DRM workaround: Kindle for Android

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

You have to replace current with the real number. Use

pm list users

to get it.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHRGH. Apparently all the system tools in Android run under java, not just the apps you install. Horrible, no wonder it is so slow. Is Android just a linux kernel that starts up a java VM? Anyway, if you don't want to use adb, you can use the package manager, but much simpler than what you are thinking:

$ adp push com.amazon.kindle-4.16.0.75-1145045067-minAPI16.apk /mnt/sdcard/k.apk
com.amazon.kindle-4.16.0.75-1145045067-minAPI16.apk: 1 file pushed, 0 skipped. 18.8 MB/s (40868769 bytes in 2.076s)
$ adb shell
root@generic:/ # pm install /mnt/sdcard/k.apk
        pkg: /mnt/sdcard/k.apk
Success
root@generic:/ # exit

This has the same result as

adb install com.amazon.kindle-4.16.0.75-1145045067-minAPI16.apk

No need to reinvent the wheel.

[Ma'am-I-Am]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Yes, you can. You will need to do some legwork for details.

1) Android Emulator (part of Android Studio) can emulate almost anything, so it is not limited to the latest version of Android. Start with a phone or tablet that is capable of running Nougat (randomly chosen, just because it works with Bluestacks). Even Bluestacks "complains" that the Kindle app 4.16 is for an older device. It installs fine after you click the nag screen.*

2) The commands do work just the same - if you use backup adb automatically knows where to backup from. It simply needs the package name. Since by default in Android Emulator the adb shell has root access, you don't need to go the backup route, but simply download the key. (On a real device the adb shell does not have root access, including in out of box Bluestacks).

*It doesn't need Nougat, and it is very picky what processor it emulates. The mentioned Kindle 4.16 from first post does not like any x86 VMs, so the much slower (on my computer) arm is needed. Worked great with Marshmellow with Google for arm (arm64 and x86 didn't work).

{giggle} I wonder if Steve Jobs is rolling over in his grave. Apple users wanting to emulate Android.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

AIs Android just a linux kernel that starts up a java VM?

Google bought in Android. Weirdly Sun licenced full Desktop Java at Free and phones, PDAs (early tablets) were ONLY allowed to take a paid licence for cut-down somewhat crippled Mobile version of Java. Android used full Desktop Java. But Desktop Java wasn't permitted for mobile devices. Weird.

Google bought it because Symbian, not iOS was #1 (iPhone was just new). Many Symbian developers used Mobile Java. Instant potential for Android Apps!

Google then started negotiating with Sun for Desktop Java licence for Android. Then Oracle bought Sun. This resulted in forks of Open Office to Libre Office and Hudson to Jenkins.

MS had already tried forking Java to J++ when Sun owned it and lost the court case, so they morphed J++ to C#. Both used/Use a variation of the VM that Visual Basic used, now part of .Net.

So Google did their own version of Java VM called Davik.
They then later had a new Java like programming language for the VM.
So yes Android is using a fork of the Linux Kernel with essentially a fork of Desktop Java instead of Symbian, S60 and Mobile Java.

All the modern VMs that execute portable intermediate code are based on or inspired by the UCSD p-machine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-code_machine
Though p stood for pseudo back then. I learnt programming on UCSD system booted on an Apple II.

Not sure if the Oracle - Google court cases regarding JVM, Davik, APIs, Java etc are over.

Google knew Android was breaking the rules when they bought it, but probably could have done a deal eventually with Sun. Oracle's purchase of Sun has been bad for every one using any Sun stuff.

[awls80]

Hi, I'm hoping someone can help me. I followed the instructions in post #1 and DeDRM_Kindle for Android Key_Help.htm and was able to perform a backup on my android tablet. The backup file is around 17mb. When I select the backup file in dedrm in calibre, nothing happens. I know the file name is supposed to appear on the right of the button but it doesn't. When I click on OK, an error message pops up: Please choose a Kindle for Android backup file.

What am I doing wrong? Did I miss a step somewhere? I'm not the most tech savvy person around so I hope someone can help me figure out what went wrong

Calibre 6.13
DeDRM 10.0.3
Kindle for Android 4.16.0.75

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by awls80

Hi, I'm hoping someone can help me. I followed the instructions in post #1 and DeDRM_Kindle for Android Key_Help.htm and was able to perform a backup on my android tablet. The backup file is around 17mb. When I select the backup file in dedrm in calibre, nothing happens. I know the file name is supposed to appear on the right of the button but it doesn't. When I click on OK, an error message pops up: Please choose a Kindle for Android backup file.

