Desktop App Kobo Desktop discontinued? - Page 2

PeterT · 10-11-2025, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salamanderjuice

The first Kobo didn't even have WiFi. You either had to use the Kobo desktop app, ADE or sync with a Blackberry over Bluetooth to read DRMd books.

Actually, one could also send material to it from other Bluetooth devices; not just a Blackberry. (Not supported but it did work).

salamanderjuice · 10-11-2025, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeterT

Actually, one could also send material to it from other Bluetooth devices; not just a Blackberry. (Not supported but it did work).

DRMd material tho?

PeterT · 10-11-2025, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salamanderjuice

DRMd material tho?

I don't remember but I expect that Overdrive material would have worked (as long as the reader had been authroized with ADE).

JSWolf · 10-11-2025, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lys

I did, in the post right above yours

The links are also posted in bustacap's comment (Windows and Mac versions both)

So you did. I missed that. Thanks.

JSWolf · 10-11-2025, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McGonigle

From posts on the web I gather that even an old Kobo Touch which is still fully functional today has sync’ing capabilities within its UI so I’m wondering if the desktop software was ever a requirement to perform updates on the reader, or if such updates have always been OTA?

The problem is that the server side software changed and old firmware needed to be updated. If it wasn't updated soon enough, you could not do it OTA. So you either needed to download the current firmware and update manually or use Kobo Desktop to update.

McGonigle · 10-11-2025, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salamanderjuice

The first Kobo didn't even have WiFi. You either had to use the Kobo desktop app, ADE or sync with a Blackberry over Bluetooth to read DRMd books.

Ok. Thanks for the info. As someone who is rooted in the 20th cen and will not be dragged into the 21st, I still have to wonder how many devices of that vintage are still being used as daily driver and if we at some point have to accept that the oldest devices are just not going to be supported indefinitely?

kyrilson · 10-12-2025, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Without Kobo Desktop, how can a Kobo with older firmware that needs to be updated before it can connect to WiFi get updated if you don't know about manually downloading the firmware and manually updating the firmware

I ran into this problem yesterday trying to fix my Kobo Glo HD. I think the SD card was failing, so I replaced it and during setup wasn't able to connect to wifi due to the older models only using 2.4ghz. I tried the www.kobosetup.com URL but it was dead, found the Kobo Desktop download and it still wouldn't update! Ended up splitting my router band up between 5ghz and 2.4ghz, it would connect but wouldn't update. After the wifi connection,though, the Desktop app, although it threw an error on connection, it still managed to update the Kobo to the latest firmware.

A bit of a trial, but she's alive again.

DNSB mentioned that often times you have to grab a new firmware version that supports the newer internet protocols after imaging the new SD card.

ownedbycats · 10-12-2025, 12:08 PM

edit: Mistake.

rcentros · 10-13-2025, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McGonigle

Ok. Thanks for the info. As someone who is rooted in the 20th cen and will not be dragged into the 21st, I still have to wonder how many devices of that vintage are still being used as daily driver and if we at some point have to accept that the oldest devices are just not going to be supported indefinitely?

I hope "indefinitely," as I now only have older Kobos. Support for the Kobo Mini was supposed to end, but if you loaded the newest Glo firmware on it, it worked fine.

DNSB · 10-13-2025, 01:00 AM

For those who have want a chuckle, you might want to check the following item on BadeReader:

Kobo has discontinued its Desktop App for MAC and PC

Oddly, it seems that BadeReader has also learned that Kobo has discontinued all their ereaders other than the Libra Colour, Clara Colour and Clara BW. This comes as a bit of a suprise to Kobo's customer service which seem to be under the impression that the Sage and the Elipsa 2E are still being sold.

ownedbycats · 10-13-2025, 01:24 AM

"new downloads are no longer supported" is outright wrong, as it's linked at the bottom. lol

Quoth · 10-13-2025, 05:20 AM

If you have an actual eink Kobo, then you don't ever need the Desktop app. If you want to read epubs without DRM on anything other than eink you don't need it either.

It's not needed if buying ebooks from Kobo shop. The ADE isn't absolutely needed either though is the official way to put epubs with DRM on your Kobo.

