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iTunes v12.7.0.166 No Longer Supports iBooks

Apple rolled out a new version of i Tunes today, and something is missing. Early downloaders reported on MobileRead, and I can confirm, that Apple has removed the iBooks section from the iTunes app for Windows.

According to the changelog, Apple now expects Windows users to manage their iBooks libraries on their iThing rather than in iTunes on Windows.

The surprise change has left a number of users perturbed:

Apparently Apple has decided that since Windows users (still) can’t read iBooks ebooks on their PC, they have no reason to manage their ebooks in iTunes. That is more than a little strange. iTunes is a media manager, and some users were storing all of their personal ebook library in the app and then using iTunes to transfer the ebooks to their iDevice.

Now they’re going to have to (I think) transfer the ebooks to an iDevice’s shared storage over USB using a file manager, and then tell the iBooks app to look for the ebooks in the storage. (Or at least I think that will work; I don’t have an iThing to test.)

In any case, this is going to be a pain for users.

Here’s the changelog for iTunes v12.7.0.166:

  • iTunes U: Collections of iTunes U content appear in the Podcasts section of iTunes.
  • Internet Radio: Your Internet Radio stations appear in your music library’s sidebar. Click Edit in the sidebar to show or hide Internet Radio.
  • Ringtones: iOS 11 supports redownloading ringtones directly to your iOS device, without the need to use iTunes on your Mac or PC.
  • Books on Windows: Books on iTunes for Windows are managed in iBooks for iOS.

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Comments


Jimo September 13, 2017 um 10:48 pm

I went to iTunes asked me t update my version I said no and checked don’t ask again
should take care of that :-0


Steve D. September 13, 2017 um 10:54 pm

Not a suprise that the worst crappy bloatware ever gets a little less useful.
Another reason why iOS sucks.

Quasar September 14, 2017 um 7:37 am

Well its less bloated now 🙂


PSami September 14, 2017 um 5:40 am

You can put your books into your iCloud folder and then one by one "Copy to iBooks" on your iPad. I don’t think you can copy things to iPad via USB, but I honestly have never even thought to try.

Nate Hoffelder September 14, 2017 um 7:28 am

Ah, iCloud. Yes, putting the file in the iCloud drive on Windows and then pulling it out on the iDevice would probably work.

Pity there’s no iBooks folder on iCloud.com, though.

thanks!

Tom S September 14, 2017 um 1:44 pm

If you want to get an ePub or PDF on your PC into iBooks on an iPad, iCloud Drive is only one way to do it. You can use any other means of getting the file over, such as DropBox, email attachment, etc. Then use sharing option to Copy To iBooks.

If the iBooks app is enabled for iCloud Drive storage, then anything you open with iBooks will sync to iCloud Drive and can be opened with any iBooks app linked to your account. But this storage is owned by iBooks alone, you cannot see it or upload to it using the iCloud Drive clients.

People who were using calibre on Windows to add things to iBooks via iTunes USB sync will not be able to do that any more. They’ll probably want to use a cloud-synced folder instead. Arguably it is simpler to do this as you don’t actually have to tether the iDevice as part of the workflow. On the other end, however it will be 'one at a time' to pull them into iBooks.

These days, I think most people using iOS devices back them up to iCloud rather than to iTunes running on a desktop machine (which could leave you without backup if the hard disk dies, and hard disk was not backed up, etc.).

Nate Hoffelder September 14, 2017 um 2:48 pm

When I had an iPad, I emailed ebooks to myself and then opened the email on the iPad. That was easy.

Chris November 15, 2017 um 8:38 am

Hello, I updated iTunes this morning and was quite surprise with absence of Books in Library listing, not to mention the time I wasted on making research whats wrong, but anyways I managed somehow to transfer my books to my iPad, I simply dropped down the .epub file straight in to iPad’s Books directories and it is there and I can open it on my iPad easily.

Peter Brooke December 23, 2017 um 7:02 pm

tried that on my iphone , nope its not going to happen , wants to put it into a non reader file and dosnt register that it is an ebook readable file


Harvey Stanbrough September 14, 2017 um 7:00 am

"…since Windows users (still) can’t read iBooks ebooks on their PC…" But they can. They can read any .epub on Adobe Digital Editions, a free download for PC or Mac.

