Kobo’s Summer 2023 update on new features and fixes

Kobo eReaders

New ways to pay on your Kobo eReader

You can use PayPal and iDEAL to buy books right on your eReader: just go to your account settings to add these payment types.

And if you haven't yet saved any payment methods on your account, you’ll now be able to scan a QR code on your eReader's screen that’ll take you to Kobo.com to complete checkout using a variety of popular payment options—including Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and iDEAL.

And if QR codes aren’t your thing, right under it you'll find a temporary 6-digit numerical sequence you can enter the old-fashioned way at kobo.com/purchaseonweb.

Once you complete your payment, your eReader will sync the book to your library and you can begin reading.

Easier shopping on Kobo eReaders

We’ve made it easier to find new books by easy-to-tap category bubbles:

Go to Discover > eBooks, then swipe up to see the eBook Categories

It’s easier than ever to save on the books you want most:

Go to More > My Wishlist > Filter: On Sale

And if you don’t have anything in your Wishlist, it’s never too late to start: How to use the Kobo Wishlist feature

Sync Google Drive documents to your Kobo eReader

On Kobo Elipsa 2E, Kobo Elipsa, Kobo Sage, and Kobo Forma you can now use Google Drive to add more books and documents to your eReader. Here’s how: Add books to your eReader using Google Drive

Notebooks

Kobo Elipsa and Kobo Sage now offer Advanced Notebooks, previously available only on Kobo Elipsa 2E. (Read about those here, in case you missed it)

Even more enhancements to notebooks:

• You can now search your handwritten notes inside of any Notebook
• Organize your notebooks with folders
• We’ve added new templates: Condensed, Calligraphy, Columns, Guitar Tabs, Isometric Grid, Music, Plan (Monthly), Seyes, Storyboard

In Basic Notebooks, you can now create standard shapes like circles, squares, and triangles by drawing and holding your stylus in place for a few seconds. For example, if you draw a circle, you can convert into a perfect circle.

Also in Basic Notebooks, you can now use the new Lasso feature to move, delete, copy, resize, and convert your notes into typed text

Advanced Notebooks now offer adjustable line spacing to make your notes more readable.

Kobo Elipsa and Kobo Sage owners can now back up their notebooks automatically or on-demand. After updating your eReader software to version 4.37 or higher, go to the ‘My Notebooks’ tab to get started.

View your backed up Notebooks by visiting kobo.com/notebooks on a computer, tablet, or phone.

Kobo Books Apps

 There are some brand-new updates in our reading experience on iOS:

• Now, you can double-tap to enlarge images in eBooks
• When you use Apple Pencil® to interact with eBook text, text will highlight automatically

We’ve added more ways for Android users to take Kobo Audiobooks on the road! The Kobo Android app now supports Android Auto. In your Android Auto-equipped vehicle, connect your phone or tablet and add the Kobo Books app for seamless listening on the open road.

PSA for the most avid Kobo eReader users

Library borrowing with OverDrive & Libby

There has been a lot of buzz recently about the digital library apps OverDrive and Libby—and it’s created some confusion around names.

• OverDrive is the name of the company powering your digital library and the ability to borrow library books with Kobo eReaders. It was once also the name of an app for borrowing digital library books on mobile devices and computers.
• Libby is the name of the new app for borrowing and reading digital library books created and powered by OverDrive.
• Although OverDrive (the company) has replaced their original app (also called OverDrive) with a new app called Libby, library users logged into OverDrive on Kobo eReaders will continue to be able to borrow, read, and automatically return digital library books.
  

Learn more about OverDrive and library lending on Kobo eReaders: OverDrive: Common questions