[Geemont]

Has anyone else had problems with the Sync to Furthest Page grayed out on a Kindle Paperwhite 3G No Ads?  The sync feature works between my Fire and iPhone, but not the Paperwhite.  I've restarted the device twice.  I've turned the sync service off and on at the Manage My Kindle page on the website.  I can download content and samples, but no dice on the syncing.  Very odd.

My Firmware version is 5.3.3.  I think this problem started with the most recent update.

Any ideas other than contacting Amazon? 

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

From poking around in Amazon's Help page
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_200911660_trouble?nodeId=201064790

this will happen if the device is registered to a different account. I had an issue where a granddaughter's new Kindle4 was acting weird; we de-registered and re-registered it.

I'd suggest trying that. Your existing content on the device should stay in place. If you are concerned, make sure you have copies of any non-Amazon content. But it should be OK.

Betsy

 

[Geemont]

I tried applying the 5.3.3 update manually, then de-registered and re-registered, but still no dice. 

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

So, you've got the same book on your Fire, your iPhone and the Paperwhite, and only the Fire and iPhone sync. (Thinking out loud here...) De-registering didn't work. And it sounds like you tried different books and samples, too...having gong to later parts in the book to test...

I'm sort of at the point where I recommend contacting Amazon or resetting to factory defaults. Amazon: Amazon US customers inside the US: 1-866-321-8851, outside the US: 1-206-266-0927. Other customers, see here.

Betsy

 

[Geemont]

I was hoping to avoid the factory reset.  This sounds more like a bug with 5.3.3 update than a device failure.  Fortunately it's not an issue that really stops me from using the Kindle.

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

Well, maybe, though I haven't seen widespread reports. But maybe not that many people with a Non SO Paperwhite 3G have been using whispersync between devices.

I can understand the reluctance to do the reset, though. 

I would call Amazon.

Betsy

 

[Ann in Arlington]

My PW is nonSO, but NO 3G (i.e. WiFi only).  I've got the update and have had no problem syncing since installing it.

I'd check to be sure that wireless is properly on. . . maybe you've put the thing into airplane mode or something and don't realize it.

I just experimented with mine and, when it's in Airplane mode, you can still do a sync and check, but you get a pop up first that reminds says you have to turn airplane mode off to do a sync and gives you the option to say, yeah, do that.

On my Fire, that has both WiFi and 4G (different device I realize), there are different settings for airplane mode on and off, as well as for turning the 4G and WiFi on and off separately.  No clue how similar the PW settings might be.  Though for past dual kindles it was either ON or OFF and if ON, it would look for a wifi network and use 3G if one was not found.

FWIW, when I've had connection problems with any kindle, often toggling wireless off then back on has worked.  Sometimes I've had to tell it to forget my WiFi network and then re-enter the credentials.  I've never, though, not seen the 'sync and check' or 'sync to furthest read' as an option.

 

[Geemont]

Well, I called Amazon.  After telling the CSR what I've done, he had no more suggestions.  He didn't say to try the factory reset, but he did ping the device to gather data on the software and settings (no personal info, so he said) and will forward it to the software development team for analysis.  He get back in touch Tuesday.

 

[Ann in Arlington]

One question that hasn't been asked:  Is this a book purchased from Amazon, or one sent to the kindle via Amazon and not a PDF.  Because I know PDF's don't sync and, of course, if you don't send a 3rd party book through Amazon, it won't sync because Amazon doesn't really know about it.

Kind of grasping at straws, but sometimes it's the obvious thing: "Oh, wait, it's not plugged in!"

Plus, it's nagging at me, because this is the first time in 5 years we've seen this question!

 

[Geemont]

Yeah, I keep worrying that it's some kind of switch in preferences, but I've toggled just about all of them, even the dreadful Show Recommended Content and clicked a link to be sure it's all working. 

Anyway, it's basically Amazon purchased books except one third party title from Smashwords.  I've tried with three different titles, but all have the same issue.