Nate Hoffelder September 14, 2017 um 7:20 am

That’s not the same platform.


Ingo Lembcke September 14, 2017 um 8:28 am

And again DRM stops you from even reading on certain devices. Correct: epubs with Adobe DRM and epubs with iBooks DRM cannot be read by in the same App if a test works for some ebooks, these do not have DRM. Not sure about PDF though.

But iTunes is missing even more, as the App store for iOS has been pulled from iTunes, Links to the App-store do not work anymore. While is by design, I often search with a Webbrowser (Safari more often than not) and click a link which after a short waiting period called iTunes with the App page and more info about the App, to download / buy it.
Since iTunes 12.7 this does not work anymore. And not updating will only work for a certain time, with the update to High Sierra the then newest iTunes version might be delivered.

Submitted this to support. And then another one, as the pesky Webpage said "we will confirm with an email containing a link to the text you send in" (not the exact wording). Only, the email contains the case number (also displayed directly on the webpage), a link to the support webpage (for submitting more errors?) and a few links to solve common problems with iTunes. No link to the database with the error. They could have asked for a login, before submitting the error or even linked to radar or whatever it is called.
So I took the anal retentive step to submit the missing link as another error.


Nat September 14, 2017 um 9:19 am

On macOS, you can still move things to an iDevice via iTunes, at least.
1: connect to iDevice (however you normally sync/backup–might require plugging a wire in, depending on your settings).
2: see iDevice in the left sidebar in iTunes, where things like playlists live.
3: drag-n-drop ebook, ringtone, app, etc., from anywhere in the Finder to where the iDevice shows up in the sidebar in iTunes.

I have no idea how you would remove such a thing from the iDevice, now. I mean, you should be able to just delete it within iOS or the appropriate app. But if you want to transfer it, I’m not sure.

And I don’t know if the same functionality exists for the MSWindows version. Maybe not, since drag-n-drop is generally less versatile, IME.


Anthony September 14, 2017 um 11:37 am

I use itunes to transfer audiobooks from Overdrive DRM free, ti my iPhone. It will be interesting to see what hoops I have to jump through now to do that now.


gbm September 14, 2017 um 12:28 pm

So is B&N hiring from Apple or is Apple hiring from B&N?


Frank September 15, 2017 um 10:30 am

iTunes is finally had the iOS app store removed from it, so the app had iBooks removed as well. iTunes is too bloated, however Windows users are out of luck of managing iBooks.

Tom S September 15, 2017 um 12:15 pm

There are options:

It is easy to email ebooks to your iPad (or use some cloud service to deliver them there) and then open them in iBooks. Even when it was necessary to use iTunes to backup iOS devices, this was often more convenient than connecting a wire just to move a few books to the device.

Or If you are interested, check out calibre (running on Windows) and Calibre Companion (running on iOS). After importing your ebooks into calibre, you can then use CC to sync to calibre (or a calibre database in DropBox/OneDrive/etc) and then send the book to any ePub app, including iBooks. Calibre also includes an OPDS server, which some reading apps can access directly (when the server is running), or can be accessed with a web browser to download books and open in your favorite app.

Calibre Companion will apparently need an update for iOS 11, as it is not working with the beta at present (according to reports).


Tom S September 15, 2017 um 12:00 pm

Note this change affects Mac OS iTunes as well. But Mac OS has an iBooks app so it is trivial to load into iBooks and (with iCloud sync enabled) then open with iBooks app on iOS.


S. Smith September 15, 2017 um 12:05 pm

Apple is no longer able to be trusted. The easiest solution is to avoid iBooks altogether and stick with Kindle books that can be read on all of your devices. There, that was easy.


Jackson October 5, 2017 um 2:49 pm

What an absolute shit show Apple is running. I don’t see why I should have to use the cloud or email PDFs to myself when it was much simpler to just sync them with iTunes.


Theaitch October 13, 2017 um 3:57 am

What is Apple doing – we all understand things change – but what are they doing, they don’t you support their own software anymore applications, iBook’s, movies and iTunes are now outside of ITunes, as 1 of millions who have multiple apple devices, but use a PC not a MAC I am annoyed at this approach. So I am expected to manage my devises on a one by one basis rather than iTunes doing it for me. It is not 1984, Apple has have made a draconian backwards change that no doubt has greatly / will greatly annoy a lot of people. I now regret buying my latest iPad and feel like taking it back to the store!