Firmware can be downloaded here (which uses links to Kobo)
https://pgaskin.net/KoboStuff/kobofirmware.html

I never installed it even when I still used Windows.

JSWolf · 10-13-2025, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quoth

If you have an actual eink Kobo, then you don't ever need the Desktop app. If you want to read epubs without DRM on anything other than eink you don't need it either.

It's not needed if buying ebooks from Kobo shop. The ADE isn't absolutely needed either though is the official way to put epubs with DRM on your Kobo.

Firmware can be downloaded here (which uses links to Kobo)
https://pgaskin.net/KoboStuff/kobofirmware.html

I never installed it even when I still used Windows.

If you have a Kobo with a firmware that's too old and you don't know about downloading newer firmware and/or manually updating, then you do need Kobo Desktop to get your Kobo updated. There are lots of people who don't know this and don't use MR.

salamanderjuice · 10-13-2025, 05:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quoth

If you have an actual eink Kobo, then you don't ever need the Desktop app. If you want to read epubs without DRM on anything other than eink you don't need it either.

It's not needed if buying ebooks from Kobo shop. The ADE isn't absolutely needed either though is the official way to put epubs with DRM on your Kobo.

Firmware can be downloaded here (which uses links to Kobo)
https://pgaskin.net/KoboStuff/kobofirmware.html

I never installed it even when I still used Windows.

As I already explained it is needed to put DRMed Kobo Books on an original Kobo. Well I guess ADE can be used too, but that won't get the KePub. The original Kobo doesn't have WiFi at all.

pgaskin also doesn't have the firmware updates for the first two Kobo models. And there were at least some.

Quoth · 10-13-2025, 07:58 AM

I prefer epub than kepub.

Did the first two kobos have eink?
Are the batteries/cells likely to be working in them?

The Kobo Wireless is from before 2011 (The Kobo Touch came out in 2011) and is visplex eink. At over 14 years old the battery will be dead or nearly dead.

So almost no-one, i.e. very few people, need the PC windows desktop app and they would have needed it from when they got those kobo models, over 14 years ago.

10-12-2025, 12:08 PM	#23
ownedbycats Custom User Title Posts: 11,294 Karma: 79528341 Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra H2O, formerly Aura HD	edit: Mistake. Last edited by ownedbycats; 10-12-2025 at 12:11 PM.

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10-13-2025, 01:00 AM	#25
DNSB Bibliophagist Posts: 47,816 Karma: 173906420 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Vancouver Device: Kobo Sage, Libra Colour, Lenovo M8 FHD, Paperwhite 4, Tolino epos	For those who have want a chuckle, you might want to check the following item on BadeReader: Kobo has discontinued its Desktop App for MAC and PC Oddly, it seems that BadeReader has also learned that Kobo has discontinued all their ereaders other than the Libra Colour, Clara Colour and Clara BW. This comes as a bit of a suprise to Kobo's customer service which seem to be under the impression that the Sage and the Elipsa 2E are still being sold.

10-13-2025, 01:24 AM	#26
ownedbycats Custom User Title Posts: 11,294 Karma: 79528341 Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra H2O, formerly Aura HD	"new downloads are no longer supported" is outright wrong, as it's linked at the bottom. lol

10-13-2025, 05:20 AM	#27
Quoth Still reading Posts: 14,846 Karma: 110486575 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper	If you have an actual eink Kobo, then you don't ever need the Desktop app. If you want to read epubs without DRM on anything other than eink you don't need it either. It's not needed if buying ebooks from Kobo shop. The ADE isn't absolutely needed either though is the official way to put epubs with DRM on your Kobo. Firmware can be downloaded here (which uses links to Kobo) https://pgaskin.net/KoboStuff/kobofirmware.html I never installed it even when I still used Windows.

10-13-2025, 07:58 AM	#30
Quoth Still reading Posts: 14,846 Karma: 110486575 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper	I prefer epub than kepub. Did the first two kobos have eink? Are the batteries/cells likely to be working in them? The Kobo Wireless is from before 2011 (The Kobo Touch came out in 2011) and is visplex eink. At over 14 years old the battery will be dead or nearly dead. So almost no-one, i.e. very few people, need the PC windows desktop app and they would have needed it from when they got those kobo models, over 14 years ago.