Does Kindle Previewer 3 simulate iphone or android phones?

[impasto]

I realize an ebook can look slightly different on Kindle app intalled on iphone vs installed on android phone. Kindle Previewer 3 has three options (phone, tablet, kindle e-reader), but I dont see an option to distinguish between iphone and android simulation. So which phone am I simulating? Any work-around to set the type of phone?
Thanks.

[jhowell]

You are just selecting the general size and shape of the screen. It is not actually simulating any particular phone.

[impasto]

Thank you. Is there an iphone simulator available that works from Windows10 PC?

[Quoth]

Apple would suggest you buy a Mac.
You can simulate Android on most platforms, though debug mode and USB transfer to test isn't much delay and then it's real.

[impasto]

I guess I could buy an older iphone, and sideload an ebook to Kindle app for testing. But wanted to find a cheaper alternative if possible.

Android is not a problem, that's how I've been debugging my test ebooks (after epub validation). My phone runs on android.
Thanks.

[Quoth]

Just make sure it's an iPhone still supported by iOS apps. On Android you can get old working versions of apps outside the Playstore. Apple has a deliberate policy that the app has to be updated or is kicked out of the store. Then it can't be installed on iOS phones/tablets that are perfectly good but can't be updated to the latest iOS.

But Apple Store uses a variation of ePub. You can upload the SAME epub 2 to Amazon and Smashwords and Smashwords will distribute it to the Apple Store, where it gets an Apple wrapper. They also distribute to Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Tolino and Libraries.

About 1/3rd of our sales are via Smashwords despite Amazon's 90% of ebook sales.

But if it's really needing fixed layout forget about real ebooks, make a PDF for 10" and larger screens.

[impasto]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Just make sure it's an iPhone still supported by iOS apps.

I understand what the problem is but not entirely. I thought to buy a used iphone, do factory reset, create a new apple account. Then I would install a kindle app. I wouldnt install a sim card, as I would use it with wifi or usb cable only.
I would think Kindle app should be still supported on iphone5 or iphone6, correct?
Fyi, I've never used an iphone

Is there a problem with this scenario?
I see used iphone 5 and iphone 6 on creigslist priced reasonably.
Thanks.

[impasto]

Originally Posted by impasto

I understand what the problem is but not entirely.

ok, I figured it out.
For the benefit of future self publishers:
The current Kindle app for iPhone requires iOS 12 or later. The oldest iPhone that supports iOS12 is iPhone 5s.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by impasto

I understand what the problem is but not entirely. I thought to buy a used iphone, do factory reset, create a new apple account. Then I would install a kindle app. I wouldnt install a sim card, as I would use it with wifi or usb cable only.
I would think Kindle app should be still supported on iphone5 or iphone6, correct?
Fyi, I've never used an iphone

Is there a problem with this scenario?
I see used iphone 5 and iphone 6 on creigslist priced reasonably.
Thanks.

What is it, precisely, that you're trying to accomplish? I mean...sure, I get it, you want to check your book, but you can check it on a Droid phone. The iOS rendering is slightly different, but not that much.

MOREOVER, you can't actually preview your Kindle eBook--your MOBI--on an iOS competently. If you side-load a MOBI, what you see won't be remotely accurate. The only way to do that would be to sideload an AZK file, via iTunes and that's...well, suffice to say, that's not a lot of fun. It's laborious and time-consuming and if you make tweaks and changes, even more so.

What is it, exactly, that you believe that KP3 is not showing you?

Hitch

[impasto]

Well, my test book looks fine on Android phone kindle and KP3, but I also got somebody load it onto an older Kindle reader. There are multiple problems on this Kindle reader, which makes me believe I need to test on several devices. The minimum set imo is: iphone, kindle ereader and android phone.
Now, I cant decide which kindle reader to buy: the latest paperwhite or used generation 7? I cant buy every device available on the market...

In any case, I appreciate the comments you guys get me!

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by impasto

ok, I figured it out.
For the benefit of future self publishers:
The current Kindle app for iPhone requires iOS 12 or later. The oldest iPhone that supports iOS12 is iPhone 5s.