BTW, the Sync and Check for Items under the Home Page Settings works for new content, it just does't Sync.  It under the Book Settings where the Sync is Grayed Out.  I suppose it could be a device failure, but I'm guessing it's the a bug in the update. Or it's possible to exclude individual devices from the Sync.  That might actually be a good feature if there were multiple users with multiple devices using the same account.

 

[Ann in Arlington]

Yeah, I keep worrying that it's some kind of switch in preferences, but I've toggled just about all of them, even the dreadful Show Recommended Content and clicked a link to be sure it's all working.

Anyway, it's basically Amazon purchased books except one third party title from Smashwords. I've tried with three different titles, but all have the same issue.

BTW, the Sync and Check for Items under the Home Page Settings works for new content, it just does't Sync. It under the Book Settings where the Sync is Grayed Out. I suppose it could be a device failure, but I'm guessing it's the a bug in the update. Or it's possible to exclude individual devices from the Sync. That might actually be a good feature if there were multiple users with multiple devices using the same account.

That would be a major change, and I'm thinking they'd make a big announcement. . .but who knows. . . .? I did just look at MYK though under 'manage devices' and it still looks like you can only set the sync function to ON or OFF. . .no option to set it differently for specific devices. And, even if you could, why would it be different depending on whether or not the device had 3G?

Hope Amazon can figure it out for you. . . . .

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

OK, I finally got my actual Paperwhite in hand while reviewing all the things tried so far in this thread. My current book is one I've only read on this Paperwhite and don't even HAVE downloaded to another device, I don't think, and I can still select "Sync to Furthest Page Read." (It tells me I'm at the furthest location across all of my devices.)

So I started poking around and I don't believe this has been covered...

Within the book, invoke the top menu bar, and tap the menu icon. Then Settings > Reading Options.

Is Annotations Backup "On" or "Off?" Under "Annotations Backup" it says "Automatically backup your device annotations, last page read, and collections." If I turn that to "Off," "Sync to Furthest Page Read" becomes greyed out on my device. Turning it "On" brings it back.

Betsy

 

[Ann in Arlington]

Good catch!  That's the one thing I didn't try. . . .

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

Now we just need Geemont to let us know if it helps...

Betsy

 

[Geemont]

Hey, that did the trick!  The sync is back.  However, my Annotations Backup has been OFF since the beginning, and the Sync worked before.  In any case, good catch, and Thanks.  You're better than the CSR I called at Amazon.

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

Glad it worked!

It's possible that the update added "last page read" to the Annotations Backup.  If the update DID add that, and left the setting as ON or OFF, depending on what it had been set to previously, that would explain it.  Mine was ON when I checked, which I'm sure was my default setting.

Betsy

 

[Morf]

Well spotted Betsy!

I'd puzzled over this one and couldn't come up with an idea, so now you can take over from me as resident geek! 

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

Well spotted Betsy!

I'd puzzled over this one and couldn't come up with an idea, so now you can take over from me as resident geek!

*blushes* Even a stopped clock is right twice a day (once if it's a 24-hour clock).

Frankly, I was waiting for you to play through.

Betsy

 

[Gary_Berg]

I'm glad I red this here last night as I encountered this today. Turn on Annotations backups and last read sync started to work.

However...

It seems that only the book I am currently (most recently) reading syncs. I was reading mostly one book, but was ducking in/out of another. Turned on Annotation/Last Read backup and did a sync. The book I had been reading most recently moved when I then checked the Kindle app on my iPad, but the other book did not. Tried a sync several times with no change.

Finally did a sync while in the "non-working" book and it worked. And I'm 99% sure that I tried syncing from the collection view with no luck.

Anyone else seeing this?

 

[Geemont]

Well, the Amazon CSR said he'd call back with an answer Tuesday, and now it's after business hours in Seattle.  I'd be miffed it it were out of order.  I wonder if Amazon knows it's fixed.  That would be unnerving. Or maybe the CSR is just backlogged.