sync. Each time you open the book on a device, it should check the reading position. If it has changed, you will get prompted to accept the new position. The position gets updated to the server when you close the book, and, for the e-ink device, when the device goes to sleep. The iOS app seems to be the same. I don't know if the reading position is sent to the server at other times while reading, but it might do it at the start of each chapter.

If the reading position isn't updating, then check the time on the devices. If the time is wrong, there will be problems syncing.

[brudigia]

Originally Posted by davidfor

A while ago, I did some experimenting with the sync across the devices and the iOS and Android apps. The apps do a sync when they start plus a periodical one. You can also trigger a sync, but I think the iOS app won't do it if you try to frequently.

But you shouldn't need to do an explicit sync. Each time you open the book on a device, it should check the reading position. If it has changed, you will get prompted to accept the new position. The position gets updated to the server when you close the book, and, for the e-ink device, when the device goes to sleep. The iOS app seems to be the same. I don't know if the reading position is sent to the server at other times while reading, but it might do it at the start of each chapter.

If the reading position isn't updating, then check the time on the devices. If the time is wrong, there will be problems syncing.

The key word was probably, as you have remarked, "when the device goes to sleep". I have a Kobo sleep cover and I have done some tests. I have left the WiFi on on the H2O, and when I re-opened my ebook, (with the sleep cover) it actually told me that I had been reading on another device and if I wanted to go to the latest page.
So the synch is not immediate with the H2O, whereas it is quite immediate with the iOS apps.
I see a small problem of logic. If the H2O has the wifi not on, and it still needs to synch right after it wakes up, will it still synch if I turn on the wifi after it has woken up ? Or do I have to turn on wifi again, close the cover, maybe wait a bit, and then reopen the ebook again ?

Otherwise I need to leave always the wifi on.

Is the reasoning correct ?

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by brudigia

The key word was probably, as you have remarked, "when the device goes to sleep". I have a Kobo sleep cover and I have done some tests. I have left the WiFi on on the H2O, and when I re-opened my ebook, (with the sleep cover) it actually told me that I had been reading on another device and if I wanted to go to the latest page.
So the synch is not immediate with the H2O, whereas it is quite immediate with the iOS apps.
I see a small problem of logic. If the H2O has the wifi not on, and it still needs to synch right after it wakes up, will it still synch if I turn on the wifi after it has woken up ? Or do I have to turn on wifi again, close the cover, maybe wait a bit, and then reopen the ebook again ?

Otherwise I need to leave always the wifi on.

Is the reasoning correct ?

Your basic reasoning is correct. I think the e-ink devices are checking for a change in the reading location at the start of each reading session and then sending it to the server at the end of the session. So, opening a book or waking the device will be the start of the session. The device going to sleep or returning to the home screen will be the end. I think if you opened the book and read for ten hours straight, there would be no updates sent. There might be. Doing one at a chapter change makes sense. Or every after certain number of pages or minutes. I don't know about this as I haven't tested.

The iOS app might be different. It is more accepted that tablets are connected and talking back to the servers frequently. So, maybe they update for every page turn. I wouldn't want my Glo HD to do this as it would use to much battery.

As to whether the e-ink device will do a "catch-up" when the WiFi gets turned on, I don't think so. I think it will wait for the next time it wants to update the status. I haven't explicitly tested this, but I think I have seen this during my normal usage. But, I have to say, if the syncing is important to you, then leave the WiFi on and let the devices do what you want them to do. Unless you are really trying to stretch the battery life, it is simple to let the device connect as needed.

[brudigia]

Originally Posted by davidfor

Your basic reasoning is correct. I think the e-ink devices are checking for a change in the reading location at the start of each reading session and then sending it to the server at the end of the session. So, opening a book or waking the device will be the start of the session. The device going to sleep or returning to the home screen will be the end. I think if you opened the book and read for ten hours straight, there would be no updates sent. There might be. Doing one at a chapter change makes sense. Or every after certain number of pages or minutes. I don't know about this as I haven't tested.

The iOS app might be different. It is more accepted that tablets are connected and talking back to the servers frequently. So, maybe they update for every page turn. I wouldn't want my Glo HD to do this as it would use to much battery.

As to whether the e-ink device will do a "catch-up" when the WiFi gets turned on, I don't think so. I think it will wait for the next time it wants to update the status. I haven't explicitly tested this, but I think I have seen this during my normal usage. But, I have to say, if the syncing is important to you, then leave the WiFi on and let the devices do what you want them to do. Unless you are really trying to stretch the battery life, it is simple to let the device connect as needed.

The synching is not always important; sometimes I am engaged in a truly interesting book and then I try to read it on whatever device I have in my hands. Most of times the H2O is the device I use to read in bed (less disturbing to my beloved) and I might have read 20-30 real pages and it is not nice if I have to catch up by hand.
I would not classify it as a bug, but it is fastidious.

Thanks Davidfor.