What am I doing wrong? Did I miss a step somewhere? I'm not the most tech savvy person around so I hope someone can help me figure out what went wrong

Calibre 6.13
DeDRM 10.0.3
Kindle for Android 4.16.0.75

What is the name of it? It should be backup.ab if you did a backup. Did you already sign into the Kindle for Android app before doing the backup?

[awls80]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

What is the name of it? It should be backup.ab if you did a backup. Did you already sign into the Kindle for Android app before doing the backup?

Yes, the file is backup.ab. I tried both adb backup com.amazon.kindle and adb backup -all and neither backup files would import into dedrm.

I signed into Kindle for Android before the backup... oops, was I not supposed to?

[awls80]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

What is the name of it? It should be backup.ab if you did a backup. Did you already sign into the Kindle for Android app before doing the backup?

One more thing, when I initiate a backup on cmd, the Full Backup page pops open on my tablet with the message - "Since your device is encrypted, you are required to encrypt your backup. Please enter a password below."

The Back up my data button is greyed out unless I enter a password, which I do. Does this mean my backup is now excrypted as well? Could this be why dedrm is having trouble extracting the key?

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by awls80

One more thing, when I initiate a backup on cmd, the Full Backup page pops open on my tablet with the message - "Since your device is encrypted, you are required to encrypt your backup. Please enter a password below."

The Back up my data button is greyed out unless I enter a password, which I do. Does this mean my backup is now excrypted as well? Could this be why dedrm is having trouble extracting the key?

Yes, absolutely. You have to click on backup my data anyway, even if it looks grey.

ETA: if you cannot get it to work without password, you should be able to unpack the backup yourself with unzipper that understands tar balls (I believe that is what adb uses). If you can do that, look for a file called map_data_storage.db and copy out of the backup. Then feed that into the plugin.

[awls80]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Yes, absolutely. You have to click on backup my data anyway, even if it looks grey.

ETA: if you cannot get it to work without password, you should be able to unpack the backup yourself with unzipper that understands tar balls (I believe that is what adb uses). If you can do that, look for a file called map_data_storage.db and copy out of the backup. Then feed that into the plugin.

Thank you DuckieTigger!! I didn't really understand what you said about unzipper and tar balls so I decided to try out the Bluestacks method instead. Worked like a charm and I was able to download and de-drm a couple of books from Jan and Feb 2023. I highly recommend the Bluestacks method to anyone having trouble adding the backup to the plugin, easier than expected!

Thank you for taking the time to help me, DuckieTigger. Much appreciated!

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by awls80

Thank you DuckieTigger!! I didn't really understand what you said about unzipper and tar balls so I decided to try out the Bluestacks method instead. Worked like a charm and I was able to download and de-drm a couple of books from Jan and Feb 2023. I highly recommend the Bluestacks method to anyone having trouble adding the backup to the plugin, easier than expected!

Thank you for taking the time to help me, DuckieTigger. Much appreciated!

I was assuming you did use Bluestacks. If you would have said you used a different Android device, I would have given different advise.

just reread your original post, and it said Android tablet. More than likely your Kindle for Android is too new to allow backups with adb, so you would need root access. But you also said 4.16. You got it working now, so that matters.

[Ser4nb2LUY6e]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

- I suspect Amazon may be monitoring MobileRead. If this method gets blocked, I'll know for sure.

Seems we are done for. The Android workaround worked for a few days, but today, the old Android app suddenly has stopped downloading any book released this year and just tells me I need to update.

This was my last option for DeDRMing Kindle books so I could convert to epub and read them with Moon+ Reader (which allows me to listen to TTS at 500% speed).

Guess I'll no longer be buying and Kindle books. A shame.

[JSWolf]

That didn't take Amazon long to plug the Android hole.

[Ser4nb2LUY6e]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

That didn't take Amazon long to plug the Android hole.

they also disabled adb backup for the current version of kindle on android, so besides probably downloading in a format that can' t be DeDRMed, you can't even get access to the downloaded books on a non-rooted device in the first place.

[ownedbycats]

I was able to re-download the book I initially tested with (B0BVJDKTK8, published February 10).

Will try again later, but will anyone else test with recent books that are confirmed to not be KFX-only?

@Ser4nb2LUY6e - if not mind, how many books have you tested, and any successfully downloaded before using this method?

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

but will anyone else test with recent books that are confirmed to not be KFX-only?

I was able to get 2 and Calibre recognized them as azw3