[iOS] Does anyone else have major problems with the IOS CC app?

[Josieb1]

I have the ios Calibre Companion app. I have two problems

The first is the "Device responded with incorrect information" error which has been raised to Steve, that prevents me from updating CC on my ipad mini. To load new books I need to uninstall the app, reinstall and start from scratch each time, which is a real pain as I send over 4800 metadata txt records.

My second problem is the CC app on my iphone just disconnects. No error or anything, just disconnects.

I just want to be able to use the app.

[Steve_Haley]

I've spent over an hour looking at the log files you sent and then experimenting to see if I could make a similar thing happen for me. Unfortunately I can't replicate the problem at all.

The logs describe a situation which doesn't make sense; they show you successfully sending some 4500 books in batches of about 700. Then, on your next connection, when CC and Calibre exchange information their respective libraries, Calibre states that it does not recognise any of the books in CC. This is baffling, as it's stating it doesn't recognise the books that it sent over itself. The connection process then fails shortly after this step.

Ticking off potential causes: You're using a recent version of Calibre, and we know the problem is unlikely to be in Calibre's side because otherwise this forum would be full of messages. However, at the same time no one else is reporting an issue with CC's wireless device connection.

It's true we previously had issues with a crash when synchronising large libraries in the iOS version, but that crash happened at the start of the connection process, when CC was getting ready to send its information to Calibre. That's definitely not the problem here since both sides' logs show the transfer of metadata regarding the 4772 books. So it's not that either.

I don't know where else to look. I've tried sending text files (rather than normal book formats), I've tried increasing my test library size, and nothing breaks it for me. I think we just have to go back to that offer of a refund.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Steve_Haley

The logs describe a situation which doesn't make sense; they show you successfully sending some 4500 books in batches of about 700. Then, on your next connection, when CC and Calibre exchange information their respective libraries, Calibre states that it does not recognise any of the books in CC. This is baffling, as it's stating it doesn't recognise the books that it sent over itself. The connection process then fails shortly after this step.

The WD driver keeps a cache of the metadata of the books that it has sent to a device. This cache is per-device, and contains all the metadata for the books. When a device connects, CC sends a very small amount of information to calibre describing what is on the device. The WD driver checks the information against the cache, then asks CC on the device to send metadata for any books that are not in the cache.

If a book is not in the cache then calibre does what is called "book matching". It attempts to match books on the device with books in calibre's library using various metadata items such as the UUID (unique ID), the author and title, and the calibre ID. This process can fail to match a book, leaving books in calibre's device view that are not marked as "on device".

Bottom line: having the books not match what calibre's cache introduces two problems. The first: the requirement that CC resend all the metadata back to calibre is a process that takes a lot of time. The second: calibre fails to match the books to the library, making the on-device column wrong and defeating any metadata updating. Book matching can also take a long time (especially on 32-bit calibre), which might cause network timing problems.

I can think of 3 ways that cache problems can happen. All of them relate to how calibre's wireless device driver maintains which books on the device match which books in the library.

1. The WD driver stores the cache in a hidden directory. On Windows this is C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\calibre-cache. Calibre could fail to write the cache file because of lack of space or incorrect permissions, or some "cleaner" could be removing the cache file(s).
2. The cache file is tied to a specific device. That association is made the first time a device connects to calibre. If CC is reinstalled then the device association is forgotten and must be made again. There is no chance that CC and calibre will reuse the same ID, so the cache file will not be used.
3. Calibre is running out of memory, causing the cache file to be corrupted. This is really only a possibility if a 32-bit version of calibre is being used.

If we are in case 2, where CC has been reinstalled thus invalidating the cache, the best approach is to uninstall CC, erase all the books on the device, reinstall CC, then resend the books. This is especially true of the iOS version of CC supports "scan on connect" where CC looks for books that are not in its database.

If we are in case 3 then the solution is to run 64-bit calibre on a 64-bit operating system.

Case 1 is more difficult. If the cache files are being erased then one must find what program is doing that erasing and stop it. If permissions are incorrect then something fundamental is broken.

[Josieb1]

First of all thank you to both Steve and Chaley for trying to work out what's going on and for Steve for offering a refund.

Previously I had uninistalled IOS CC but today I downloaded version 1.04 to both my iPhone and iPad. I have sent 4814 txt files to each CC without any issues, my iPhone connected to my Mac, the iPad to hubbys W10 (64 bit) laptop.

The test will be tomorrow when I download a pre ordered Amazon file into Calibre and connect CC to updated it. I'll let you know how I get on.

[Josieb1]

Well now the iPhone version won't stay connected to my mac, it starts then immediately disconnects. TBH I've just had enough now. I'll just use the app to load my library metadata when I go on holiday, it just can't be used regularly. Maybe one day it will work properly.

[Josieb1]

I just tried my iphone with my old W7 pc and I'm getting the same error message as before 'device responded with incorrect information'.

Steve when you read this don't worry about a refund, i'll hope that one day a future version of the app will work properly but for now i'm just giving up as its too annoying to worry about anymore.

[Josieb1]

Just an update if Steve and Chaley see this post. My iPad CC works with hubbys W10 laptop, I have added a new book and changed metadata and CC connected to Calibre without trouble and updated correctly. The W10 PC wouldn't work with my iPhone CC originally set up using my Mac.

I am now trying the iPhone CC with a W7 laptop. I uninstalled the app, reinstalled and started again. I'll know in a few days if it works or not. The initial loading of the 4800 txt files went without a hitch. If it doesn't work i'll then try the app with the W10 laptop. I'm trying to isolate the problem as I wonder if it's the MacBook.

All three laptops/MacBooks have the same Calibre library, the same Calibre version/set up and the same anti virus and both iPad and iPhone are on the same iOS version.

[Josieb1]

The perils of being a software tester, i'll not be happy until I have at least a workaround if not an idea of what's causing the problem.

I won't require a refund as if the worst happens I'll use the app once a year when we go on holiday and don't take laptops with us.

[Steve_Haley]

Wow. I've have too much work to be able to visit in a few days and there's this mass of posts of what you've tried to do! Sorry to hear you're having trouble, but at least there's something that's partly working.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by Steve_Haley

Wow. I've have too much work to be able to visit in a few days and there's this mass of posts of what you've tried to do! Sorry to hear you're having trouble, but at least there's something that's partly working.

It's no problem Steve honest. I'm now retired so I have time free to try things out and as I was a system tester I'm used to exploring the options. I'm just trying to isolate what's working in the hope that eventually it might lead to some useful information in case it does turn out to be a more widespread issue.

Early next week i'll try updating again and will post back if you want me to keep you updating. Tbh at this stage I don't know if you want to keep you in the loop or not.

[Steve_Haley]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

I'm just trying to isolate what's working in the hope that eventually it might lead to some useful information in case it does turn out to be a more widespread issue.

It doesn't seem to be more widespread; the only reports with issues with iOS CC are here on this forum (i.e. no one's emailed me directly), and the reports here are for different issues.

Tbh at this stage I don't know if you want to keep you in the loop or not.

Thanks for the offer but at this point no, I don't need to be kept updated. Those other issues will keep me busy for long enough.