Disable or block browser on Kobo ereader?

[jaydee34983]

I'm contemplating switching the family from an older Kindle PW (gen2) to Kobo to get out of the Amazon ecosystem, Overdrive, and audiobook listening. Very interested in pre-ordering the new Libra Color for the previously mentioned features as well as color highlighting and light notetaking.

I would really like to have the browser disabled. It's not needed for anyone using the device. I am aware of the "parental control" feature which locks out the Store, Overdrive and Browser, but have concerns that it's too restrictive (don't want Store or Overdrive blocked) and only a 4-digit PIN isn't very secure. Also locking and unlocking is a hassle, when really there's no good reason for anyone to use the built-in browser.

My direct question is, is there any known script to disable the browser or otherwise render it unusable? Even if it's not fool-proof, anything that raises the bar for easy access would be greatly appreciated. I did search the forums and found the following posts, but they are rather old and were of limited use. There's one subpost in the first link, post #4 referring to a "WebPortal" mod script to reboot the device whenever the browser is selected, but it's 5+ year old post and there's no details on how to implement this.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=313902
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=329200

Any help is much appreciated!

Lastly, this is very much a technical question. I'm not interested in parental advice, comments that "kids will eventually see this stuff anyway", or philisophical musings whether unfiltered access is bad, etc. Being in the "developers corner", hopefully this goes without saying. Thanks in advance!

[geek1011]

kobopatch has a patch for this. I don't remember if it still covers all entry points, though, it's been too long.

You will need to reapply it for every firmware update.

I know you said you're not interested in this comment, but if your children are even slightly tech-inclined, they will figure out how to bypass this stuff sooner or later, especially if they have internet access in another device.

[PeterT]

Why not just enable Parental Controls in Settings / Accounts

This requires entry of a 4 digit PIN and disables the Browser and Kobo Store

Sent from my Pixel 7a using Tapatalk

[DNSB]

The OP does not consider a 4 digit PIN as being very secure. Perhaps parental controls and adding the MAC address of the Kobo on a wireless router as a blocked address?

[jaydee34983]

Thanks for the responses. I'm new here, but I have searched and haven't found any kobopatch post related to blocking the browser. I've seen posts about trying to add more functionality to the browser, but not disabling it?

I'm willing to delete some files the browser depends on if need be, to make it totally unworkable unless it's factory reset. Again, I have absolutely no use case for it whatsoever.

I could block the MAC from the router, but that would remove the ability to download audiobooks and store, which is a bit extreme... Would I be able to download via PC and sideload those via USB?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by jaydee34983

Thanks for the responses. I'm new here, but I have searched and haven't found any kobopatch post related to blocking the browser. I've seen posts about trying to add more functionality to the browser, but not disabling it?

The patch is called "Hide browser from beta features". I played with it a while back and seem to remember that if you tapped on a link in an ebook, it would still try to open.

Originally Posted by jaydee34983

I'm willing to delete some files the browser depends on if need be, to make it totally unworkable unless it's factory reset. Again, I have absolutely no use case for it whatsoever.

I could block the MAC from the router, but that would remove the ability to download audiobooks and store, which is a bit extreme... Would I be able to download via PC and sideload those via USB?

Depends on what you are downloading. I don't think that you can download a purchased audiobook to sideload it. For most store books, you can download from the Actions ... menu in My Books though that does not apply to Kobo Plus purchases.

[Aleron Ives]

You could set a filter in the router to only allow Kobo addresses and no others, but that would require you to know all the addresses that Kobo uses for syncing books, firmware, dictionaries, etc..

[jaydee34983]

Originally Posted by DNSB

The patch is called "Hide browser from beta features". I played with it a while back and seem to remember that if you tapped on a link in an ebook, it would still try to open.

Ok, I think I found some info here indicating it's in libnickel.so.1.0.0:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...er#post4334872


But then according to this post, it looks like you can just highlight a word and search it in a browser, in which case, the browser is fully operational? Do I understand that right?

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...er#post4284795

Originally Posted by DNSB

Depends on what you are downloading. I don't think that you can download a purchased audiobook to sideload it. For most store books, you can download from the Actions ... menu in My Books though that does not apply to Kobo Plus purchases.

Thanks. If we were to go the route of blocking MAC address from the router, instead of sideloading, I guess I could download books/audiobooks on some other wifi, like the local library.

Speaking of library, how does Overdrive work exactly in this scenario? Do you just need WiFi to download the ebook to the device when you initially borrow it and then the books disappears once the lending period is over? (which would be fine).
Or do you need an active WiFi connection whenever you read the book is checked out? (which wouldn't really be workable for this case)

[Aleron Ives]

Originally Posted by jaydee34983

it looks like you can just highlight a word and search it in a browser, in which case, the browser is fully operational?

Yes, the patch removes the browser option from the beta features. It doesn't modify the browser itself, so since there are other ways to access the browser, it doesn't stop you from using it. It only simplifies the beta features menu.

[slm]

I don't, of course, know what your use cases are, but on the Kindle, I find the access to Wikipedia invaluable when reading older books, as a supplement to the dictionary. YMMV

[jaydee34983]

Originally Posted by slm

I don't, of course, know what your use cases are, but on the Kindle, I find the access to Wikipedia invaluable when reading older books, as a supplement to the dictionary. YMMV

Thanks. it can be useful some cases, but wikipedia also contains some pretty not kid-friendly stuff.

I have a Kindle as well and X-Ray goes a long with a lot of stuff like that, but obviously it's dependent on the author/publisher to add that info so it can be hit or miss.


Can anyone advise on my previous question of how overdrive works, if you just need a Wi-Fi connection for the initial download of a lended book, or if there's some sort of on-going dependency with an internet connection to read the lended books?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by jaydee34983

Can anyone advise on my previous question of how overdrive works, if you just need a Wi-Fi connection for the initial download of a lended book, or if there's some sort of on-going dependency with an internet connection to read the lended books?

You will need a connection to initially download the book. After that you are free to read it without needing an Internet connection until such time as the loan period expires.

[Aleron Ives]

If you really distrust your kids that much, it sounds like your only option is to not configure the Wi-Fi on the device at all (while also using a Wi-Fi password that your kids don't know, of course), and then you can sideload all the books with ADE or Calibre without ever granting Internet access to the device. This negates any need to edit the browser itself.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Aleron Ives

If you really distrust your kids that much, it sounds like your only option is to not configure the Wi-Fi on the device at all (while also using a Wi-Fi password that your kids don't know, of course), and then you can sideload all the books with ADE or Calibre without ever granting Internet access to the device. This negates any need to edit the browser itself.

But what if the little darlings take their ereaders to a coffee shop, mall, school or whatever and connect to the WiFi there?

[slm]

Originally Posted by jaydee34983

Can anyone advise on my previous question of how overdrive works, if you just need a Wi-Fi connection for the initial download of a lended book, or if there's some sort of on-going dependency with an internet connection to read the lended books?

I haven't tested it for this, but my experience with Adobe DRM "borrowing" is that the time limit is in the file and the reader software enforces it, so there is no need to check back with the home server.

I don't turn my wi-fi off often enough to test this, but the occasional long-forgotten overdrawn book (on Internet Archive, not Libby), seems to work this way.