Kobo mandatory update

[JSWolf]

If I was to leave my H2O as is and it cannot be registered via WiFi, could I plug it into the computer, copy the latest database backup to it, reboot, and be good to go?

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Most likely because the Mini was not a great seller. Most purchasers went for the 6" Glo that was released at the same time. Besides if you refer back to the notice that Kobo sent you as a Mini owner back in Feb. 2019 telling you the Mini was now EOL:

The wording sounds rather familiar.

Hopefully it's still fully the same and the Mini will still sync. But it's probably not. It's weird, though, that by syncing I got a Kobo Plus menu if they're going to shut the Mini down at the end of May. (?)

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by DNSB

That is a matter of which firmware you are using. The partial factory reset from the settings menu is not that old. There is also the manual factory reset which wipes back to the factory firmware. This is often needed when the Kobo is so hooped that you can't get to the GUI.

So yes, Kobo is being proactive in this firmware update.

I'm wondering if the new firmware on the Mini means they're going to treat it as something other than a Mini? Do these restrictions follow the firmware (and what was supposed to be the last version a few years ago) or the device?

[Katja_hbg]

@Glo HD Reader User
I still run my GloHD with 3.17 as I use kobo_extra.css to show book in landscape. I never update as I learnt that in higher version that file will be ignored by kobo.
If I am correct, in some later version Kobo offers a landscape feature but I am not sure whether that is for all devices.

Here my question: does anyone did the update to 4.35 on the GloHD and can use landscape mode?

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Katja_hbg

Here my question: does anyone did the update to 4.35 on the GloHD and can use landscape mode?

I upgraded the Glo HD to 4.35, but I can't find the landscape feature on any of my Kobos. Maybe I don't know where to look?

[Aleron Ives]

If I'm not mistaken, Kobo deliberately hides features like dark mode and landscape mode from old models to try to coerce you into buying a new device, but you can use NickelMenu to access the hidden features.

[Ripplinger]

I'm still running 4.24.xx on my Kobo Glo HDs that have 32GB cards in them. I just didn't see any reason to update after comments for each new release. Between that version and the patches for it and NickelMenu and the MiniClock, I'm very happy with every aspect of the reader and how it performs, I wouldn't change a thing on it.

If I at least keep a good sdcard put away with a good image will I be safe from it ever bricking because of this newest change? I never sync, and never put wifi on.

[Quoth]

I don't think so. Some features don't work properly.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I upgraded the Glo HD to 4.35, but I can't find the landscape feature on any of my Kobos. Maybe I don't know where to look?

Originally Posted by Aleron Ives

If I'm not mistaken, Kobo deliberately hides features like dark mode and landscape mode from old models to try to coerce you into buying a new device, but you can use NickelMenu to access the hidden features.

Not quite right. Kobo hides modes that the hardware does not fully support. If you don't have the gyroscope, rotating the ereader doesn't work out of the box. If you don't have the waveform support, dark mode can be iffy.

You can enable rotation on older Kobo by adding:

[DeveloperSettings]
ForceAllowLandscape=true

and putting your Kobo into developer mode (search for devmodeon to enable, search for devmodeoff to disable). The search does not return any results.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Katja_hbg

@Glo HD Reader User
Here my question: does anyone did the update to 4.35 on the GloHD and can use landscape mode?

Originally Posted by DNSB

You can enable rotation on older Kobo by adding:

[DeveloperSettings]
ForceAllowLandscape=true

and putting your Kobo into developer mode (search for devmodeon to enable, search for devmodeoff to disable). The search does not return any results.

I can confirm that a Glo HD, using 4.35.xx firmware supports landscape mode if you follow these instructions. You'll see a little "lock" icon indicating (I believe) that the portrait or landscape mode is locked. Just tap that icon and you can choose one or the other. (At first it came up with an icon that indicated gyroscope rotation, but when I tapped on it and chose landscape, the gyroscope icon was replaced with the lock icon.) At any rate, not hard to do with DNSB's instructions.

[Katja_hbg]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I can confirm that a Glo HD, using 4.35.xx firmware supports landscape mode if you follow these instructions..... not hard to do with DNSB's instructions.

Thanks a lot, that give me a good feeling.
I did all that with my Aura One in the past but I thought this is not possible with GloHD.

[ppowell002]

[QUOTE=DNSB;4315387]Got an interesting email from Kobo this morning about a update for a good chunk of their older ereaders.


I've tried twice to update since receiving that email. There is no update. Last time my Glo HD updated was late 2022.

[compurandom]

Originally Posted by ppowell002

I've tried twice to update since receiving that email. There is no update. Last time my Glo HD updated was late 2022.

Updates are staged. You'll get it eventually. There are several ways to force an early update, but it means less people have tested it for you if you do that.

[DNSB]

[QUOTE=ppowell002;4316903]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Got an interesting email from Kobo this morning about a update for a good chunk of their older ereaders.


I've tried twice to update since receiving that email. There is no update. Last time my Glo HD updated was late 2022.

I'm not even sure if an update that will modify the factory recovery partition is ready yet. The thought of a screwup in the factory recovery leaving your Kobo as a brick points me into thinking that Kobo is doing a lot of testing before releasing the update.

The other possibility is that the emails were poorly written. That all is needed is to update to the current firmware which would work until you had to do the true factory reset which would revert to the factory version. In which case, the Kobo Desktop app or a manual load of the firmware update would be needed.

[Ripplinger]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

I'm still running 4.24.xx on my Kobo Glo HDs that have 32GB cards in them. I just didn't see any reason to update after comments for each new release. Between that version and the patches for it and NickelMenu and the MiniClock, I'm very happy with every aspect of the reader and how it performs, I wouldn't change a thing on it.

If I at least keep a good sdcard put away with a good image will I be safe from it ever bricking because of this newest change? I never sync, and never put wifi on.

Originally Posted by Quoth

I don't think so. Some features don't work properly.

When I originally swapped out the original 4GB card for the 32GB card, everything worked. Why wouldn't swapping a good card in work again?

Or did you mean that if I should accidentally let it update, then swapping a good card image won't work then? It makes some changes that won't be downgraded with an older image?

I'm definitely never turning on wifi, but the Kobo Glo HD is the most perfect ereader for me and I really don't want to have to consider getting another in the future.