DRM workaround: Kindle for Android

[Cheryl]

So I better delete some files

[Cheryl]

[QUOTE= If you're getting an "unexpected end of data" error from Calibre, it makes me wonder where the heck you're trying to put it. Another reason for the error I suppose could be if you had aborted/cancelled the operation which created backup.ab. Hopefully, someone will chime in on that possibility.
[/QUOTE]

I followed the given procedure step by step, nothing different. At first, when I installed kindle for android on bluestacks the file folder was empty, so I had to download some files from the app. Only being few books the backup file at0initially was small or null... so I downloaded other the books slowly and in the process I tried to install the backup file but it always gave me the same error. So I don't know if even deleting a few files will get a useful backup file? Thanks

[Ma'am-I-Am]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Minor math error. The size was given in KB so 2,388MB or 2.33GB. That is just a bit massive.

<------
Math is hard...

And NOW I have to ask where did that monster file come from?

[Voread]

Thank you!
Around half the books are made into AZW3. The other half stay PRCs. The PRCs have correct metadata so that, at least, leaves an entry in the library so I can find em later in and read Kloud or up-to-date K4Pc. To save storage space, I'm copying the metadata and pasting to a tiny TXT file, then deleting the PRC as useless.
Took multiple-many times to get the Kindle key (unexpected end of data error) and what finally worked was the -all option. Resultant file was actually smaller than the Kindle app version.
Running Windows 10 with 4GB - just barely enough.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Voread

Thank you!
Around half the books are made into AZW3. The other half stay PRCs. The PRCs have correct metadata so that, at least, leaves an entry in the library so I can find em later in and read Kloud or up-to-date K4Pc. To save storage space, I'm copying the metadata and pasting to a tiny TXT file, then deleting the PRC as useless.
Took multiple-many times to get the Kindle key (unexpected end of data error) and what finally worked was the -all option. Resultant file was actually smaller than the Kindle app version.
Running Windows 10 with 4GB - just barely enough.

If it doesn't work for all books, that usually means it doesn't work at all and those azw3 books just had no DRM to begin with. DeDRM never works for only some books; it either works or it doesn't.

[Ma'am-I-Am]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

If it doesn't work for all books, that usually means it doesn't work at all and those azw3 books just had no DRM to begin with. DeDRM never works for only some books; it either works or it doesn't.

Without getting into details, every book I've added to Calibre is now liberated. If I add a .prc to Calibre, and it stays .prc, I only need to click and drag that one into Calibre again. When I get a "add duplicate" message, I just say Yes and it shows as an Amzn format. Then I just delete the .prc one. I've never had it fail.

[Montana Harper]

Originally Posted by Cheryl

I followed the given procedure step by step, nothing different. At first, when I installed kindle for android on bluestacks the file folder was empty, so I had to download some files from the app. Only being few books the backup file at0initially was small or null... so I downloaded other the books slowly and in the process I tried to install the backup file but it always gave me the same error. So I don't know if even deleting a few files will get a useful backup file? Thanks

You don't need to have any books downloaded into the Kindle app in Bluestacks to get the backup file with your key. If you downloaded a whole bunch of books, that's probably why the backup file is so huge.

What I would do is uninstall Bluestacks (verifying that you got all three things that it installs by looking at a list of installed programs from Programs and Features in the Control Panel), reboot the computer, reinstall Bluestacks and reboot again, add K4A 4.16 and go through the registration process, and then do the -all version of the backup.

Also, I'd make sure I was using the latest DRM removal tools. The 10.x ones work flawlessly for me, but I see people having trouble with the 6.x and 7.x versions sometimes, and I don't think there's any reason to use them over the NoDRM fork. Since the problem you're having is making itself known on the key-import step, I'd guess that's where the issue is.

[Cheryl]

Originally Posted by Montana Harper

You don't need to have any books downloaded into the Kindle app in Bluestacks to get the backup file with your key. If you downloaded a whole bunch of books, that's probably why the backup file is so huge.

What I would do is uninstall Bluestacks (verifying that you got all three things that it installs by looking at a list of installed programs from Programs and Features in the Control Panel), reboot the computer, reinstall Bluestacks and reboot again, add K4A 4.16 and go through the registration process, and then do the -all version of the backup.

Also, I'd make sure I was using the latest DRM removal tools. The 10.x ones work flawlessly for me, but I see people having trouble with the 6.x and 7.x versions sometimes, and I don't think there's any reason to use them over the NoDRM fork. Since the problem you're having is making itself known on the key-import step, I'd guess that's where the issue is.

I will do as you advised...thank you very much!

[jenrar]

Ugh. Never mind. LOL I figured it out!

View Library > ON DEVICE. Can delete from there. *smacks forehead*

[Torn]

Thanks so much for his method!!

Any idea how long this will be viable?

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by Torn

Thanks so much for his method!!

Any idea how long this will be viable?

Can't say. They did limit it a bit (it only works if the Android device can't run the newer Kindle versions), but hasn't cut it off entirely. So hopefully it sticks around for a while.

[Unseen Entities]

Originally Posted by toady42

I ran into a similar problem where I would launch K4A 4.16 and hit the "Start Reading" button and BlueStacks 5 would crash.

I changed the Graphics renderer from OpenGL to DirectX and that fixed the K4A 4.16 app from crashing in my case.

Thanks for the tip, was finally able to get this working on my main PC.

Originally Posted by Bastet

I made notes and took screenshots and essentially process mapped to create instructions

This was a great help in general btw.

A few things from other posts in this thread I'd throw in for anyone else following the pdf guide.

• Yes even if you plan on using 8.51 you need to install 4.16 first to get a working backup.ab file. 8.51 will give you a non-functional backup.
• Make sure you directly install 8.51 on top of 4.16 after extracting your backup file (or on a clone of the 4.16 instance). Do not use a fresh Bluestacks instance.
• You can open a command prompt at your current folder's location by typing cmd and pressing enter in the file explorer's address bar.
• Disable app auto update in Google Play settings.
• You can disable advertisements in BlueStacks 5 in the Preferences tab of the settings menu.
• When youre ready to use the android SDK tools via command line, before using adb backup use adb connect 127.0.0.1:5555 but replace the numbers with those shown in your own BlueStacks instance. (Settings > Advanced > Android Debug Bridge)

[cytoplasm]

I'm using an Android tablet with the instructions for high resolution images, but I'm getting many .kfx files instead of .prc ones

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by cytoplasm

I'm using an Android tablet with the instructions for high resolution images, but I'm getting many .kfx files instead of .prc ones

The method for obtaining high resolution images described in the first post of this thread only works because Kindle for Android 8.51.1.0 does not support KFX format when running under BlueStacks. On an actual Android tablet you are going to get KFX format instead.

[bizzybody]

I got a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8" running Android 7. Rooted it, enabled developer options, enabled USB debugging, OEM unlock, installed the old Kindle 4.16.0.75 version.

adb backup com.amazon.kindle
in a command prompt just sits there and after a while just quits having done nothing. Yes, I tap to backup on the tablet.

I installed F-Droid and from that store I installed oandbackup. I tried backing up just data and apk and data. No books in the ZIP. Yes, I downloaded several books in the Kindle app.

I have that same old Kindle version on a Sprint AQT80 tablet and with ADB it pulls the kindle app and ALL its data including the book files into a backup.ab file

I'd like to get this working on the Samsung because the Sprint AQT80 is extremely slow and wants to time out several times just launching the Kindle app, and most other apps. Dunno why nobody bothered to do a custom ROM for the AQT80, it wouldn't be a *bad* tablet if given a clean build of Android 5 or 6 to unburden it of all the OEM installed cruft.