Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of people posting about using an 8BitDo Micro as a remote page turner with Kobo devices, and apparently it’s super easy to setup using the 8BitDo Ultimate Software app and it doesn’t require altering the Kobo software at all.
I guess I didn’t know that Kobo’s devices supported Bluetooth page turners natively without having to jump through configuration hoops.
I just tested this out with a Bluetooth page turner I got a long time ago and it took like 2 minutes to get everything setup and working on the Kobo Libra Colour. Apparently Bluetooth keyboards will work for turning pages as well.
The only problem is Kobo’s devices automatically turn off Bluetooth whenever you turn them off, so you have to go to the settings menu and turn it back on and reconnect the controller every time you want to use it. I don’t know why Kobo doesn’t make it easier to connect Bluetooth devices.
It’s actually a pretty slow and annoying process to reconnect it every time, but at least using Bluetooth remote page turners is an option with Kobos. These kind of controllers don’t work with Kindles because their Bluetooth only supports audio so you have to use clip-on page turners that are kind of clunky and visually irritating.
With as many people that like using remote page turners, you’d think these ereader companies would start selling their own Bluetooth page turners at some point and provide official support and make sure they work properly.
If you’re looking for a remote page turner for your Kobo ereader, the 8BitDo Micro seems to be a popular option. I’ve heard that some 8BitDo controllers won’t work without additional setup, but the Micro has an app you can install on your phone to map the controls to work with Kobos.
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