Mary October 24, 2017 um 9:15 am

I used Drop Box to bring the files in one by one. I discovered I had no Books on my computer the other day. Apple has been assisting me with my devices not finding each other to Air Drop, I find other devices but not mine. One of the steps the engineering group told my support person was to update to the newer iTunes on my computer. Well there went my Books. I used Books to add or remove files on my devices when I need them with me. I think it is a bit silly to have an APP that allows you to save files on a device but can not control the files on your computer which you also use the files.


Chris November 12, 2017 um 5:36 pm

I used itools to import pdfs. You navigate to Books on itools, click import, and then select the files. It’s a pretty nice program and I thank the developers for it.


Michelle Conway November 15, 2017 um 11:25 am

Where will I find itools on my iPod?


Allen F November 15, 2017 um 11:57 am

Ah well, just as well I haven’t invested in the fruit with a bite taken out of it.

You know what’s worse than taking a bite of an apple and finding a worm in it? Finding only half of the worm …


Chris Trotter November 23, 2017 um 7:31 pm

I’ve just bought a new iPad and tried to sync the 1,000+ books I have from iTunes. No good now they’ve done away with the books tab. I’ve downloaded a piece of software called Syncios onto my PC. Works great and far bloody easier than iTunes. Screw you Apple. It’s the last device I’ll be buying from them.


ROYAL PSALMIST December 1, 2017 um 8:43 am

someone should kindly help with Syncios activation code. i really need to get my ibook to my device urgently. the new iTunes update sucks. I hope they will bring back ibook.


Steve December 10, 2017 um 9:52 pm

download a little piece of software named iFunbox. It’s light and its effective.

I’ve had enough of apple saying what I can and can’t do with a device that I own.

Elle P March 6, 2019 um 11:56 pm

Thank you for this GREAT tip! the Software was free and simple to use. I was able to pull 1400 PDFs out of iBooks on my iPad and save them to my PC. You are an ANGEL!


Peter Brooke December 23, 2017 um 7:11 pm

wondering what the worth of an apple developers is , about 3 grams of shit or basically nothing . why stuff up a good app and then why make it so hard to use anything that you didnt buy from apple because apple didnt sell or offer it.


Slick December 23, 2017 um 8:03 pm

Our first iPhones were iPhone 3GS Models and they were wonderful. Since then, it has been a steady deterioration and now I am just looking for a way out. Primarily, we have lost confidence that Apple won’t destroy our data, which is the worst possible sin. So far, I have had years of Contact Notes in my Oulook database corrupted when I synced, lost years of iOS Notes when Apple “changed direction” with iOS 9 and failed to warn users that “updating” their Notes could delete their old ones, and recently, my wife did a “full backup” of her iPad before trading it in (because it failed in 11 months), only to learn too late that an iTunes “full backup” does not include any PDF files. Poof, there went years of my wife’s saved recipes. Here is the name of the guy at Apple that is in charge of software: Craig Federighi. Now, Apple is the antithesis of Steve Jobs’ “It just works.” BUT, we do have access to every emoji known to man. Thanks a whole f**king lot.


Denis January 20, 2018 um 8:45 pm

The fact that Apple can no longer completly backup my phone (due to not backing up pdf docs) so I can replicate the contents to a new device make getting a new device much less appealing.
I would backup a device to iTunes and restore it to the new one.


Slick January 21, 2018 um 10:37 am

Denis,
As I mentioned in my earlier post of 12/23/17, your logic is sound, but by eliminating the inclusion of ALL of your valuable data in their "Full Backup" option, Apple’s software leadership has apparently made the decision that the safety of their customers' data is not important as my wife unfortunately found out. Their tech support people didn’t even realize that PDF files would go Bye-Bye with their alleged "Full Backup".

My point is that since Apple doesn’t make preserving their customers data the top priority with their software development initiatives, it is "Buyer Beware" concerning their products.


Ehab January 21, 2018 um 3:47 pm

Just drag & drop the PDF files into the Books section on your iPad, It will auto-sync.


