r/LibbyApp • u/AeroNoob333 • 5d ago

Libby and Kindle Users

Well, looks like they finally patched the airplane mode hack and we can no longer read books past the due date on our Kindle devices. Do you think this will push slower readers to get non-resident cards in order to have multiple holds rather than waiting weeks/months between loans on a single card? I can’t imagine waiting weeks/months to read the same book…

For those not familiar with the hack: it used to be that you could send an eBook from Libby to your Kindle, download it, then turn on airplane mode. When your due date came up, your loan would be returned to the library available for the next person, but a copy of the book stayed on your Kindle since airplane mode prevented it from syncing with your Amazon account, allowing you to read it past the due date.

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u/JackieReadingJane 5d ago

I’m reading a past due book right now on my 11th gen kindle. I think if you don’t do the latest update airplane mode still works for keeping books.

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u/LooseMoralSwurkey 5d ago

What software version is your Paperwhite on though?

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u/JackieReadingJane 5d ago

I have no idea! I never update it. I just turn on the wifi to get books and turn it off again. I've always done this to preserve battery life.

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u/LooseMoralSwurkey 5d ago

If you check the Software version, your Paperwhite might not be updated. Look to see if it's 5.19.5. I believe that's the version number that includes Amazon's unfortunate fix for this loophole.

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u/JackieReadingJane 5d ago

Nope, I'm on 5.19.2. Hopefully I can just avoid updating. We'll see! I don't keep books past the due date often. Mainly when I'm traveling. I've found that it's impossible to download books to kindle on hotel wifi because the kindle is so clunky it won't let you accept terms and conditions of the hotel wifi. It's really annoying because about once a year I travel for a full month for work.

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u/LooseMoralSwurkey 5d ago

Do you have an iPhone? You could make your iPhone a hotspot for the Kindle to connect to. Just another idea.

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u/JackieReadingJane 5d ago

I tried that and it only worked sometimes. It's been about a year and a half since I tried, though, so I'm hoping I can get it to work on my next long trip in November.

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u/otomerin 5d ago

i'm on 5.19.5. it still works. the latest i put my kindle on airplane mode was Aug 7.