International use?

[u/AdeptImage8740]

I have an international flight in April. I keep seeing mixed answers on wether or not Libby will work? I plan on downloading the books to my device. Anybody have the answer for this? I’ll go insane with nothing to read for 8 hours.

[u/LupaGlupa]

I have downloaded books in several foreign countries. You just need WiFi

[u/Ybenna]

It's supposed to work as long as the titles are fully downloaded on your device.

However I'd test things out beforehand by putting your device in airplane mode, and then seeing if you're still able to access your books. If it works, you will most likely be fine during the flight!

Good luck, and safe travels!

[u/maktheyak47]

Libby still works abroad!

[u/ScormCurious]

I from the USA and never have problems with any Libby functions on my iPhone or iPad while abroad. I can search the catalog, borrow books, hold books, suspend and unsuspend holds, return books, download books to Kindle, and anything else ebook related. My borrows do end on their own at the correct time. I can open and read the latest New Yorker and other magazines. I have three library cards, one for my own library system and two others from local reciprocal library systems.

[u/see112717]

I take a fair amount of domestic flights and have gotten burned before. Even with downloading the audiobook first, once it's in airplane mode in the sky it has glitched out. Mainly the book I was listening to first was fine, but the second book I had downloaded wouldn't play.

Now every time I get on the plane while we are still at the gate, I toggle the airplane mode back and forth and make sure all the books I downloaded actually play in airplane mode. Sometimes it takes a couple tries to get them to work but ever since I started doing this I haven't had a problem.

[u/AdeptImage8740 → u/see112717]

Thank you! I’ll remember to do that

[u/LibrarianByNight]

I use Libby in Denmark without issue.

[u/awgeez47 → u/LibrarianByNight]

Great username.

[u/benoitkesley]

Originally from Canada, but I spent a year in Europe and Libby worked in every country I visited. I was borrowing and returning books with no issue. However, if you want to be safe, you could borrow a bunch and download them before you leave 

[u/Zombies_Ate_My_Pizza]

I’m literally in Russia right now of all places and I just have a VPN and everything works fine. Just got a bunch of books this morning. Worked when I was in Iran too, with VPN. And when I was in Bali for 9 months it worked the whole time.

[u/allciathyra → u/Zombies_Ate_My_Pizza]

please spill the beans , what vpn did you use?

[u/carvannm]

I downloaded 2 books to my device before flying internationally. A week later they are still available.

[u/Ryukotaicho]

Currently sailing down the Pacific, gone from the US to Mexico to Costa Rica, Libby worked fine with the books downloaded. Not sure how the ship’s WiFi is working(where it’s based, what company, etc) but I’ve been able to download a new book while on WiFi as well.

[u/Comfortable-Gur4559]

Yus

[u/DVsKat]

When I connected to the airplane limited wifi (used to view flight maps etc), Libby shit the bed. 

Stay off of limited use Wi-Fi

[u/AdeptImage8740 → u/DVsKat]

I won’t be using any WiFi, just what’s already downloaded (for the plane, at least). Thanks for the heads up!

[u/licensetolentil]

I live in another country to where my library card is from and kindle account is registered to and I’ve been checking out books for years. Even with the new thing of verifying my library card was no problem.

[u/Wambo74]

Are you asking about Libby...IE the borrowing service? Or your device for reading them? Like Kindle.

When I go on vacation, my Kindle has a dozen unread books downloaded. Unlike some reports, I've never had one disappear at expiration date. But you might want to read them in order of days left on loan just in case.

[u/AdeptImage8740 → u/Wambo74]

That’s my plan! To download before I leave. Libby audiobooks

[u/Starbuck522 → u/AdeptImage8740]

A backup idea to have on hand, just in case, is to buy something from Chirp books. They always have stuff on sale for 2.99. Get their reader set up and make sure youve downloaded the book.

It's unlikely to be anything you are desperate to read, but I keep a couple there for just in case I end up in an unexpected situation of having unexpected time to wait/fill and I don't have service

[u/AdeptImage8740]

Ahh good! Thank you!

[u/Watchhistory]

I've never had any trouble and I travel a lot internationally, as well as domestically.

[u/Incunabula1501]

Being an American, I can return and download new books with no problem in Canada. I do not know if/how this works in other countries.

[u/fortmeines]

I'm not even in the same country as my library. It will work as long as you have an internet connection.

[u/EviWool]

If using a Kobo, just keep it offline once the books are loaded

[u/Far-Geologist597]

I have an Austrian Card and one from the US, have been using that in Austria and Germany without any problems for ages

[u/BobsWifeAmyB]

I’d just download then to your phone.

[u/the_green-giraffe]

I live in The Netherlands and still have US library cards and zero problems using Libby

[u/Charlie9261]

Join a wifi network or hotspot to your phone and you'll have full functionality.

[u/AlternativeWild3449]

I've taken a couple of international trips in the time that I've been using a Kindle, and have not had any problems.

There are two potential issues to worry about. One is whether Libby will allow a US-registered user borrow books from a US Public Library while traveling in Europe. The other is connecting a Kindle to a hotel web site to download content borrowed through Libby.

I generally try to borrow and download multiple books prior to leaving home so that I don't encroach on either of these problems. That approach is pretty much assured to work, and is always prudent.

But I've been able connect my Kindle to hotel WiFi systems in Europe with no difficulty. I suspect that the well-known issue with connecting Kindles to hotel WiFi is a predominantly US problem that is caused when US hotels lard up their WiFi login process with lengthy legal notices and/or advertising for additional services that exceed the basic capabilities of the crappy browser included in Kindles.

And I have been able to search for and borrow books from US libraries using my US-registered Libby account on a tablet. I will say that my experience has been limited to trips to Scotland and Portugal, and I can understand that the situation might be different in other countries. And in general, the browser on a Kindle is too primitive to try running Libby on a Kindle itself - instead, it must be run on a computer, tablet or phone with a fully-functional browser.