# Kindle app update for iPods and iPads



## HeatherG (Aug 6, 2011)

Arghh!  I updated my app to the newest version 3.0 and I DO NOT LIKE IT!

It no longer lets you select author/ title by alphabet/recent.  It only goes by title of the books.

It has no archived section that I could find.  As far as I can figure out you have to go into iCloud and grab the book from there, but if you are like me and have selected the Kindle to download to first, and you do grab a lot of books at once, you have to remember the titles to figure out which are the new titles that aren't on your device yet.  I know, I may be crazy but I want to have the books that I buy, readily available and physically on my devices and not somewhere in cyberspace.

I was hoping that they would have come up with a way of organizing the books by now into collections or genres.  Love the way the Kindle allows this.

They got rid of the cute screen were the boy sits under the screen and reads.  Now it is just a screen that I believe is a grey with yellow/orange word saying Kindle.  BORING!

Some are having problems with logging in.  Fortunately that hasn't been an issue with me.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Heather--

on the iPad version, along the bottom left side, there are a pair of arrows going in opposite directions.  I can tap on that and choose Author/Title/Recent (I have to scroll to see Recent).  Are you using the iPad app?

Betsy


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

To me, the Cloud and the Archive are exactly the same, just different names?  I don't see a lot of difference there.  I do agree about the splash green just being the gray with orange--very boring!

And still no collections.  I know this is a disappointment for many.

Betsy


----------



## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

I was hesitant to download the update, but since Betsy found a way to sort it might go for it. I actually didn't like the look of the app - so that should be an improvement for me! LOL!!

Anything else to make me NOT do it yet?


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I don't really see a huge difference...it seems to be mostly cosmetic to me. The actual reading experience appears unchanged to me.

Here's what it says in the app store about the new features:









Here are some screen captures:



















And here's the splash screen that HeatherG mentioned. It IS kinda boring but is the same as the start up screen for the Fire device (not the reader, the device itself) so may be the new consistent brand look Amazon is going for:


----------



## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Yeah, it's the same, just new look.  Screen shots from Betsy show how to do everything.

Cloud is exactly the same as Archive, they just changed them name so it fits with their other Cloud services.


----------



## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

THanks for the screen shots Betsy!!

So no issues with font readability? I'm always slow to update right now because I can't sync to my computer. I'm about ready to head to the back of the house to work on that "problem" (wish me luck), so I anticipate doing A LOT of upgrades over the next couple of days.

Which scares me. Well, the whole process of what I have to do scares me! LOL!!

Maybe I should go paint my kitchen instead


----------



## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

I didn't notice any differences once I was in my book, fonts or otherwise. It should be better resolution if anything. I'll have to compare once my new iPad delivers 😄

What color paint for the kitchen, though, shamrock green?


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Readability? Is there supposed to be an issue? Here's a screenshot of a book on my iPad 1, showing the settings I'm using (smallest font, white, somewhat dimmed). I have no problems... Note the image is not being shown full size.


----------



## TraceyC/FL (Mar 23, 2011)

I thought that I had SKIMMED an article that said the new version fixed the blurry fonts on the 3 - but it wasn't then so hot on the 1 & 2. I was supposed to be studying for a final and it was one of those "file that away" things! LOL!!

Once I have a backup that I can pull the app out and save the current version I will update. At the rate my iTunes stuff is moving around... it might be next week!  

As for the kitchen, it's above and below the cabinets and I had originally a few months ago picked 2 shades of aqua. I've been living with samples on the wall since then and aren't feeling the long-term love. I have a HUGE chalkboard calendar that I'm painting using the same 2 shades, plus two green shades. It all matches some fabric I have. I think I'm leaning towards the green.... I have samples I guess I should go throw them on the wall??


----------



## HeatherG (Aug 6, 2011)

I haven't updated my iPad, just the iPod and the sort feature isn't there. Only the feature that allows you to change views.  Thanks for showing me where it should be.  The feature of the cloud and the archive isn't the same on the iPod at least.  It shows all of the books I own in the cloud, but not just the ones in the archive that need to be downloaded to my device.  Since my iPod and iPad are WIFI only, I like to have everything handy when I am away from WIFI.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

HeatherG said:


> I haven't updated my iPad, just the iPod and the sort feature isn't there. Only the feature that allows you to change views. Thanks for showing me where it should be. The feature of the cloud and the archive isn't the same on the iPod at least. It shows all of the books I own in the cloud, but not just the ones in the archive that need to be downloaded to my device. Since my iPod and iPad are WIFI only, I like to have everything handy when I am away from WIFI.


Aaaahhh, you're right, the Cloud shows both "archived" and "on device." I didn't notice that. On the iPad, it's easy enough to distinguish between them as the "archived" have a download arrow on them. I haven't even updated my iPod Touch to 5.1 yet. Doing that now....

