can't find Kindle files after update to Android 11 (re: reading *.mobi books on Kindle App)

monsieurms

Well-known member
Sep 30, 2011
1,539
59
48
Visit site
So, for a long time now, we could use the Kindle Android App to read books that were not from Amazon, like from Gutenberg. You just had to copy the .mobi file to the directory where the Kindle App sees "books" and refresh. Over the years, that directory has changed! I've searched the forum and don't see anything relevant in threads, but we evidently have a new issue--hiding the directory where the books reside.

Under Android 11 now, the relevant sub-directory seems to have disappeared. The most recent directory choice was to go to phone/android/data/com.amazon.kindle/files (assuming you store books in internal memory rather than a card). Drop a book. Read on the Kindle app.

So, last night I'm trying to drop a free book an author gave as a promotion from his own website into that directory. At least before the update, that was easy to do. Suddenly, I can't find the directory. The data under "Android" is limited to four sub-directories which themselves do not contain much. All the books I KNOW are there (since Kindle app still displays them) don't appear. There is no directory called com.amazon.kindle, let alone files under that directory.

For the record, I tried Samsung's My Files, Solid Explorer (with "see Root" and "see hidden files" enabled) as well as Astro. None worked.

Just as the final investigative step, I connected to my computer through cable. There you go. It's all still there. Using the Win 10 File Explorer, I can see everything and move the file in question to that com.amazon.kindle/files sub-directory.

SO, this is a matter of Android 11 deliberately hiding these directories. Why? I dunno. It's not exactly mission critical stuff here. Moreover, I can't figure out how to un-hide it. It's nice that I can do it connected to my computer, but there are times I'd like to see the files on my phone. Sometimes I travel. I won't have easy access to a computer.

Any thoughts on how to regain the ability to view and manipulate these folders again?
 

B. Diddy

Senior Ambassador
Moderator
Mar 9, 2012
165,618
4,760
113
Visit site
I moved this from the Android Apps forum to the General Help forum, since the former is intended for developers to promote their apps.

On my Pixel 3 XL running Android 11, I just downloaded a sample .mobi file and moved it to the /kindle directory that was on the main user root directory (full pathname /storage/emulated/0/kindle). It showed up immediately in my Kindle library. Try that.
 

monsieurms

Well-known member
Sep 30, 2011
1,539
59
48
Visit site
I moved this from the Android Apps forum to the General Help forum, since the former is intended for developers to promote their apps.

On my Pixel 3 XL running Android 11, I just downloaded a sample .mobi file and moved it to the /kindle directory that was on the main user root directory (full pathname /storage/emulated/0/kindle). It showed up immediately in my Kindle library. Try that.

That's what I used to do, but then I found in a past iteration of Kindle, it was then copying the books to its own directory in addition and I would have duplicates of each book.

Then, in the most recent iteration before the Android 11 update, it didn't pick up those books in the /kindle directory at all. WHen I got my 20+ Ultra, I actually had to call Amazon to find out where to put the books. An actual Amazon associate told me to copy them to that com.amazon.kindle directory.

Now, back to what it used to do: it again picks up the books in just "/kindle." Which I suppose is a good thing in the grand scheme of things. There are no duplicates.

So, I just tested this and it does work. For the record, I protest at having the rug constantly pulled out from under me. ;)

Thanks!
 

monsieurms

Well-known member
Sep 30, 2011
1,539
59
48
Visit site
By the way, I don't really care anymore, but for those who do, Solid explorer has released an update that now allows it to dig into ALL of the
/Android

sub-folders.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
943,212
Messages
6,917,842
Members
3,158,883
Latest member
Abdul Ali