So Marvin’s Gone!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Turtle91

Kris isn't making anything off of Marvin anymore. If we could induce him to allow it to go open source that would be Great!

Even if Marvin went open source, there's no way to load it on an Apple device since it not in the app store.

[alper]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Even if Marvin went open source, there's no way to load it on an Apple device since it not in the app store.

I'd make and publish a build.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by alper

I'd make and publish a build.

But would Apple accept it given they once dropped it? If Apple was to accept it, you would fix have to fix all of the known bugs before you could publish it.

[alper]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But would Apple accept it given they once dropped it? If Apple was to accept it, you would fix have to fix all of the known bugs before you could publish it.

Apple doesn't care. I'll fix the bugs.

Apple likely dropped it because it hadn't received updates for too long.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by alper

Apple doesn't care. I'll fix the bugs.

Apple likely dropped it because it hadn't received updates for too long.

I also think too many reports of bugs and as you said, not being updated.

[Turtle91]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I also think too many reports of bugs and as you said, not being updated.

If Apple actually dropped apps just because of bug reports….then there wouldn’t be a single app in the store…

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Turtle91

If Apple actually dropped apps just because of bug reports….then there wouldn’t be a single app in the store…

It's not just bugs, but uncorrected bugs. Marvin was abandoned and left to rot.

[Turtle91]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It's not just bugs, but uncorrected bugs. Marvin was abandoned and left to rot.

Uncorrected bugs is what we are talking about....

There isn't a single perfect app on the app store.

[Richard Moody]

Well, speaking as the person who started this thread in June 2023, I can say that it would be awesome if someone could take it over. I would happily pay again, or even use a subscription model to keep it afloat. I use Mapleread now, which is great, but there is something about Marvin….

[maxyn83]

I would gladly pay for the Marvin app as long as it is reasonably priced. I still use Marvin - ios 17.4.1. Still works. Would also b great if it can still link to dropbox/files app/one drive.

Originally Posted by AshMore

I haven’t read every page of this thread but I assume there is still no word on Marvin. I have an idea I’d like to run by everyone here.

What if we do manage to get in contact with the developer (I may be able to help with that) and offer him a proposal. He (or a hired gun) can update his app if we can get enough people to pre-purchase the updated version via kickstarter. A reasonable purchase price with enough backers could result in the project being profitable enough for him to want to take it on. And if not him, another developer could do the work.

[Turtle91]

There's no way to pay for the app since it is no longer on Apple Store...you can still continue to use it for free if you already purchased it. (see guides earlier in this thread to reinstall on newer devices).

Marvin still works on my iPhone 15, iOS 17.6.1.

I haven't used an internal link to dropbox/files app/one drive in a long time so I'm not sure about those. It does, however, work just fine with OPDS, which is what I use to serve my ePubs from my Calibre library.

[Konmarty]

Random question but thanks to this thread I just recovered Marvin3 to my new ipad mini, but is there any way to also recover my previous purchase? (it gives a store error, which I understand, just hope there's some clever way to make my ipad know I previously owned a paid version so I can read full screen again)

[Turtle91]

Here’s a repost of the directions. Step 5 restores your purchase. Step 4 shows how to reload books from a backup.

Originally Posted by Turtle91

OMG! I don't think I've ever seen that button before! It definitely worked! Marvin is up and running all my backed-up books installed, and no banner taking up any screen space!!!

For anyone as ignorant uninformed as I was, here are a few steps to reinstall Marvin even though it is no longer available on the Apple store:

1) Download and install iMazing. I was able to do this with the free version of iMazing although there was a report here that you needed the paid version, ymmv.

2) Follow the directions in this video to install Marvin.

• you either need to have a current version of Marvin installed on another device to extract the .ipa file ---OR--- you can extract the "Marvin.imazingapp" file from an older iOS backup!!

Attachment 204298

Steps 3 and 4 are optional if you want to restore books from a Marvin backup.
3) Once you have Marvin installed you can use imazing to drag your marvin.m3backup file (the backup of epubs that Marvin makes) to your documents folder in Marvin.

Attachment 204297

4) In Marvin, goto settings (sprocket in top left corner), select "General settings", scroll all the way to the bottom to "ADVANCED (BE CAREFUL)" and select "Backup and restore". Then select "Restore a backup". If you have your marvin.m3backup file in your Marvin documents folder from the previous step, then it will restore all the books from the time that backup file was made. WARNING: this is destructive and will remove any books you currently have in Marvin....which honestly shouldn't be any if you are trying to install a fresh version of Marvin ... anyway, if there are any books you want to save, do it before accomplishing this step.

5) To remove the banner at the bottom of the screen: go to settings and select "Support Marvin", scroll all the way to the bottom and select the "Restore previous tips" tag. That may, or may not, say it was successful, but the banner should be gone.

Attachment 204296

Voila! You have a fully functional Marvin restored to your iThing!

I HIGHLY recommend going into your iThing settings and DISABLE Apple's 'feature' to offload unused apps.

6) goto iOS settings, scroll down to "App Store" and deselect (turn off) "Offload Unused Apps". Be aware you will be responsible for removing any apps you don't want if you start running out of space on your iThing.

Attachment 204295


Cheers!


OBTW: We should probably change the title of this thread from "So Marvin's Gone!" to "We thought Marvin was Gone, but we are smarter than Apple!" (or at least more perseverant...)

[Marcy]

Originally Posted by alper

Apple doesn't care. I'll fix the bugs.

Apple likely dropped it because it hadn't received updates for too long.

If you would do this, I would pay a significant amount to have Marvin supported again.

I have bought MapleRead, but their dropbox support is terrible, and getting a book in there via dropbox is such an ordeal. Marvin still does this perfectly. MapleRead frequently crashes on me near the end of books as well, and despite no updates in years Marvin never does.

[sh2sg]

I've tried every app suggested in this thread, and none compare to Marvin, especially for reading experience features like margin size, line spacing, paragraph spacing, indentation, respecting the publisher's layout, custom headers/footers, custom fonts, tap gestures, cover pictures, and fast book loading. Other apps may have some of these features but not even 50%.

The problem is, I didn't have an old device with Marvin installed under the same Apple ID, so I couldn't extract and restore it.

I don't know why the developer disappeared and stopped responding to emails. I googled and found an old interview with Marvin's developer, but I'm not sure if the author has another way to contact him.