Kobo is one of the foremost competitors to Kindle, and has been for a long time now. However, the brand’s e-readers have been plagued by an ongoing issue since the very start — cross-device sync doesn’t work.
Thankfully, Kobo just fixed it (via Notebook Check). If you want your Kobo e-readers and apps to cross-sync properly, all you need to do is tap and option within your device’s or app’s settings.
Kobo finally fixes one of its most long-running problems
But you’ll need to make it stick
I love my Kobo e-reader, and I’d always pick it over my Kindle but for a single feature. But even I, a Kobo fanboy, has to admit some parts of the Kobo experience aren’t as good as they should be.
For years, trying to get two Kobo devices, or a Kobo device and the app, to sync progress between them was close to impossible. Unlike Kindle, where the experience was seamless, Kobo’s was not.
That unfavorable comparison to its key competitor may be why Kobo has made a herculean effort to fix that broken feature.
In a series of posts made to Bluesky over the weekend, Kobo’s CEO Michael Tamblyn described the enormous amount of work that went into fixing this broken area. According to him, large parts of the system back-end had to be rebuilt in order to fix the problem, but the process should now work.
The next month is going to be busy for us here at Kobo, but here’s a little something that snuck out in advance: We know some of you have been driven slowly crazy by the way your reading progress on the Kobo app doesn’t always correctly sync with your ereader…
— Michael Tamblyn (@mtamblyn.bsky.social) 2026-09-10T20:35:49.222Z
Obviously this will only affect you if you read your Kobo e-books on more than one device. If you only read books on your sole Kobo e-reader, then you don’t need to worry.
However, if you use the app, or own more than one Kobo device, then this is likely to be great news for you. And you only have to tap on a single option to get the new infrastructure to kick in.
From your Kobo device, head to Settings > Device Information, and then select Repair Your Kobo Account. If you have an update pending (like yours truly), you’ll have to complete that before it works properly.
If you use the app, then you’ll need to do the same in the app. The pathway is slightly different though, and you’ll need to go to Account > Repair Your Account.
Once you’ve completed these quick steps, your e-book progress should sync up as you’d expect. Sideloaded content, excepted, of course. That’s a pipe dream, but one that Tamblyn would love to add.
8/10
- Brand
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Kobo
- Screen
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Kaleido 3
- Resolution
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1072 x 1448
- Storage
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16GB
