iPhone Read ePubs on iPhone 4

[AlanHK]

I have an iPhone 4, running IOS 7.1.2, the max possible.
I want to test some ePubs for iBooks on it.

It needs the iBooks app to do that, but the iTunes store says only available for iOS 10.

There were iBooks for iOS 4, so how can I get an old version?

I have no other Apple devices, use iTunes on my PC to load stuff on it. So the work around of installing a new version on another device under my name first will not work.

Are there any other apps that I could use?

-- tried MapleRead, that needs iOS 8.

[kyteflyer]

Thats odd. Did you try to download on the phone? It should be telling you that you can have an older version. If it doesnt, then Apple is trying to force you to upgrade your phone. I'll grab my 3GS and see whats available, its only on 6.something so if there's a reasonable epub reader still available, it will work on your 4.

[edit]. OK, go to the app store on your phone, it *will* offer the older version.

[AlanHK]

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

. OK, go to the app store on your phone,

That is what I did.

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

.it *will* offer the older version.

No. Unless you have already installed it on a device under your Apple ID before. But as the iPhone is the only Apple device I have, I can't.

Just one of the endearing little tricks Apple plays to force you to upgrade.

Anyway, I could install the Gitden reader, which displays ePubs quite well. But I really needed to test compatibility with iBooks.

[Jessica Lares]

Try downloading it on the PC version of iTunes, then on your iPhone, go to the purchased tab via the App Store, find it there and hit the cloud button, and it should download the older version that way.

[kyteflyer]

Originally Posted by AlanHK

That is what I did.



No. Unless you have already installed it on a device under your Apple ID before. But as the iPhone is the only Apple device I have, I can't.

Aha, didnt realise that you havent had it before. What about if you download the current version to your PC and then go to the store on your phone. Does that work to get you the older one? Or is Apple really playing games about it.

[Valkrider]

Do it the way @Jessica suggested, it works for other apps so should work for iBooks.

[DaleDe]

Testing on that older version may not apply to the latest version.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Testing on that older version may not apply to the latest version.

Also work around for the older iBooks may not work in the current version. The problem is that you also need the current version to test with. So if you are making eBooks to sell, just using an old version to test won't work.

If the OP is creating commercially available iBooks and only has an elderly iPhone 4 for testing purposes, then he shouldn't be creating commercial iBooks. Testing should be done on multiple devices with various screen sizes/resolutions, otherwise it is a halfa$$ job. If they are private/personal iBooks then no big deal.

[AlanHK]

Originally Posted by Jessica Lares

Try downloading it on the PC version of iTunes,

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

What about if you download the current version to your PC and then go to the store on your phone. .

I've barely used iTunes so I may have missed it. But I can't see any way to do that. Open iTunes n PC, search for "iBooks", find only books, not the app.

[AlanHK]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Also work around for the older iBooks may not work in the current version. The problem is that you also need the current version to test with. So if you are making eBooks to sell, just using an old version to test won't work.

It will work better than the current method: test in Sigil, then send to the publisher and wait for him to come back and try to explain what he sees.

I'm avoiding anything more complex than necessary. Don't use SVG, for example.

I'm not selling them myself, there's only one client I do iBooks for a few times a year. The primary job is making PDF for printing, the ebooks are extras. He doesn't pay much, and I can't afford to buy Apple hardware just to test it for him.

I can get the job done now, but it would be simpler if I could be sure it was "iBooks compatible" myself.

Originally Posted by jswinden

If the OP is creating commercially available iBooks and only has an elderly iPhone 4 for testing purposes, then he shouldn't be creating commercial iBooks. Testing should be done on multiple devices with various screen sizes/resolutions, otherwise it is a halfa$$ job. If they are private/personal iBooks then no big deal.

Excuse me while I check if this forum has a block list.
-- It does! One less hassle.

[kyteflyer]

Originally Posted by AlanHK

I've barely used iTunes so I may have missed it. But I can't see any way to do that. Open iTunes n PC, search for "iBooks", find only books, not the app.

Thats interesting. On Mac, iBooks has now been integrated into the OS. It might be worth logging in to discussions.apple.com and asking a question there. If there's no way to get the current version on the store, I'm afraid you may be SOL. You'll need to get a newer device which runs the latest OS. I think that would be a 5S.

[edit]. I notice you've tested with other epub readers. You know that ibooks reads generically created epubs, its just that those created with ibooks author or specifically for ibooks may not be compatible with other readers. Is there a particular reason the person you are making it for cannot or will not use a different reader? Seems to me that would solve the problem. Download Marvin Classic, it requires iOS6 or later.

[JSWolf]

There is no way to run the current iBooks on an iPhone 4. The iOS version isn't recent enough.

[AlanHK]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

There is no way to run the current iBooks on an iPhone 4. The iOS version isn't recent enough.

Did I say I wanted the current version?

Originally Posted by AlanHK

There were iBooks for iOS 4, so how can I get an old version?

Apparently not.

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

It might be worth logging in to discussions.apple.com and asking a question there.

I did. No luck there either.
They're all "it works on my new Mac and new iPhone, so no problem".

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

I notice you've tested with other epub readers. You know that ibooks reads generically created epubs, its just that those created with ibooks author or specifically for ibooks may not be compatible with other readers. Is there a particular reason the person you are making it for cannot or will not use a different reader? Seems to me that would solve the problem. Download Marvin Classic, it requires iOS6 or later.

The publisher wanted iBooks compatible. I also do a screen-friendly PDF which is pretty universally compatible.

Anyway, I've done the last several issues and converted to mobi and ePub and he's happy with them.
Mostly I've got it worked out now, especially since I realised it really needed ePub3; and after hacking a few manually found Sigil's ePub3-itizer and then EPubCheck to winkle out things like case mismatch -- since that is ignored in some readers, but not iBooks.
But it would be nice to be able to experiment without having to ask someone else to check it for me.
When my daughter was around I could use her iMac and that was a lot simpler.