New Nook app for ipod not downloading books

[luvbooksCM]

Wow. What can I say?  I hate this app. I know hate is a strong word, but I really hate this app.

I downloaded the new nook app. for ipod when the "old" but excellent B&N reader became obsolete and I've had nothing but problems with this new app. (and I've only had it for a week!!)

Today, I am trying to download some ebooks I picked up to my ipod using the nook app. I keep getting a server connection error. I have a strong wifi signal and I checked my signal with Amazon's app (synched just fine), browsed on safari app, went to Apple's app. store to read the numerous poor reviews on the nook app. (glad I'm not the only one) all accomplished using my ipod, proving that I have a strong wifi connection on the ipod....went back to nook app to retrieve my books...and nothing. Spinny thing revolves for a few seconds but won't retrieve new books.  Get server connection error.

Perhaps it's a problem with the B&N site and not the app??? Anyone else experiencing problems today??

And while I'm at it, I have to voice once again how much I dislike this app. It constantly crashes, doesn't load the full page (sentences run off). Slow to respond and load. Does not have the features the old ereader app. had. Plus, this is not the first time in the full week that I've had this app that I had trouble retrieving my books. Was this app. supposed to be an improvement?

How come I never experience any of these problems when using Amazon? I really want to like B&N more than Amazon, but they are making it very difficult for me. I'm really trying to decide if I want to invest any more of my time/money being frustrated with B&N and might concentrate more on Amazon since they consistently deliver on all fronts.

[Michael-V]

@luvbooksCM,

Please contact our Customer Service Team at 1-800-THE-BOOK (1-800-843-2665) and choose option 2 for Digital Support.  Please let us know if your issue was resolved.

[luvbooksCM]

Thank you. Yes, I called C.S. but they couldn't really help me. When I have more time, I'll try deleting the app and reinstalling it to see if that works.

[Michael-V]

@luvbooksCM,

When you state they really couldn't help you can you get into more specifics...?

Also, at this point, has your issue been resolved?

[luvbooksCM]

Michael,

C.S. didn't know what was wrong with the app or why I keep getting a "server error" message every time I try to download a book. I was hoping they would tell me it was an outage with the B&N server, but that wasn't the case. I don't have wifi at my house, so we were limited in what we could do. 

I'm only frustrated with the new app, not the nook. My nook is working fine, but it's nice to have the app on my ipod since I like to travel light and I use it to read my B&N books (as well as...um...the OTHER  big ebook store).

I have deleted the app from my iTunes library and iPod and will reinstall when I get to a wifi hotspot. I'll try going to B&N store this weekend to see if one of the nook techs can help me. It's probably going to take an hour or more to re-download my library again (if it works - that's how long it took the first time I installed the new app and downloaded my library). 

I think most of my frustration is the amount of time it's taken me to work with this new app when the original app was perfectly fine. Having to drive to a hot-spot or local B&N, download everything, come home and discover it crashes, cuts off sentences, won't load books etc...have to stay on hold waiting for C.S. ....drive back to wifi hotspot to re-do what I've already done without knowing if it's going to work. Not a smooth transition. I'm not totally down on B&N (I know it sounds like it)...but I might direct my efforts at building my ebook library elsewhere and come back to B&N in a year or two and see if there has been any progress. I really do appreciate your help.

[Michael-V]

@luvbooksCM,

I am really sorry for the experience you're having.

If the message is similar to the following:

"we're sorry. An unknown server error has occurred. Please try your download again later."

Try this Solution:

Turn iPhone on and then off.

Sign out and then sign back in from the NOOK for iPhone App.

[luvbooksCM]

Michael,

Thank you for your help.

I stopped at a B&N store on my home from work to use the wifi to download the nook app. again. It loaded all my books and took about an hour to download each book again (I have over 150 books).

The error message you mentioned is the exact one I have been getting.

If I get the error message again, I'll try your suggestion.

Thanks for all your help.

[tvw71]

I have been having the same problem. I sent an email to customer service with the order number to each nook book and still have an "unknown server error" when attempting to download the book. I can see a picture of the cover in the library, but it won't download at all. I have rebooted my phone, signed out of nook app and back in. No changes. I haven't heard from customer service either. PLEASE HELP! I purchase hundreds of books a year and need to fix this problem ASAP!!!!

