How to get books onto a pocket e-reader: Xteink, Boox Picco, IKAWE Moov and more

Most transfer problems are really file problems. Before you move anything:

• Use a DRM-free EPUB. It's the one format almost every pocket reader opens. Free classics from Project Gutenberg and Standard Ebooks are DRM-free EPUBs.
• Kindle and Kobo store purchases, and Libby loans, are usually DRM-protected, so they only open in those companies' apps and readers. An .acsm file is a DRM licence, not a book.
• Renaming a file doesn't convert it. To turn a DRM-free MOBI or other file into an EPUB, use the free calibre e-book manager.
• Big, image-heavy EPUBs can be slow on small readers. calibre (and CrossPoint's calibre plugin) can shrink their images first.

More on organising files in how to organise an e-book library.

On Xteink readers, the microSD card is the most dependable route, because it doesn't depend on Wi-Fi, apps or firmware.

1. Turn the reader off and remove its microSD card.
2. Put the card in your computer, using a card reader if you need one. Back up anything important on it first.
3. Copy your DRM-free EPUBs into a folder on the card, such as books.
4. Eject the card, put it back in the reader and turn it on.
5. Open the book from the library or file browser.

Don't format the card unless your firmware's instructions say so: formatting erases it, and some readers need a specific file system.

If your reader runs the open-source CrossPoint firmware, as many Xteink owners' do and the reTerminal Sticky can, you can upload books from any browser on the same network:

1. On the reader, open File Transfer and choose Join Network. Pick a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network.
2. Connect your phone or computer to the same network.
3. Open the address shown on the reader in your browser, such as http://crosspoint.local/ or its numeric IP address.
4. In File Manager, upload your EPUB.
5. Exit File Transfer on the reader.

No home network? Choose Create Hotspot on the reader and join the CrossPoint-Reader network it creates. Note that the upload page has no password, and uploading a file with the same name overwrites the old one (pocketink).

If you manage your library in calibre, CrossPoint's calibre plugin adds your reader as a wireless device:

1. Download the plugin ZIP and, in calibre, go to Preferences → Advanced → Plugins → Load plugin from file. Don't unzip it first. Restart calibre.
2. On the reader, open File Transfer → Calibre Wireless, on the same Wi-Fi network as your computer.
3. In calibre, select a book and choose Send to device.

The plugin sends EPUBs, and can optionally resize and convert their images for a small screen before sending.

Several makers now pair their readers with a phone app that sends books over Wi-Fi:

• Xteink app (stock firmware): bind the reader to the app by scanning the QR code it shows, then import books on your phone and sync them to the reader. Owners report the stock app's network sync is less consistent than the microSD card (pocketink).
• CrossPoint Sync app (CrossPoint): start File Transfer on the reader, join Wi-Fi, enter the reader's IP address in the app, and send an EPUB.
• Boox Tiles app (Boox Picco): scan the Picco's QR code to pair, then upload files. Boox's web service at booxtiles.com also works when you're away from the reader's network. Boox says its formats are supported when transferred this way.
• IKAWE app (IKAWE Moov): available for iOS and Android. Bind Moov by scanning the QR code under Settings → Log In to Account, then in the app open Devices, tap Import and choose a book; on Moov, open the menu in the upper-right corner of the Home screen and select Sync. The app also processes PDFs, MOBI, FB2, TXT and CBZ files for Moov. Full steps: add books to Moov.

USB support varies most between readers:

• IKAWE Moov: connect it to your computer, open the menu in the upper-right corner of the Home screen, select USB Mode, and copy EPUBs and images into the books folder. Use the IKAWE app for other formats.
• Xteink X4 Pro: Xteink describes a USB Mode in the same upper-right menu, and owner guides describe copying files across once it appears on the computer (iTechGuides).
• Xteink X3 and original X4: their USB port charges and flashes firmware, but doesn't appear as a drive, so use the microSD card or Wi-Fi instead.
• Boox Picco: connect it to a computer and use the USB transfer option at booxtiles.com, rather than copying files directly (Boox).

• It doesn't appear: check it's in the folder your reader expects, then sync again or restart the reader's library.
• It won't open: it may be DRM-protected, a renamed file in the wrong format, or too large. Re-export it from calibre as EPUB.
• Wi-Fi transfer won't start: most pocket readers only join 2.4 GHz networks, and on CrossPoint, joining Wi-Fi alone doesn't start the file server: open File Transfer first.
• Moov owners: see Moov troubleshooting.