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Revert to a previous version of iBooks

I have an iPad1 (iOS 5.1.1, _not_ jailbroken) used mainly for reading books. Just after upgrading to iBooks 3, the app consistently crashes. It might be iPad's low memory as the crash reports are named (tellingly) LowMemory-2012-10-24-221538.log, etc.


Last version of app iBooks 2 worked fine (at least with the sort of books I use in there); also the number of titles is around just 50 and still 9 GB free space. This issue does not appear to be fixable (if it is lack of memory and generaly lower specs), Apple even decided to keep iPad1 out of iOS 6 iteration because of its lower specs, I am afraid the same is true for iBooks 3 on iPad1.


Would it be possible to downgrade to a (previous working) version?


Is there a repository with previous versions of iBooks (in particular iBooks 2)?


I would also appreciate some some guidance on rebuilding the iBooks collections on an iPad1?

(Though, in my case, I could rebuild them manually with some ease, others might find it helpful a proper approach)


(By the way I use other eBook readers -Good Reader is one- but still I would like to have iBooks usability for my purchases.)


Any ideas anyone? iPad 1 is still a fine piece to use.


Enaid

iPad, iOS 5.1.1, 16 GB

Posted on Oct 24, 2012 1:49 PM

Reply
20 replies

Feb 2, 2017 10:43 AM in response to J. Jordan

Hi J. Jordan,


Thank you for providing this option.


I tried this, and the app seems to be correctly installed in iTunes in the computer, but doesn't get installed on the phone. It keeps in a shaded color saying: "installing", but I'm never able to open it


Do you know what could be happening? Or how to solve it?


I already tried installing other files of the app in case the one I tried was corrupted, but no luck.


User uploaded file

Feb 8, 2017 6:35 PM in response to anmaheca

I was finally able to load the app on the phone. The other ipa file I had was a 9 Mb version that apparently was not working. I went through my old backups, and found the app, loaded it using another program because iTunes wouldn't let me. (I imagine because the program could have been downloaded using my sister's account).


I have the program, it asks me for passwords. I enter mine and doesn't work. I enter my sister's it asks for a 6 digit verification number, that is send to my sister's phone. I enter it and still the app doesn't open.


Does anyone know why?

Oct 24, 2012 2:02 PM in response to Ricard Miracle

You cannot revert to an earlier version of an app because once the app is updated, the older version no longer exists in the App Store.


Have you tried any basic trouble shooting steps including quitting all apps and start fesh again, rebooting the iPad and deleting the app and reinstalling it?


Quit all apps completely and restart the iPad. Go to the home screen first by tapping the home button. Double tap the home button and the task bar will appear with all of your recent/open apps displayed at the bottom. Tap and hold down on any app icon until it begins to wiggle. Tap the minus ➖ sign in the upper left corner of the app that you want to close. Tap the home button or anywhere above the task bar. Restart the iPad.


Restart the iPad by holding down on the sleep button until the red slider appears and then slide to shut off. To power up hold the sleep button until the Apple logo appears and let go of the button.


Reboot the iPad by holding down on the sleep and home buttons at the same time for about 10-15 seconds until the Apple Logo appears - ignore the red slider - let go of the buttons.


You can read Apple's support article about troubleshooting apps from the App Store.

Oct 24, 2012 2:35 PM in response to Ricard Miracle

Alright so if you made the fatal mistake of uploading this update as I did, I have found a solution for you after much trial and error. If you have a Mac, look in the TRASH bin and find iBooks 2.1.1ipa and move this to your desktop. Erase the iBooks 3.0 from your iPad. Restart your iPad. Go to the iTunes Media fold, mobile applications and find iBooks 3.0ipa and delete it. Now drag the file from your desktop into the apps section in iTunes. Turn on your iPad. Connect it to sync. Go to apps tab and check iBooks. After sync your iBooks library will now be restored. I have tested it and tried it, besides I came up with this whole process because apparently apple has nothing on the entire support for this yet. I will also post on Apple for the million other users who have the same problem. Thanks, J.

Oct 24, 2012 2:48 PM in response to Demo

Thank you for the very quick answer. Yes, I have tried quitting all other apps and also and also restarting.


