Firmware 4.31.19086

[Deobulakenyo]

Originally Posted by davidfor

And then what happened? It finished starting? Powered off due to battery? Something else?

I just advised her to turn off the device and restart it. It happened to me as well. I also advised her to roll back to 4.30 just like I did.

The device restarted and reached the home screen.

[tschucha]

Originally Posted by davidfor

In firmware 4.31.19086, Kobo has added "Sideloaded Mode". This is intended for users who cannot connect to a network during the setup. The device will finish initialising and you can signin later. Some function will be missing until you sign in. Once you are in sideloaded mode, it does not force you to sign in and can continue using the device, but, the option is there.

While Kobo has added Sideloaded Mode, it is not intended for continued use. It is intended as a stopgap to get the device working when a network is not available so that sideloaded books can be read. I think that support from Kobo for Sideloaded Mode will be limited. If you have issues, Kobo will most likely ask you to sign in.

Having said that, when in Sideloaded Mode:

• Almost all syncing behaviour is gone. If you tap the sync icon, it shows a "Sign in" button.
• WiFi will work and does not force you to sign in when connected.
• No home screen. The device opens to the book list.
• The bottom of the screen has "My Books", "Activity" and "More"
• The "More" tab has:
  • My Articles
  • Beta Features. This has all beta features including the browser.
  • Settings
  • Help
• Within the Settings, most of the settings are available. The ones missing are one only useful when signed in.
• Dictionaries can be changed and will be downloaded if WiFi is available.
• The browser works.
• Firmware updates can be looked for by using "Check for updates" on the Device information page of the settings.
• You can authorise the book for Adobe DRM and sign into Pocket.

Overall, the device works without having to sign in and there is no evidence of the shop. The reading experience is unchanged. My testing was on an Aura ONE. I assume that Stylus and handwriting will be fully supported in the devices that support them. I do not know what will happen with audiobook support.

To get into Sideloaded Mode, I signed out of the Kobo account on my Aura ONE. Then I broke my network so that the device could not reach the Kobo server during setup.

When in Sideloaded Mode, the config file had the following entry in the "ApplicationPreferences" section:

SideloadedMode=true

I do not know what will happen if this is added to a device that is already signed into a Kobo account. And I do no know what will happen if it is removed from a device that is in Sideloaded Mode.

Anyone experiment to see if SideloadedMode works in earlier releases? Maybe it was there but not documented.

I'm lazy and don't want to roll back just to find out.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by tschucha

Anyone experiment to see if SideloadedMode works in earlier releases? Maybe it was there but not documented.

I'm lazy and don't want to roll back just to find out.

There is no non registered mode in a previous firmware. So buck up, install 4.30 and properly register.

[John F]

Originally Posted by tschucha

Anyone experiment to see if SideloadedMode works in earlier releases? Maybe it was there but not documented.

I'm lazy and don't want to roll back just to find out.

I just tried it with version 4.30.18838 and SideloadedMode doesn't not appear to work. I edited the config file and rebooted and the home screen was present.

[tschucha]

Originally Posted by John F

I just tried it with version 4.30.18838 and SideloadedMode doesn't not appear to work. I edited the config file and rebooted and the home screen was present.

Thanks for trying. SideloadedMode is the greatest feature since sliced bread. I like NOT having to register and especially love having "My Books" as the default homepage.

[enuddleyarbl]

This is odd. Both my wife's and my Formas are on 4.31.19086. Yet, on hers, the charging light stays on for however long she charges. On mine, it does the flash and disappear routine described in this thread. AFAIK, besides the books, the two Formas are set up identically.

[Barty]

I'm using Plato (third party reader software) so I'm not seeing these problems, but one time I let the battery run down too low and my Libra 2 rebooted to the register screen like it was a brand new device. PSA: if this happens don't freak out. Just plug it in to charge for a while then reboot. It may just be fine and all your data is still there

[RobertJSawyer]

In this message in another thread (about the Libra 2), user @frostshutz suggests a solution to lockups and reboots under firmware 4.31.19086:

"The reboot issue is gone with devmode / wifi always on (at cost of higher battery consumption)."

I did this last night and so far, so good! I was getting sporadic lockups and very sluggish responses on my Libra 2 when doing things such as switching ebooks or switching between Pocket articles and ebooks, but last night's response was spritely and I had no freezes. I'll continue to test over the weekend, but this is highly suggestive that something was done with Wi-Fi in 4.31.19086 that is the source of these problems.

For those who want to try the same suggested fix, select the magnifying-glass icon to bring up Search, and search anywhere except the Kobo store for the exact phrase "devmodeon" without the quotes. Nothing will appear to happen, but if you then go to the home screen, then select the "More" menu, then "Settings," then "Device Information," you'll find (probably on page 2) "a new section entitled "Developer options." In that section, select "Force Wifi on."

[JSWolf]

Personally, I find it easier to stick with 4.3. I don't have to do anything to keep my Libra 2 from locking, rebooting, filesystem corruption, corrupt database, fonts issue, etc.

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Personally, I find it easier to stick with 4.3. I don't have to do anything to keep my Libra 2 from locking, rebooting, filesystem corruption, corrupt database, fonts issue, etc.

That doesn't work if you use sync or purchase from the kobo store (unless you prefer to strip drm + sideload).

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

That doesn't work if you use sync or purchase from the kobo store (unless you prefer to strip drm + sideload).

Yeah, I sideload everything, even my Kobo purchases. So my Kobos can stay on 4.30 for as long as it takes. Ofc I cannot use Dropbox on the Sage either, but that's a small price to pay. I didn't use it that much anyway.

[RobertJSawyer]

My second day of testing the solution @frostschutz proposed -- activating developer mode by searching for "devmodeon" and then selecting "Force Wifi on" -- seems to have cleared up my difficulties. I shall continue to test, but the difference in responsiveness is huge, and I have had no crashes or lockups since.

I've passed this information on to the Kobo developers with this note: "What changed between 4.30 and 4.31 in the handling of Wi-Fi? And can that change be rolled back in the next release, please?"

[Calenorn]

Originally Posted by RobertJSawyer

I've passed this information on to the Kobo developers with this note: "What changed between 4.30 and 4.31 in the handling of Wi-Fi? And can that change be rolled back in the next release, please?"

Please let us know what they say in response.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

That doesn't work if you use sync or purchase from the kobo store (unless you prefer to strip drm + sideload).

What you may be able to do (I hope) is download from Kobo using Kobo Desktop and then turn the Internet on your computer before you put them on your Kobo. That may work. I know it's annoying, but if ir works, it will prevent 4.31 from coming back.

[bajillioneer]

I'm having problems with inverted screens. Both kobopatch and Nickelmenu doesn't work on this firmware. I'm also having issues with the stock font - Avenir Next. It's loading as another font.

What is the process of downgrading the firmware? I'm assuming it's the same process as the upgrade (drag and drop into .kobo) but to be safe I'd like to get your answers here first.

What was the last firmware update that didn't have these issues? Is there a guess if a patch is being worked on and how soon it might be released? Thanks.