A Kobo account can now hold up to five library cards, but using them on an e-reader takes the optional 6.0 beta. Only the Libra Colour, Clara Colour and Clara BW are currently eligible. The extra cards are useful. The documented risk to highlights on sideloaded books is a reason to read Kobo’s warnings before updating.
Kobos that can hold several cards
Kobo lists three e-readers for the 6.0 software: the Kobo Libra Colour, the Clara Colour and the Clara BW. The Sage, the Libra 2 and the Elipsa 2E aren’t on the list, and Kobo says it’s still checking whether it can bring 6.0 to earlier models.
Libby’s help page says loans you borrow in the Libby app reach a Kobo only when the Kobo is signed in with the same library card. On a Sage or a Libra 2, a book from a second library can still go across by USB with Adobe Digital Editions.
The 6.0 release is going out country by country, in phases. To see whether it has reached you, go to More, then Settings, then Device Information, and tap Check for updates.
Storage, speed and removed features in 6.0
The first 6.0 update is a one-time rebuild of the software, so the download is bigger and slower than usual. The new software takes more storage. Each book opens slowly the first time while the new reading engine prepares it, and later openings and page turns are quicker.
Kobo also removed a few features and file types:
- Pinch-to-zoom for font size is gone, though the reading menu still changes it.
- Holding a page-turn button or a screen corner no longer turns pages fast.
- The Sketchpad and games from the old Beta Features are gone.
- Reading awards and activity tracking leave the Activity section.
- RTF and HTML files stop opening, and MOBI files may give trouble.
The file types are the change to check first, because a sideloaded RTF or HTML book stops opening.
Some earlier beta versions caused missing books, reading stats and notes. Kobo’s current recovery page says OS 6.0.2 recovers sideloaded books, reading stats and My Words, but lost highlights and notes on sideloaded books have not yet been recovered. If those annotations matter to you, waiting avoids taking the beta solely for another library card.
Before you accept the update
- Copy your sideloaded books to a computer over USB. They live only on the e-reader, along with their highlights and reading progress.
- Move any book you put in the hidden .kobo folder to the top level of the e-reader. Books in that folder don’t survive the move to 6.0.
- Convert RTF, HTML and MOBI files to EPUB.
Once you are on 6.0, do not roll back to recover missing content. Kobo warns that rolling back deletes data stored only on the e-reader, including sideloaded content, annotations, highlights and reading stats. Its recovery advice also says not to factory reset or sign out as a fix. Copying book files does not, by itself, provide a reliable backup of all their highlights.
Adding the second card
To add cards on Kobo.com, use the route in Kobo’s help page for multiple library cards:
- Sign in at Kobo.com and open My Account.
- Under Account Settings, choose Library Cards, then Add Library Card.
- Search for the library and sign in with its card number and PIN.
- Repeat for each library, up to five.
- Turn on Wi-Fi on the Kobo and tap Sync.
Follow the sign-in prompts shown for your software version and keep each library card number and PIN ready. Kobo’s help pages describe different routes to the library settings, so the labels may differ from the account steps above.
The card you used before the update has to be signed in again too. Until you do, its loans won’t show up on the Kobo.
What a second card won’t add
More cards mean more catalogs, but only for books Kobo also sells. Kobo’s Libby page says a library book must also be on sale at Kobo.com before you can borrow it on the e-reader. Audiobooks and magazines from Libby don’t reach a Kobo at all, so they stay in the Libby app on your phone.