[luvbooksCM]

tvw71

The only thing that worked for me was to delete the nook app from my ipod and itunes library, then download it again from itunes and reinstall it on my ipod. I then had to wait for it to load my library from scratch (which it then included my recent purchases) and download each book again to my library.

I accomplished all of this yesterday. I haven't purchased any new books since then to test whether or not it will continue to download my new purchases. But by deleting the app and reinstalling it, I was at least able to download all the books in my library.

I know this isn't the perfect solution, but it was the only way I could get it to work.

[BlazingBith]

I tried the fix that was saind on here about deleting and reinstalling it to. Now im using an iPad and this didnt work the majority of my books have downloaded, except for the ones I need. I get the server down problem, or it will say its downloading then quite a few seconds into it. I have downloaded the book to my macbook air and it works fine in the nookstudy program. But I would like it on the ipad because it is much easier to use.

[ljeann134]

The only thing that worked for me was to delete the app and reinstall (I'm using the nook app on my iPhone).

It's pretty ridiculous that I can't use the 3G service I pay for to download books. Seriously, Barnes & Noble. Literally 10 seconds to download a book to the Kindle app (yeah, I'll say it AND I wasn't in a WiFi zone either!) and I have to delete that app, reinstall, find WiFi and try to download the book for the nook app.

I wish I'd used the B&N gift card I got for Christmas for a DVD or some bookends. Please fix the nook app so I can download books over 3G.

[Mosun]

I'm having the same problem. I think reinstall works on ipod and iphone but not on iPad. I tried reboot my iPad which didn't work. Reinstalling from iTunes didn't work, either. I need to read this textbook for my class, but I can't even download it. Please get alllllllll you software developers to fix this bug. Don't give us any solution, just please update the app asap. It's not supposed to have any problem like this if it was a completely tested app.

It might also be the problem of the files of the book. because downloads worked on some books like samples, but it didn't work on the book which I purchased. The book name is called "Economics" by Stephen Slavin.

[CasperAZ]

luvbooksCM, I'm consoled to know that you were finally able to download those 150 books that you were worried about.  Hopefully, in the future, there will be an easier way.  What you went through was an ordeal.  Sorry it happend to you.

[Marcovaldo]

The error may not be a "server error", as it is stated.

The NOOK application may need to be updated.

Go to the App Store on your iPod.

Look for NOOK updates.

If you find one, follow the directions for updating your NOOK app.

[rorford]

I had the same problem and finally SOLVED it by updating my credit card information on my Barnes and Noble My Account site (located on the ribbon on top of the BN.com webpages), then logging off and logging back on the iPhone Nook app several minutes later. Even though the credit card is not used for the purchase (since your e-books have previously been downloaded onto Nook if you purchased them from BN), it seems to their way of getting BN e-book owners to keep their credit status current. This may not work for everyone, but it worked for me, and I did not see it mentioned elsewhere on multiple websites addressing this "server error" problem.

[puppyloverBW]

Just like every one else, I was having trouble with the app. I have a nook and it works perfectly and I love it. My grandparents gave me money for christmas and i bought an ipod touch. I wanted to get the free app so that I would be able to read on multiple devices. I downloaded it and it would only download the free samples but not the full books! After calling CS they said that my card was failing but I don't think that has anything to do with it.

Any way, I finally got it solved by logging out on my ipod. It warns you of how it will de register the devices and delete all your books but if you are looking at this page you don't have any on it anyway. After you click continue or ok (whichever it is) you just log back in. Easy as that.

I hope this helps any others who have this problem as well.

[geertm]

---

rorford wrote:

I had the same problem and finally SOLVED it by updating my credit card information on my Barnes and Noble My Account site (located on the ribbon on top of the BN.com webpages), then logging off and logging back on the iPhone Nook app several minutes later. Even though the credit card is not used for the purchase (since your e-books have previously been downloaded onto Nook if you purchased them from BN), it seems to their way of getting BN e-book owners to keep their credit status current. This may not work for everyone, but it worked for me, and I did not see it mentioned elsewhere on multiple websites addressing this "server error" problem.

---

B&N's DRM uses your credit card information to encrypt an ebook when it is dowloaded. That is why you need a valid default credit card in your B&N account.