DRM workaround: Kindle for Android

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by xyzzy_foo

PSA: The BlueStacks K4A method will be discontinued on May 26, 2025.

Where did you find this out? Thanks.

[xyzzy_foo]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Where did you find this out? Thanks.

I received the email in Japanese, but the English version of the email body is posted here:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh....php?p=4509927

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by xyzzy_foo

I received the email in Japanese, but the English version of the email body is posted here:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh....php?p=4509927

Thanks. It's a shame that this loophole is coming to an end soon.

[shuvashish76]

Update Kindle for Android, or you won’t be able to read e-books
https://goodereader.com/blog/kindle/...o-read-e-books

Why is Amazon doing this?

Various methods have long been available that allow users to back up their books locally. These methods usually work for a couple of years before they are patched and no longer work. They are patched because Amazon monitors social media, Reddit, and other e-reader communities, and people can’t help but talk about the methods they use to back their books locally. When this is done, they usually strip the DRM from the e-book, leading some to pirate the book for everyone to use.

Older versions of Kindle for PC allowed people to download books they purchased until Amazon forced them to upgrade to the latest version. The Kindle USB Transfer tool worked for years until Amazon shut the system down a few months ago.

Amazon is really just removing everything that involves backing up books. Only a small subset of users really care about this. The vast majority of people just want to buy and read e-books from the Amazon bookstore on their Kindle e-reader or Fire tablet. Sometimes, they read on their smartphone when out and about. Amazon cares about the casual and voracious reader, the people who buy many books.

[TEN]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Thanks. It;s a shame that this loophole is coming to an end soon.

The spin "ensure you get the most out of the Kindle experience and that the app operates as intended" actually means "not anymore" and "against its users" of course.

Perhaps not quite coincidentally, also this month, noticeably more titles, even most of the recent releases on my watchlist at least, have a least temporarily become available in AZW3 again at last:
So Amazon seems to have realized as well that force-feeding KFX makes customers jump to ePUB platforms (and possibly cancel their Unlimited subscriptions) rather than get new Kindles (physical or for PC).

[lkmiller]

Except Amazon has removed the main way to avoid kfx which was download & transfer. The only way to reliably avoid it now is an old e-ink Kindle which could be cut off just like this method will be soon.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

Except Amazon has removed the main way to avoid kfx which was download & transfer. The only way to reliably avoid it now is an old e-ink Kindle which could be cut off just like this method will be soon.

I hope not. I do have a Kindle Touch that doesn't do KFX.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I hope not. I do have a Kindle Touch that doesn't do KFX.

Me too.

[xyzzy_foo]

At least as of today, the BlueStack K4A method is fully operational and you can still set up new ones. For today. But there's less than a week left.

[xyzzy_foo]

For those trying to bulk download their entire Kindle library using the BlueStacks K4A method, here's how to expand your BlueStacks instance from the standard 128 GB to 512 GB. Note that all data will be wiped after execution:

1. Download BlueStacks Tweaker 6 from the "Download_2" link at the top (this app itself stopped development 2 years ago and doesn't work with the latest BlueStacks):
BlueStacks Tweaker - Official Site

2. After extracting the downloaded "BSTweaker69020.zip" file, extract the "Data_orig_vhd_512.zip" file from BSTweaker6\Drives to obtain the VHD image.

3. Convert VHD to VHDX. After completely closing BlueStacks, open a terminal with administrator privileges and use PowerShell's Convert-VHD cmdlet. You need to have Windows' Hyper-V enabled beforehand. Here's an example of running the cmdlet:

Convert-VHD -Path "%USERPROFILE%\Downloads\BSTweaker69020\BSTweaker6\Drives\Data_orig_vhd_512\Data.vhd" -DestinationPath "%ProgramData%\BlueStacks_nxt\Engine\Nougat64\Data.vhdx"

4. Start BlueStacks, launch the instance, and verify the results.

[TEN]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

Except Amazon has removed the main way to avoid kfx which was download & transfer. The only way to reliably avoid it now is an old e-ink Kindle which could be cut off just like this method will be soon.

In #755 I was referring to more titles than usual being available in AZW3 even on Kindle 1.17.1 for PC, not just 32-bit Android: Both very legitimate color touchscreen readers on older fanless devices BTW.

Do the latest Gen 12 (Paperwhite) Kindles actually still allow AZW3 to be pushed onto them from Calibre/USB ?

[lkmiller]

Assume you mean the latest Kindle for PC 2.7.1. Version 1.17 was the last version that did not handle KFX format at all.

I don't have 12th gen Kindle and don't know how well those mtp devices play with calibre. (I know my mtp Nook doesn't work with calibre.) But I would assume that azw3 can still be sideloaded and read on them.

[TEN]

Regarding Kindle for PC (i.e. Windows) versions,
2.7.1 is the one Amazon very much wants us to update to (so we wisely won't).
1.17.1 is kept because it does not support KFX.
2.4.70904 is kept because it does (but within Calibre's reach).

Similar to the 32-bit Android versions at the start of this thread.

For physical Kindles, the "best" reply to https://www.reddit.com/r/kindle/comm...ansfer_option/ claims (for now):

If you buy or otherwise obtain books from outside of the Kindle Store and transfer them to your Kindle device via USB (sideloading) or the Send To Kindle feature, you are not affected.

If (current) Kindles need to be online rather than on USB to receive content (and/or "phone home" about it), they are no longer an option e.g. when traveling, or for reading anything anyone anywhere might ever want censored.

[lkmiller]

Seems like comics/manga are one of the last holdouts for still occasionally being delivered in non-kfx formats even to the latest Kindle for PC. I use a Kindle Touch to get books in non-kfx, but who knows how long that will last.

Kindle for PC 1.17 stopped working for me when I updated to Windows 11. I have 2.4.0 (70904) now and updates blocked. Of course, neither works for books published after Apr 22.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

Seems like comics/manga are one of the last holdouts for still occasionally being delivered in non-kfx formats even to the latest Kindle for PC.

I am curious about this. I have several comics and manga in my Kindle library and all the ones I have tried with Kindle for PC 2.7.1 download in KFX format .

Can you list some that don't?