So Marvin’s Gone!

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

That is a stupid policy from Apple. If the app doesn't need any updating because it works properly, then why would Apple remove it?

That's Apple for you. It's their way or the highway.

[peaceridge]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

That's Apple for you. It's their way or the highway.

Yep, if Android had a decent ereader app that I like, I'd dump my ipads.

[Faterson]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Obviously Marvin was not used in a rather long time. As @Turyle91 pointed out, it's user error.

Are you kidding me??? Goodness gracious... Deleting an app a user paid for, along with all books and annotations, without notifying the user and without the ability to restore them from Apple's side, is "user error"?

You gotta be living in some alternate universe where black is white and vice versa. That statement could go to an encyclopedia under "blinded Apple fandom".

Originally Posted by JSWolf

That is a stupid policy from Apple.

Nice to see you contradict yourself within a few posts, but if you finally recognize that this is not just a "stupid", but a vile and unethical policy by Apple, that's great.

Originally Posted by Spfamy1

Apple deserves to face a class action lawsuit for people who purchase ebooks only to have third party apps disappear on their accounts and lose all that money to reading those ebooks.

Absolutely.

Originally Posted by Spfamy1

They should be forced to tell anybody who purchases ebooks can freely download their purchases onto a service that backs up their ebooks to be installed on any new platform of their choice.

Bingo.

Originally Posted by peaceridge

if Android had a decent ereader app that I like, I'd dump my ipads.

I find that Moon+ Reader Pro is pretty comparable to Marvin – slightly better at this point, I'd say. It still has lots of deficiencies, just like Marvin has them. Moon is dramatically better than Marvin in some key functionality, though, such as annotations syncing (even though Android-only) and themes management.

Plus, BookFusion appears to be catching up to both of them pretty nicely, with cross-platform functionality being its best asset.

If it was only about e-reader apps, I'd have dumped iPads many years ago (as I did dump the iPhone). But there are many other fine third-party apps that are only currently available on the iPad and not on Android. Plus, the iPads are better, hardware-wise, than Android tablets.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Faterson

Are you kidding me??? Goodness gracious... Deleting an app a user paid for, along with all books and annotations, without notifying the user and without the ability to restore them from Apple's side, is "user error"?

If you'd seen the screen grab, it's a setting in iOS to remove least used apps when running out of space. That setting can be turned off by the user. So leaving it on and having it delete an app you want to keep is user error.

Nice to see you contradict yourself within a few posts, but if you finally recognize that this is not just a "stupid", but a vile and unethical policy by Apple, that's great.

It's a stupid policy to delete apps from the app store that have not been updated in some time but still work no bother on the current iOS. Marvin did not work properly on iOS 16. That is a good reason for Apple to remove it. Would you want to pay for an app to then find that it doesn't work and the author has not updated it in a long time?

I find that Moon+ Reader Pro is pretty comparable to Marvin – slightly better at this point, I'd say. It still has lots of deficiencies, just like Marvin has them. Moon is dramatically better than Marvin in some key functionality, though, such as annotations syncing (even though Android-only) and themes management.

I find Moon+ to be a right useless mess.

[cdaters]

Originally Posted by Faterson

I find that Moon+ Reader Pro is pretty comparable to Marvin – slightly better at this point, I'd say. It still has lots of deficiencies, just like Marvin has them. Moon is dramatically better than Marvin in some key functionality, though, such as annotations syncing (even though Android-only) and themes management.

I wish Moon+ Reader Pro was available for iOS and iPadOS. I loved that app while in the Google ecosphere before going Apple. I still have an old Nexus 7 that rocks Moon+ Reader Pro.

Marvin was the closest thing to it on the Apple platform and I love it, been using it for years! I have emailed the developer and we'll see what they say... Fortunately, I still have Marvin 3 on my iPhone, but I had to offload it on my iPad to make room for some stuff and when I went to pull it back down, it was not available for download any longer and I am given the option to delete it...grrr.....

Of all the apps I have had to bid adieu to over the years on the Apple platform (and others), this one will hurt the most! I've been doing ebooks since the eReader, MobiPocket, Plucker, and iSilo days of Palm/PalmOS...

[Richard Moody]

Spfamy1 - you should be able to transfer the app from your IPad Pro to your new iPhone. I did. The details of how are peppered through this thread. It only took me a few minutes. Also, I had a backup of Marvin data, so could reinstall as if nothing had happened. Which was great!

[cdaters]

For those Apple users that may still have a copy of Marvin 3 on at least one of their devices...this method worked for me to get Marvin back onto my iPad using the app that was on my iPhone, and the great thing is...all of my books are still there too!.

[Faterson]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

it's a setting in iOS to remove least used apps when running out of space. That setting can be turned off by the user.

That's false – it's not about "deleting an app" at all. It's about off-loading an app, with the explicit promise by Apple to restore the app at any time, at a single tap of the icon.

Apple is deceiving their users: their "full backups" are not full backups at all, and their so-called "off-loading of apps" can lead to the irretrievable loss of purchased apps and loss of data.

Your defense of such vile, unethical practices by Apple is an embarrassing example of blinded Apple fandom.

Also, it's a typically unintelligent, inflexible Apple setting: "all or nothing". You can either decide to off-load all apps, or no apps. No option to fine-tune or customize anything – your typical Apple software.

