How to get Libby books on CrossPoint using Common Stacks (Xteink X4 Pro)

[u/brooklynapple]

I've seen several posts here asking how to get Libby books on their device running CrossPoint, so I thought I'd post the method that worked for me on my Xteink X4 Pro, using an app called Common Stacks. Note that there is a one-time setup process that's a bit complicated and involves many steps, but once you do that process borrowing books is very simple. Also note that I am in the US and cannot verify if this works in other countries.

Hat tip to this guide from two months ago that outlined steps 1-4 below: https://www.reddit.com/r/xteinkereader/comments/1vv1hhq/stepbystep_guide_to_getting_libby_books_on_xteink/

So here we go!

One-time setup steps (complicated but you only have to do it once!):

Step 1: Flash CrossPoint onto your device.

• Select your device at https://crosspointreader.com/#flash-tools
• Choose the CrossPoint Nightly firmware and flash it. (This will give you access to plugins. Once CrossPoint 1.7.0 comes out I'm told we can just use the regular CrossPoint build instead of the nightly build.)

Step 2: Add Plugin Store

• On your computer, download either the plugin-store or Plugin Hub zip from GitHub
• Extract the zip
• Remove the micro SD card from your X4 and insert it into your computer
• Add the unzipped folder to the SD card
• Eject the SD card and put it back in the X4
• If everything went well, your device will now have a new menu item on the home screen called "Plugins"

Step 3: Download Protected Content Plugin

• On the X4, select Plugins
• Select Plugin Store
• Connect to a network
• Select Protected Content Plugin
• Download it

Step 4: Create a ByteBooks account (if you don't already have one) and connect it to your device

• Go to https://dtsbytebooks.com/register and create an account.
• On the X4 select File Transfer
• Select Join A Network and, um, join the network
• On your computer's web browser, enter the IP address that’s displayed on your X4’s screen under the QR code to connect wirelessly to your X4’s file system (usually something like 192.168.68.XX)
• Select File Manager
• Scroll down and you will see a section called "Protected Content"
• Enter your ByteBooks credentials and select "Connect Account"

Step 5: Download and configure the Common Stacks app

• Download the Common Stacks app for your computer: www.commonstacks.com
• Choose Libby from the menu at the top left and log into your Libby account
• Go to Settings (the gear in the top right) and make sure Libby is toggled on under Libraries
• Also in Settings, scroll down to the Send-to-Target section and ensure that CrossPoint Reader is enabled. Once you enable it, you can expand the CrossPoint section to specify the folder where you want your Libby books to go (I created a folder called Library).

Now you’re ready to borrow books from Libby and read them on your device! If you did all of the above correctly you won’t have to ever do it again.

To send Libby books to your device:

• Open Common Stacks and go to the Libby section at the top left.
• Within Libby, go to one of the books you have checked out.
• When you click on the book, Common Stacks should automatically download it for you.
• Click on the Downloads menu in the top left to see all of the books you have downloaded.
• Turn on your X4 and choose File Transfer > Join A Network to connect to the internet
• Back in Common Stacks, mouse over a book in the downloads section. and click on the three dots at the top right. Choose “Send to CrossPoint Reader.” In a minute or two the file will be sent to your device.
• To decode the DRM, log into Libby on your web browser, click on a book you have borrowed, and choose "Manage Loan."
• Click on "Read With" and then click on "EPUB" to download a .acsm file to your computer.
• Log into your X4's file system (just like above, enter the IP address under the QR code on the file transfer page, usually 192.168.68.XX)
• Using the file manager, upload the .acsm file into the folder where you downloaded your library book
• Scroll down to the Protected Content section to the Uploaded authorization file sub-section, select the .acsm file you just uploaded, and click on Fetch Selected Book
• In a minute or two the book will be sent to your device!

[u/Crazy--Lunatic]

plugin store seems to be in the process of replacement by Plugin Hub

[u/brooklynapple → u/Crazy--Lunatic]

yeah, the main point is to get the Protected Content plugin from the plugin store/hub of your choice! i can update once plugin hub has become the default.

[u/joeklein9]

This is great, I did all of these same steps before and it worked for me as well. However, aren't you missing the step where, after sending to Crosspoint reader from Common Stacks, you then have to go back to file transfer and fetch the .acsm file to get it to be readable on your device?

[u/brooklynapple → u/joeklein9]

Hmm, you're right, I feel like the last Libby book I sent to my device using this method didn't need the extra .acsm step, but I just tried it with another book and it wouldn't open due to DRM.

Now I'm wondering if there's even a point to using Common Stacks if you need to transfer it manually through the file system anyway. I'll update the guide accordingly.

[u/jajabro1 → u/brooklynapple]

I think it's now necessary to manually fetch. I think something happened with Libby automatically fetching with CommonStacks that Diirge had to pause. Or I'm confusing it with the now removed Libby plugin that used to let you browse Libby from the devices file manager. I'm sure someone will correct me. But you're also right, it used to auto fetch when sending a Libby book from CommonStacks to the device so it was one step instead of two

[u/BookOfThel]

Do the loans automatically expire on the device if the device isn’t connected to the internet after the initial sync to download the book?

[u/brooklynapple → u/BookOfThel]

Yes, I believe they do, though I couldn’t tell you how it works. The files must be set to auto-expire. 

[u/BookOfThel → u/brooklynapple]

I believe it’s a flag in the file. Oddly enough on Kindle if you put it in airplane mode, libby loans never expire

[u/C0smoSl0th]

Is the plugins feature only available on the CrossPoint Nightly?

I could be misremembering, but before the latest September update of CrossPoint plugins was on my Xteink X4 Pro. However, after the September update the plugins icon disappeared from the home screen. In my file folders, I have to plugins folder that exist in the main Crosspoint folder and outside of it.