Didn't try the reboot (holding down Home), and now it didn't crash on trying to load the book list. Unfortunately, crashes upon opening both color PDFs and ePubs. After the crash the app recovers and even can open the smaller titles.


It is also very sluggish though (in moving among Collections and using even the small b/w titles). Anyway, I would appreciate any advise on proper hard reinstall on iPad of an app, if possible without losing the books inside the ipad (all of them are safe elesewhere), as I would like to give it a go in case that improves the situation.


I might still be able to use this new version of iBooks, thanks to yur advise, but I might still be interested in considering an older version of iBooks in this iPad for the speed - if you have any advice on that respect it will be greatly appreciated.

Oct 24, 2012 4:36 PM in response to J. Jordan

Thank you, Jordan for the further progress. I started to believe I was the only one with that problem.


I could be out of luck, though. I updated iBooks using iPad. It might be for this reason that I do not see iBooks 2.1.1.ipa in my Mac's Trash. Just in case do you know of any repository to find this app, I cannot believe they are going to put iBooks 3 in older devices than the iPad1, so the former versions should be somewhere.


Perhaps you're more familiar than me with the filesystem: it is bound to be a sort of "Trash" in iOS. I have had a cursory inspection with iFunBox and I have missed any Trash; this iPad 2.1.1.ipa might be in my iPad's Trash still.


I would appreciate further clarification on what you do mean by "Erase the iBooks 3.0 from your iPad": your exact procedure, and what will happen to the books inside the iPad.


I use a Mac but have not dared to synch the iPad.

Oct 24, 2012 4:59 PM in response to Ricard Miracle

Ok the good news is because you have not synced your iPad your iBooks on the make should still be your previous one. In iTunes click on your apps tab to the left. Find the iBooks app, right click and choose 'get info'. A pop up dialogue box will show you which version you have on your Mac. If it says anything other than 3.0isa you are in luck.


On your iPad. Place one finger on the iBooks app and hold. It will begin to shake back and forth with a small black x on the too left, click the x. You will be asked if you would like to delete the app, click delete. It will now be erased from your iPad. You can restart the iPad at this point free if the updated iBooks.


Next sync your iPad to the Mac, click the apps tab, find iBooks, and make sure it is checked. Click apply. iTunes will now install the version of iBooks you have on your Mac which in this case should be your version prior to the update. ;)


And just for kicks click sync again to ensure everything updated. When you eject the iPad you should see the iBooks app located on one of your home screens in the iPad. When you open the app all of your books will still be there, maybe out of order, but still there.


My iBooks crashed once and then after one relaunch everything came back just fine.

Oct 24, 2012 5:23 PM in response to Ricard Miracle

Unless I am misreading your post below ....

Ricard Miracle wrote:


I use a Mac but have not dared to synch the iPad.

If you have never synced your iPad with your Mac - J. Jordan's suggestion is not going to work because you will not have the older version of the app on your Mac. How could the older iBooks app be on your Mac if you never synced with iTunes before? The older version would only have been in your iTunes library if you have synced in the past.


If you have only downloaded apps on the iPad - and not in iTunes - or not have synced with iTunes - the older iBooks app is not going to be on your Mac.


Plus the first time that you sync with a "new" iTunes library .... well you will see.


If I am misreading your post - I apologize - but if I am not - just beware.


I'm sure that J. Jordan will get you through it.

Oct 26, 2012 1:26 AM in response to Demo

Thanks for the warning, you read it correctly, I had not synched iPad with the Mac I am using. So, it is required to transfer books first for me (I had ebooks from other sellers and even pdfs written in an older computer by me).


I have been chasing them around and be sure I can get them back, just in case (they were 43 in all, for others might be worse).

Oct 26, 2012 4:11 AM in response to Ricard Miracle

If you had never synced the iPad with iTunes, there is no way that the previous version of iBooks could have been on your computer - no way that it could transferred into your iTunes library.