DDZ January 27, 2018 um 7:26 pm

I used to only buy ibooks. Own a PC. Now I can’t manage my books on my computer. Not sure how to back them up in case I lose my iPhone or buy a new one. ibooks was the ONLY reason I’ve stuck with apple. NOW am seriously considering another brand of phone. (iPhone 6 is next to useless now anyway thanks to IOS updates). From now on I will buy my books from KINDLE. Bye Bye APPLE


HappyGuy February 17, 2018 um 9:33 am

there’s a solution I found via iBooks -Help function on my iMac!!
All of the books and pdf’s on my iPhone immediately appeared in Ibooks on my iMac and are safe and sound!

the text is in Dutch but you will probably get it.. i will translate it as service 😉

De boeken en pdf’s weergeven die je aan iBooks hebt toegevoegd
Op je Mac: Kies Apple-menu > 'Systeemvoorkeuren' en klik vervolgens op 'iCloud'. Klik op 'Opties' naast 'iCloud Drive' (zorg dat 'iCloud Drive' is ingeschakeld) en schakel 'iBooks' in.

Choose Apple menu->System Preferences -> iCloud. Choose 'options' next to 'i~Cloud drive' and activate iBooks.

Op je iOS-apparaat: Ga naar 'Instellingen' > '[je naam]' > 'iCloud' (of 'Instellingen' > 'iCloud'), schakel 'iCloud Drive' in en schakel vervolgens 'iBooks' in (iOS 9.3 of hoger).

On your iOs device got to -> settings->your name->iCloud. Activate iCloud drive en flipte switch at iBooks.


Matt April 20, 2018 um 7:00 pm

I’ve always found it difficult to import PDFs to my iPad from PC. But I found the update made it easier. Seriously. The more Apple remove from the cumbersome app the better. To import PDFs from PC to iPad, copy the files from Windows Explorer, open iTunes, go to Books folder for your device and paste. See https://support.apple.com/en-au/ht201593


ninth May 9, 2018 um 12:53 pm

how to read pdf books in itunes on windows 10


joe May 29, 2018 um 4:57 pm

You can drag and drop files into iCloud drive on your PC through the web browser, and then on your iphone go into the new 'My Files' app thing and you’ll see them there. Bingo. I actually find this easier than dealing with iTunes. Happy reading.


wutIsZeProblem July 29, 2018 um 12:06 pm

Umm, maybe I am just not understanding the issue but if you need just to copy some "new" pdf files into your ipad ( this worked as of iTunes 12.8.0.150 )

– open iTunes (windows version)
– plug in your ipad
– when your ipad appears in (iTunes) "devices" expand books
– now you can drag and drop any pdf "from windows" and it will sync it to ipad
– after you are done open iBooks app in your ipad & you can see all the new pdfs there

John Heffer September 8, 2020 um 6:28 pm

Gee, that was easy – thanks!!


Nick August 18, 2018 um 11:47 pm

I hope this info might help someone. Through much pain and trial and error I think I found a very easy way to move a book into ibooks without using icloud. I plugged my ipad into my imac and fired up itunes. I had my PDF book on my desktop. I then right clicked the PDF book on my desktop and went to the tab "Open With". In that list was the selection "iBooks". I clicked on that and in a flash the book appeared in my Itunes books section of my ipad device. I hit the sync button at the lower right of itunes and then it appeared on my ipad. I then tried this again with another book and it took about 10 seconds to complete it. Hope this helps someone else.


Ty September 12, 2018 um 2:11 am

Barf. I just now installed iTunes for the first time in my life on a PC because my mother gave me a hundred dollars worth of iTunes cards for Christmas in 2016. They’ve just been sitting around unused for almost two years because I didn’t want to install iTunes just to buy music, and I simply didn’t want iTunes on my computer. Then I found out about iBooks. "Oh, goody!" I thought. "I like books. Perhaps I’ll give it a shot." But I don’t have any kind of iDevice at all. I hate them just by fiddling with my friend’s iPhone. And apparently, they must think PC users can’t read or don’t want to read. And I’m NOT, repeat, NOT buying a stupid iDevice just to buy a book.


Joseph J Rose February 17, 2019 um 8:48 pm

Glad I switched from iBooks to Google Play Books last year.


Fred March 27, 2019 um 2:59 pm

I solved this problem by installing the older version (12.6.2.20) of iTunes. The version before Apple screwed it up. I get most books from Amazon (Kindle), converting them to ePub using Calibre, copying file into iTunes, and syncing with iPhone and iPad.


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