DRM workaround: Kindle for Android

[John F]

From the first post:

...If you are affected by the changes to Kindle downloads and yet don't have a Kindle device, there's now another solution: Kindle for Android.

Maybe an update in the first post saying the tools are working again (at least I think they are)?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by John F

Maybe an update in the first post saying the tools are working again (at least I think they are)?

From what I've found, while you can remove the DRM from K4PC/K4Mac, you will get a KFX format ebook and they take quite a bit more work to make look decent than a KF8/azw3 book.

[John F]

Originally Posted by DNSB

From what I've found, while you can remove the DRM from K4PC/K4Mac, you will get a KFX format ebook and they take quite a bit more work to make look decent than a KF8/azw3 book.

I'm guessing for me, it wouldn't be anymore work.

At some point in the future, I'll update my tools install, but for now, there isn't anything unique on Amazon that makes me want to update.

Speaking of which, could someone give a link to the tools. P&T.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by John F

Speaking of which, could someone give a link to the tools. P&T.

You can find DeDRM Tools 10.0.9 here

[John F]

Originally Posted by DNSB

You can find DeDRM Tools 10.0.9 here

Thank you.

[Jacques Q.]

Originally Posted by riverz

If you can't get it to work you can go a slightly different path. I had issues and gave up.

An alternate method is to use another android emulator. I used nox player and described the steps in a general fashion a few pages back. The benefit of it was the nox installation includes the adb command in its installation directory so simpler to get it to work as described.

This is just a suggestion if no one gets back to you with a solution to how you're trying it now.

Thank you very much, I'll go dig for the method you posted and will try it.

[lkmiller]

Discovered that calibre 7 will not let you add the backup file to DeDRM. You get an error about a temp file already being open in calibre. Going back to calibre 6.29 worked. Afterward I was able to update to calibre 7.1 and still free books from Kindle for Android 4.16.0.75 (BlueStacks).

[TEN]

Harder to make work these days because backup.ab may become too large, or password-protected by recent double-digit Androids (which don't allow skipping encryption by pressing the greyed-out button either anymore).

"The UI for importing backup.ab is a little wonky" by/ever since its original alien author's admission in 2012.

However, a look at the Python source (comments) of the relevant plugin indicates that one doesn't have to try and import that entire (likely huge) archive for just a few lines from it:

The https://github.com/nelenkov/android-backup-extractor prompts for the password, then turns the file retrieved over ADB into a more common, extractable format:
java -jar abe.jar unpack backup.ab backup.tar

The tiny map_data_storage.db or AmazonSecureStorage.xml from that archive should be digestible to the plugin as well, and contain all of the few lines it cares to import.

Calibre at least on Windows itself doesn't seem to have a way of importing .prc files straight from a tablet etc. (maybe due to the way it gets MTP-mounted) with (old enough) Kindle for Android, though on its Device menu it can list them.

However these do not need to be retrieved via ADB (nor then processed via ABE again):

Copying the files folder from Android/data/com.amazon.kindle to somewhere on e.g. C: will allow Calibre to "Add books from folders and sub-folders" in bulk when selecting the local copy of "files" and that "All e-book files in a folder are assumed to be the same book in different formats."

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by TEN

Calibre at least on Windows itself doesn't seem to have a way of importing .prc files straight from a tablet etc. (maybe due to the way it gets MTP-mounted) with (old enough) Kindle for Android, though on its Device menu it can list them.

However these do not need to be retrieved via ADB (nor then processed via ABE again):

Copying the files folder from Android/data/com.amazon.kindle to somewhere on e.g. C: will allow Calibre to "Add books from folders and sub-folders" in bulk when selecting the local copy of "files" and that "All e-book files in a folder are assumed to be the same book in different formats."

EDIT:
Ignore the comments below, as they only apply to files downloaded from Amazon for USB transfer to eink Kindles

The .prc are usually, but not always, DRM-free old mobi. The azw (without 3) tends to be Amazon DRMed old mobi.

There was some Mobipocket DRM on mobi before Amazon bought Mobipocket in 2005. No Kindles till 2007. I think Amazon used Adobe DRM before 2005.

I've certainly added .prc files using Calibre 1.48 on XP years ago. Sometimes azw files from Amazon have no DRM and you need to rename to .mobi and then they'll work with Calibre.

Publishers can request no DRM, but Amazon ignores this if using KFX, probably putting the generic "any Kindle" KFX DRM thus claiming "unlimited devices".

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by Quoth

The .prc are usually, but not always, DRM-free old mobi. The azw (without 3) tends to be Amazon DRMed old mobi.

The Kindle for Android app uses the .prc extension for books downloaded in MOBI or KF8 format with or without DRM.

[TEN]

Originally Posted by Quoth

The .prc are usually, but not always, DRM-free old mobi. The azw (without 3) tends to be Amazon DRMed old mobi.

Those "PRCs" being imported as AZW3 into Calibre are quite certainly quite DRMed KF8s in spite of their (Kindle-for-Android-only) unusual file type extension; otherwise why'd we bother with a backup.ab for key(s)...

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by jhowell

The Kindle for Android app uses the .prc extension for books downloaded in MOBI or KF8 format with or without DRM.

That's very weird. Why do they do such a broken thing?

I've used Kindle for Android about twice as I have an actual Kindle eink. I didn't know they did such a crazy thing.

Sorry for the irrelevant comments which only apply to using "Download to PC and transfer via USB" to actual eink Kindles.