Also it's no use at all to test or preview as the Kindle app only works completely correctly with an epub2 uploaded to KDP and then bought for that app as a Kindle file.

The native iOS Apple Books is an Apple Wrapper on epub2.

A Kindle Keyboard will work with Dual Mobi from Calibre. If you do nothing, you get the rendering of the old Mobi format. If you had embedded fonts in the epub 2, then selecting Publisher Font gives a result similar to a new Kindle Basic loaded with an AZW from Amazon. The KFX does some fancier rendering, so called "advanced typesetting" from the SAME epub2 that KDP uses to make mobi or azw files.

So if an epub2 is fine on say Lithium and Calibre viewer and the dual mobi made from that is OK on a Kindle Keyboard (or PW3, PW4, or current Basic) then it's probably fine on iOS.
You can also install the Kindle App on newer Androids. My ancient 4.2" screen Android will run some epub viewers, but not Lithium or the Kindle App.
Same applies to Kindle App on Android. You only really know what it's doing with a file from Amazon.

So any eink Kindle that can do old mobi and AZW (KF8) and any decent ePub app like Lithium or on older Android use Aldiko (needs to connect to server once on first run). Many epub readers have fancy user settings and ignore the epub css. No use for testing.

Unless it's fixed layout the azw really like a wrapper on epub2, should look identical. The KFX is just a different delivery package and rendering. It's still using the same source as the KF8/AZW. The basic old Mobi is a conversion. It's not going to have as much of the styling. It's a very basic format. The DXG B009 is maybe the last model that can't do KF8, hasn't enough RAM, so the earlier Kindle Keyboard B008 has more RAM, so can do old Mobi or the KF8 nice and pretty if the fonts were embedded and publisher font is chosen.

[impasto]

Thank. Unless I missunderstood, it appears you guys are telling me any form of sideloading will NOT give me correct representation of a final published ebook. Im having a hard time believing there is no way of proper testing before final upload to Amazon. There is no form of a sandbox environment, or test uploading to Amazon, but available ONLY for me to preview?

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by impasto

Thank. Unless I missunderstood, it appears you guys are telling me any form of sideloading will NOT give me correct representation of a final published ebook. Im having a hard time believing there is no way of proper testing before final upload to Amazon. There is no form of a sandbox environment, or test uploading to Amazon, but available ONLY for me to preview?

Actually, that's NOT what I meant as the takeaway.

You can, absolutely, take your MOBI file (or ePUB or HTML or whatever) and using KP3, export an AZK file.

You can then sideload that AZK file, via a wired connection between your computer and an iPhone or iPad, through iTunes into Kindle4iOS, and then, yes, the result that you see will be reasonably close to what you can expect from the final published ebook. But doing that is a major PITA.

If you are seeing problems on a Kindle ereader, then you may have problems that need addressing, regardless of the iOS.

Even if you mean that your associate has, say, a K2 or early K3/K4, which are KF7 devices, you'll still need to clean that up. (I find a lot of source files that are ePUB3 completely and utterly ignore the existence of KF7.)

If you mean that the eInk is a more-recent eInk, but still KF8, then you do have issues and you need to address those.

Do you know exactly what device this older eink was?

Hitch

[impasto]

Originally Posted by Hitch

The only way to do that would be to sideload an AZK file, via iTunes and that's...well, suffice to say, that's not a lot of fun. It's laborious and time-consuming and if you make tweaks and changes, even more so.

What is it, exactly, that you believe that KP3 is not showing you?
Hitch

This might work for me. Trying to buy iphone6 for testing.
What am I after? I dont want to risk negative reviews if there is a problem. And I already found big problems on an old Kindle ereader, which didnt show up on KP3. Will try to address it. Planning to buy a Kindle too.
Thanks.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by impasto

This might work for me. Trying to buy iphone6 for testing.
What am I after? I dont want to risk negative reviews if there is a problem. And I already found big problems on an old Kindle ereader, which didnt show up on KP3. Will try to address it. Planning to buy a Kindle too.
Thanks.

I'll ask again.

Do you know what KIND or model of Kindle you're looking at? The one that had "big problems"? It's important to know, or you could be chasing your tail.

Hitch