Server returned HTTP status 401?

[Parsons]

I've used Calibre's mobile interface (http:// xxx.x.xxx.xxx:8081/mobile) on my Kindle Oasis for accessing my Calibre library for a long time but recently it returns a 401 error.

Calibre 7.1 is running in Docker on a Nas and works perfectly when I access it via a PC on port 8080.

Has a Calibre update broken the mobile interface? The Kindle web browser also puts up a box saying it is intended for simple websites which never used to happen.

[theducks]

401 Unauthorized

    Although the HTTP standard specifies "unauthorized", semantically this response means "unauthenticated". That is, the client must authenticate itself to get the requested response.

Has the kindle updated to require https or some other 'more secure' connection

[Parsons]

I think it must have. I can access the Calibre mobile interface on my pc but not on the kindle. My Kindle is on the latest firmware for the model and I've reset it as well. Downgrading the firmware looks like too much trouble so I guess that's the end of the road.

What puzzles me is that I can't find any google reference to Kindle upgrading their security requirements or any others complaining that they have lost access to Calibre mobile. Surely I'm not the only person who used it?

[kovidgoyal]

If you have setup auth on the server (username/password) then you can try using https + basic auth instead of the default which is digest authorization which the kindle might have trouble with. There is an option in the server preferences to choose basi or digest authentication. Try it with basic and see.

[Parsons]

Thanks Kovid. I tried that but the issue persists. I also rolled Calibre back to older versions which didn't help either. I would appear the issue has been caused by a Kindle firmware update.

[Parsons]

https://imgbox.com/2CfnGUDn

[gbm]

Amazon has change something in there web browser for kindle with the latest firmware. My kindle was on an older firmware when I tested for the first time and it worked. During the time I was testing kindle updated and now it does not work.

If you go into the calibre web preferences and turn off user accounts it will work, but I do not recommend this, if you do this make sure port forwarding is turned off in your router.


bernie

Originally Posted by Parsons

I've used Calibre's mobile interface (http:// xxx.x.xxx.xxx:8081/mobile) on my Kindle Oasis for accessing my Calibre library for a long time but recently it returns a 401 error.

Calibre 7.1 is running in Docker on a Nas and works perfectly when I access it via a PC on port 8080.

Has a Calibre update broken the mobile interface? The Kindle web browser also puts up a box saying it is intended for simple websites which never used to happen.

[kovidgoyal]

This being amazon, they probably broke it deliberately. They have been gradually making it harder and harder to get third party content onto kindles. The direction of travel is pretty clear.

[richarji]

I have a Kindle Oasis 10th gen running firmware 5.16.13 and Calibre 7.1. I've tried the suggestion above with no success.

I checked and my webserver is working fine from Firefox.

I am concerned that Kovid my be correct and that the problem is intentional. I am surprised that there isn't much noise about this on the web. I would have thought that a lot of people would be complaining.

[Bookwise]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

This being amazon, they probably broke it deliberately. They have been gradually making it harder and harder to get third party content onto kindles. The direction of travel is pretty clear.

I wonder if a good way to fix this would be to change the login method. Right now it uses that pop up login menu, but if there was an actual built page then it could let us put in the user and pass there.
Like I think the core of the issue is that the updated kindle browser will not let that pop up login happen anymore.

So if there was a "http........:8080/login" page that we could use to authentic to the server and then it could redirect to the /Mobile page after logging in, or something. Then it might work. It is just that pop up login that is not happen anymore. But a actual web page that could do the login might work.

Thought?

Sidenote: This would also fix the issue I have were sometimes on my phone that login popup fails and then closes and I have to clear my cache and cookies to get it back. But if there was a specific site I could go to that would let me click a login then it wouldn't have that pop-up giving me issues.

[kovidgoyal]

Using an html based login method makes it much harder for non-browser based clients such as opds feed readers to authenticate. And given that amazon broke this deliberately there's nothing stopping them from breaking that in the future.

[booki]

.mobi and .azw3 are blocked in Kindle webbrowser. Same file with .txt will be loaded.

[bajranbali]

I had same issue when kindle browser got updated. I found following from Reddit thread. it worked on my kindle.

Just prepend your credentials to the content server URL:

<user>:<password>@<server address>

examples:

http://jane:verysecure@192.168.0.2:8080

https://bob:secretcode@calibre.bobland.net

[tstevens3]

Originally Posted by bajranbali

I had same issue when kindle browser got updated. I found following from Reddit thread. it worked on my kindle.

Just prepend your credentials to the content server URL:

<user>:<password>@<server address>

examples:

http://jane:verysecure@192.168.0.2:8080

https://bob:secretcode@calibre.bobland.net

This worked for my Oasis and Paperwhite. Thank you!

[Newwood]

I'm getting a similar HTTP error when trying to download using a new kindle (while old kindle works fine). Sadly, adding the usernameassword option didn't solve nor did changing the user authorization to basic. What did work was changing the book to txt format instead of mobi as mentioned in a prior post. So a bit more evidence that Amazon is tightening the screws.