After all, Apple software is tailor-made for users with a double-digit IQ.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Marvin did not work properly on iOS 16.

I'm not interested in any stupid iOS 16. I keep my iPads at the oldest possible version of iOS they can handle, because upgrading iOS always only leads to lots of problems. My iPads still run the iOS from 2021, which was when I purchased the iPads, and I'm not upgrading their iOS (or any individual apps, unless absolutely forced to do so, because upgrading anything on iOS can lead to both app loss and data loss, given that despotic Apple disallows downgrades) – I'm no masochist.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

That is a good reason for Apple to remove it.

Not at all. It's a vile, unethical practice. Apple should never remove or delete anything, unless a user explicitly asks Apple: "Please, delete this for me." But there is no reason to ask Apple to do that, because every user can simply delete whatever they wish to delete by themselves.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Would you want to pay for an app to then find that it doesn't work and the author has not updated it in a long time?

Of course! I'm no longer in kindergarten, I'm not 4 years old, and my IQ isn't 55. There is no need for Apple to babysit myself or anyone else – we've never asked Apple to do that.

Originally Posted by cdaters

I wish Moon+ Reader Pro was available for iOS and iPadOS. I loved that app while in the Google ecosphere before going Apple.

That was a truly bad move on your part (I made the move in the opposite direction years ago on the phone, and I couldn't be happier), but perhaps you were forced to do so by your employer, as is often the case. (Most employers are dumb as bricks when it comes to IT, after all.)

[Turtle91]

Welll….aaactually ….. the verbiage states explicitly that after off-loading the app it can be restored only if the app is still available on the App Store. See attached.

I still disagree with them automatically removing it… but at least they give you the option to disable it.

Is there any way we can move this thread to its original purpose instead of just app bashing, please.

[Faterson]

See, Turtle?

That's exactly what I was talking about: I never, ever upgrade anything on an Apple handheld device (neither iOS, nor individual apps), unless absolutely forced to do so, because upgrading anything on an Apple handheld device is a recipe for self-made disaster, because unlike on Android, there is no going back.

The option for downgrading both the operating system and individual apps should be a given. It's not "native" on Android either, but it can easily be done on Android by sideloading, which is something that Apple explicitly prohibits.

Please see the screenshot from my 13-inch iPad Pro, attached to this post. That iPad is still running iOS 15.0.1 because, as mentioned, I avoid all Apple upgrades like the worst imaginable pestilence.

As you can see in my screenshot, there is no such warning against potential app loss and data loss as in your screenshot. Apple must have added that particular verbiage in response to well-deserved user backlash.

Even with the verbiage, the practice is totally indefensible.

P. S.: And, please, don't revert to your tendencies to play the moderator/censor on this board. In this discussion, we are well within the scope of this thread: many users will now lose access to Marvin once they foolishly upgrade their iOS or buy a new handheld Apple device, and only Apple and their indefensible policies are to blame for that Marvin loss – not Marvin users, and certainly not Kris as Marvin's creator.

[Turtle91]

Definitely not a moderator, but we all already know your thoughts on apple and Marvin. You’ve stated it multiple times. It would be nice to get back to the purpose of this thread. If you would like to start a new thread, say in the "general" section of MR, about how awful Apple is, and that you switched long ago, except for the devices that you didn’t, then I’m sure you would find someone else interested in debating that.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Turtle91

Definitely not a moderator, but we all already know your thoughts on apple and Marvin. You’ve stated it multiple times. It would be nice to get back to the purpose of this thread. If you would like to start a new thread, say in the "general" section of MR, about how awful Apple is, and that you switched long ago, except for the devices that you didn’t, then I’m sure you would find someone else interested in debating that.

And when there is an iOS/iPadOS update, most of us do it.

[Hotheryos]

This is really sad.
I've been using Marvin for many years and still do, every day.
Going to keep it for as long as I can.

As viable alternatives I can mention Yomu, Hyphen & Bookmate (you can upload your own books for free and use it just like Google books).


https://www.yomu-reader.com/
http://hyphenreader.com/
https://bookmate.com/

[Turtle91]

Originally Posted by Hotheryos

This is really sad.
I've been using Marvin for many years and still do, every day.
Going to keep it for as long as I can.

As viable alternatives I can mention Yomu, Hyphen & Bookmate (you can upload your own books for free and use it just like Google books).


https://www.yomu-reader.com/
http://hyphenreader.com/
https://bookmate.com/

Thanks Hotheryos - and welcome to MR!

I will also continue using Marvin for as long as possible. If you look at my post (#86) in this thread, you will find some directions to continue installing Marvin on your new devices even though it is no longer hosted on Apple's App Store.

Cheers!

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by Hotheryos

This is really sad.
I've been using Marvin for many years and still do, every day.
Going to keep it for as long as I can.

As viable alternatives I can mention Yomu, Hyphen & Bookmate (you can upload your own books for free and use it just like Google books).


https://www.yomu-reader.com/
http://hyphenreader.com/
https://bookmate.com/

I dunno about the other two but Hyphen’s been abandoned, too, so I don’t see it as a particularly viable alternative.

So far, MapleRead’s the next best I’ve found although I’m hopeful BookFusion could implement some must have features. In the meantime, I’m sticking to Marvin until it stops working completely.