Kobo is rolling out new software updates for some of their ereaders. Hopefully it fixes the boot loop issue created with the last update, but so far the update only appears to be available for the newer models, not the older models that were getting bricked by the last update.
The new software version is 4.44.23552 for the Kobo Libra Colour, the Kobo Clara Colour, and the Kobo Clara BW. There’s also a new update for the first gen Elipsa, version 4.38.23552, but oddly there isn’t an update for the newer Elipsa 2E.
According to the release notes, both updates add support for the new Kobo Remote Page Turner that’s getting released on December 2nd. I was wondering if there would be an update for the page-turner. That’s good to hear because whenever I tried using Bluetooth devices with Kobo’s ereaders in the past Bluetooth was always turning off and the page turner had to be reconnected manually.
The update also adds a new Bluetooth setting icon to the top of the status bar for easy access. They also fixed a bug with Bluetooth automatically turning off/on.
Like usual, you can wait for the update to show up on your Kobo device while syncing, but they tend to roll out updates slowly so that might take a while.
If you want to install the update now, you can do so manually by downloading the update for your specific model from this Kobo Firmware Downloads page. Make sure to read the notes about different model numbers at the top of the page. That website isn’t managed by Kobo, but the links are directly from Kobo.
I noticed that Kobo now has their own official Firmware Updates page on their support website, but so far the links haven’t been updated to the newer versions yet.
Here are the release notes for the new updates:
Introducing Kobo Remote
- This release adds support for the Kobo Remote page-turn accessory
- Visit kobo.com/remote to learn more
Bluetooth
- You can now quickly access Bluetooth settings from the status bar
- Fixed: Bluetooth may turn on when opening a book, when you had previously turned Bluetooth off
Does anyone else have the problem with tapping the screen that would usually turn the page but now brings up the footnote? It doesn’t matter where I tap – it doesn’t advance the page. I have to swipe instead in order for the page to turn.
Yes, I sometimes get a footnote preview pop up. Annoying. Fairly recent development.
My Libra 2 also got 4.38.23552 update adding remote and Bluetooth icon.