If and when you decide that you want to sync with the Mac - and that's your choice obviously - read this very helpful user tip that was posted by another member of the community. If you follow the steps he has outlined - you will be fine. He explains this for iPhone users, but the procedure is the same for any iOS device, iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.


https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3141

Oct 26, 2012 6:38 AM in response to Demo

Yes Demo, iBooks 2.1.1.ipa was not in my computer (as I had never synced in there). I found that ipa in an external hard drive with a backup of a previous Mac in which that particular iPad was synced (not accessible to me). All went reasonably well when I applied J. Jason suggestions (but check warning at the end if never synced before), summarised here:


0-Authorise computer and transfer purchases (not necessary if iPad synced previously), disconnect iPad, quit iTunes

1-Delete iBooks 3 from iPad

2-Remove iBooks 3.ipa from ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Mobile Applications

3-Start iTunes

4-Drag and drop iBooks 2.1.1.ipa into iTunes (and say "Replace" when iTunes complains about iBooks already listed - actually it is not there)

(5-I quitted iTunes, checked that iBooks 2.1.1.ipa was in .../Mobile Applications, for reassurance and restarted iTunes)

6-Connect iPad

7-Sync apps only, that is select iPad device, select Apps [tab], the sync


Outcome: I suppose because all the iBooks are kept in a separate iDevice folder can be found in the new installation of iBooks - I have not had a problem. I have not synced iPads libraries (videos, pics, and books all in iPad, but NOT in iTunes).


Warning: in syncing apps (only), it appears that app data is gone. It has not been a major issue for me because I have only lost connect settings of Skype and GoodReader data (save elsewhere), a downloaded library loaned ebook in Bluefire Reader( and Adobe Id settings) and I presume any other app data - but I use the device mainly to read and surf. If someone has more app data, this method should not be used unless the iDevice has been properly backed up in iTunes (in that situation, careful reading of Demo's link above will be of help).


For a complete solution on reverting to a previous version, would have it been possible to update (install) only iBooks 2 leaving alone all other apps?

Oct 26, 2012 6:48 AM in response to Ricard Miracle

When you sync any content to an iDevice, you cannot just select one new or different item to sync. In your apps list, if you were to deselect all of the apps in the list - except for the iBooks app - the apps that you deselected would be removed from the iPad. So you cannot select just one app to sync without erasing the other apps from the iPad. This applies to everything in iTunes when you sync. Everything that is currently on the iPad, must be included in the sync, every time that you sync, or the content will be deleted.


Since none of the iPad content was in your iTunes library, it had to be transfered into iTunes, as described in the article that I referenced. If you followed those steps that should have created an iTunes library that reflects exactly what you have on the iPad so that you could sync the content back to the iPad with everything that was already on the iPad - in place and ready to use. Dragging the old iBooks app into the iTunes folder like J. Jordan described should have just added that app to the apps list in iTunes - which should have also included the apps that were already on the iPad.


Am I understanding and answering your question completely?

Oct 26, 2012 8:02 AM in response to Demo

Thank you for your reply. My question is replied in the same part. No, it is not possible to sync just one App - I will have to rebuild manually what I can from (regular as opposed to iTunes) backups. An this is what has happened, the purchased apps might have been downloaded from iTunes anew and replaced my apps with the data inside.


I am not sure, I have understood the rest. I will try to describe what has happened. In my iTunes Book folders I have my purchased iTunes ebooks (some in my iPad1, some not present there).


When I connect my iPad, I can see all of my ebooks in the folder (books from other sellers, pdfs made by me, anything) and most are not present in iTunes Books folder, I can even see videos and music in the relevant folders. I cannot see any of those in the equivalent iTunes folders, not before syncing apps and not now either.


And yet I have synced the apps (device and Apps tab) and it has left the contents inside Books, Movies and Music in my iPad untouched. That is normal behaviour, isn't it? Apps are synced independently from Books, Movies, etc.


(Too bad I have not backed up properly the apps, but in my case, it has not been a major hindrance, but I will make sure I proceed as that link suggests to get all the stuff in the ipad into this computer.)

Nov 3, 2012 4:56 PM in response to J. Jordan

Well - I went through that process - got rid of the latest version and reloaded the earlier, which was in the trash, and then synced, but the old version now crashes in the same way as the old. This being so, I guess the problem lies in the interaction between iOS 6.0.1 and iBooks, rather than in iBooks itself, since the old and new versions worked before the OS upgrade. I suppose that Apple will cotton on to this problem some time or other, but it really doesn't give one confidence in the software - things are becoming as buggy as MSoft!

Revert to a previous version of iBooks

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