Betsy


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

HeatherG said:


> I haven't updated my iPad, just the iPod and the sort feature isn't there. Only the feature that allows you to change views. Thanks for showing me where it should be. The feature of the cloud and the archive isn't the same on the iPod at least. It shows all of the books I own in the cloud, but not just the ones in the archive that need to be downloaded to my device. Since my iPod and iPad are WIFI only, I like to have everything handy when I am away from WIFI.


Good news, Heather, you can sort in the iPod version...tap on the gear in the lower right hand corner, you'll get the double arrows as an option:










Tap on the double arrows and you can sort by Recent, Title or Author.









Betsy


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Also, though Cloud does have both archived and on device books (what's up with that?), they are clearly marked as to what's on the device.

















The image on the left shows the Cloud. The top book was recently downloaded to my iPod and is marked new on the right side of the screen. The ones below that have an arrow and are only in the archive. The image on the right shows what's on the device. Once you've opened a book, the "New" disappears, as you can see on the right. Samples on the device (the only place they can be) are marked "Sample" on the right.

Betsy


----------



## HeatherG (Aug 6, 2011)

Betsy, you are an angel.  Thank you.  I was just coming to write that I had found the little gear and it allowed me to sort.  That is great news and I am liking this more now.  But I have run into another snag.  3 books that I downloaded and paid for this morning will not show up anywhere on my iPod.  They are on my Kindle and on my iPad but they would not sync to the iPod.  The ones I got free are all there but not the three I paid for.  I read on my iPod a lot of the time.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

HeatherG said:


> Betsy, you are an angel. Thank you. I was just coming to write that I had found the little gear and it allowed me to sort. That is great news and I am liking this more now. But I have run into another snag. 3 books that I downloaded and paid for this morning will not show up anywhere on my iPod. They are on my Kindle and on my iPad but they would not sync to the iPod. The ones I got free are all there but not the three I paid for. I read on my iPod a lot of the time.


Glad you found out about the sort!

Let's work on the books...

Can you see the books in the Cloud?

Betsy


----------



## HeatherG (Aug 6, 2011)

No the books that were free are in the iCloud but the books that I bought today are not there.

I know that the payment went through....it was a gift card and the books showed up on my Kindle and on my iPad that wasn't updated yet....still the old version but not on my iPod that I updated.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

So, when you purchased the books, which device did you have them sent to?

And are the books there in "Manage Your Kindle?"

Let me know what one of the books that isn't showing up on your iPod is...

Betsy


----------



## HeatherG (Aug 6, 2011)

Betsy, you are indeed an angel! You are so helpful. I wasn't even sure where this *manage my kindle * even was so I googled it. I found it and logged in and found the books with an action button and there it said I could download them to my iPod so I did. They are now on my iPod! YOU MADE MY DAY!

BTW: This app doesn't sync. for me automatically now like the old one did. In order for it to sync, I have to go above _A_ at the top under _all items_ and scroll the column down to move it to the sync command and then release it to sync.

I sure hope that I don't have to do this each time I buy a book now. 

THANK YOU!

I'm off to read Barbara Allan's Antique Trash & Treasures books now. They are hilarious. I have only read two of them but bought three more to read.


----------



## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

So far a huge disappointment. Instead of tweaking the actual reading experience or giving us some features that have been requested for years, what we get is eye-candy that provides no additional functionality. I find it very hard to see those Sample and New labels. 


Mike

Edit: Sent feedback to Amazon telling them what a huge disappointment the update is. It'll be ignored, of course. But sometimes you just have to have a go at the windmill.


----------



## ericbenson81 (Mar 29, 2012)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Heather--
> 
> on the iPad version, along the bottom left side, there are a pair of arrows going in opposite directions. I can tap on that and choose Author/Title/Recent (I have to scroll to see Recent). Are you using the iPad app?
> 
> Betsy


You're so helpful Betsy


----------



## Cynthialil (Jan 30, 2010)

Lack of instructions is a huge problem with most apps. Many make changes on the fly and suddenly everything is in a different place and you don't know what's up.

I wish apps in general would be more specific about outlining updates. As for the Kindle app, I wish there was a better way to sort items according to my criteria. I have backburner books for my desperate days, books for work, docs I've written, etc.

Or is this a function and I didn't notice?


----------



## Straker (Oct 1, 2010)

When using the app I can see all my books in the Kindle cloud but not my samples. What am I doing wrong?


----------



## vistawriter (Dec 14, 2011)

I agree that app instructions can be hard to find. My wife had a problem in iTunes yesterday. Had to leave the app and go to support for the answer, the come back again. A simple onscreen help button would have been nice!


----------



## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Straker said:


> When using the app I can see all my books in the Kindle cloud but not my samples. What am I doing wrong?


Samples aren't stored in the cloud. You have to send them to each device you want them on.


----------

