Kindle for iOS update erased book libraries before being fixed

Kindle for iOS users were in for a rude shock yesterday when they updated the app to version 3.6.1, as a bug in the update wipes out entire libraries off devices. It seems the developers overlooked the bug and it was spotted too late for damage control; the Apple App Store was teeming with negative reviews and complaints by the time Amazon appended the app's description to warn users of the bug.

"If you are an existing Kindle for iOS user, we recommend you do not install this update at this time," the company wrote in its App Store description.

However, it seems the folks doing damage control at Amazon are pretty fast. The devs worked up version 3.6.2 within hours of the bug  being detected, and the new version brings various bug and security fixes, including a fix for registration issues.

Fortunately, all the bug does is deregister the app and the books won't really be lost as Amazon syncs them to the cloud. To recover your books, you need to download the 3.6.2 update, enter your Amazon account email address and password, and download your books again. Amazon spokesperson Kinley Pearsall wrote to The Verge, saying, “We have identified an issue with the app update that may cause your app to become deregistered. To register, enter your Amazon account e-mail address and password and all your Amazon content will be available in the cloud.”

The Kindle for iOS bug took down all libraries

 Version 3.6 of the Kindle for iOS app came out earlier this month with quite a lot of new features. When you finish reading a book on the app, it will now automatically prompt you to share your views about it. This feature is kind of a carry-over from the Kindle Fire, which has had the ability to do so for quite a while now.

Besides telling your friends about the book you just finished reading and writing a short review, you can add books to your wish list on Amazon. Of course, you still cannot purchase books from within the Kindle app thanks to Amazon's opposition of Apple's policy, but putting books up on your wish list will make it easier for you to eventually purchase them from Amazon's website.

Users who like to highlight passages now have four new colours to choose from instead of the default yellow-coloured one, which was very monotonous. If you're a regular iBooks user, you will realise that this option existed in the default book app for iOS since a while now.

Another fix lets your brightness setting be saved across sleeps of your iOS device. This feature will be more than handy for users who usually prefer getting their daily fix of books while they're in bed at night.

The app now also has a new book view, with a fancy new progress bar and "new/download" badges to indicate status. But what good are these great features if a bug wipes out your entire library, right?

You can grab the fixed version from the App Store.