libbyapp.com Reviews 122

Libby won't open. I've got it on several devices and it won't work on any of them. On one of them I tried updating it and it still won't work. That was the device I use most often. I made the mistake of downloading an audiobook. I'm sure that's what killed it.
If you must use the damn' app (since the b@$+ards have killed overdrive) my recommendation is to never download more than 2 or 3 books at once, and never download an audiobook. Regard it as something that can only be used with an internet connection (despite its claims to the contrary). It seems to be able to handle at most a hundred or 2 hundred mb of data in the app simultaneously. Which is of course preposterous in this day and age.
And if you have an old version of the app, and it's working, never update it unless you have to, and back up all the data on it that you care about, library card numbers (don't forget pin numbers), tagged books, history, etc, with screenshots, regularly, in case it suddenly won't open and you can't access anything. Put it on several devices at once and be sure that you activate it on each device at least once a week so it keeps up. It seems to give it difficulty to have been offline for very long since the device you use is getting new books and returning old ones.
The Libby app is crap, but it's cornered the market so we're stuck with it, at least for now. Here's to any and all competent replacements for it. More power to them and I hope we meet them soon!

Not at all a friendly user interface. Overdrive was much easier and without the hitches Libby has.
The search facility is useless -example - I searched for an author and the search delivered 11 audio books and 17 books by this particular author. However when I clicked on the 17 books none of them were by the selected author! They were a random hodge podge of mystery/ thrillers . Dreadful app

Libby have suddenly & without warning drastically reduced the amount of periodicals available at my library, while still charging them the same amount. If the company is so avaricious, maybe they should rename the app Grabby.....

The Libby app/software is extremely flawed.
Troubleshooting tips don't work.

Please bring back the original OverDrive app.
Usage was seamless.

1 star, as 0 is not a choice here. Worst app I've seen in 20 years, and removes everything that worked simply and reliably in the previous 'Overdrive' app. It's bascially killed our ability to sync library ebooks to ereaders. SO aggravating.

Horrible, illogical layout & navigation. Looks like something designed by a toddler for a visually impaired, color-blind toddler.

Search is a joke and does not work correctly (returns thousands of irrelevant titles; you can sometimes find a book by author, but NOT by it's title... or vice-versa--so it's incredibly frustrating and inaccurate).

Worst of all, books no longer sync properly on Kobo reader. With Overdrive, 100% of the books I got on loan synced; not a single one will sync to my eReader now, even though I've followed instructions to the letter. Yes, we have one of the newest models, which your 'Help' pages guarantee will still work with Libby; this is a lie.

The Adobe Digital Editions workaround (as an attempt to get library ebooks to your device the HARD way, since Libby app sync never works) is cumbersome, takes too many steps, requires aggravating installation of yet ANOTHER app on a yet another, separate device, requires registration and other annoyances, and the ADE sync is still not dependable, either -- nor should it be required; y'all broke the simple, always-works sync from Overdrive. WHY?.

I'm sorry all your efforts with this new app are a failure, but truth is truth. Y'all need to kill Libby completely, apologize to all your users individually, and go back to Overdrive or something similar that has proper navigation, a working search feature, and can sync books to Kobo ereaders as promised. Libby is not better in ANY way; it is a lie, and makes me want to give up on reading completely. I don't usually leave harsh reviews, but this so-called app deserves a zero.

ps: our library confirms all the above issues are real, but the librarians are of course they are powerless to fix Libby.

I can't stand this app!! I search for a specific author and can have a list of 20 different authors! What was wrong with overdrive? It never disappointed and always worked. Libby is just inferior and it requires 4 times as long to find what you want. Why not allow a simple search?

I hate Libby. After using Overdrive for several years it’s really hard to get used to using an inferior app. Not only is it harder to use, it is missing key features such as the ability to rate books and see ratings. Did I mention that I hate Libby!

I love Libby but I wish there was a way to leave book reviews on the app after you've finished a book. I like doing research before I commit my time to a new book or series.

This might be the worst app I've ever used. I detest it so much I can't even read anymore; it makes me feel rage. My library forced it on us after taking away the perfectly good Overdrive app. I'd explain what's wrong with it but it doesn't matter since developers don't seem to have taken any feedback since about 2014 when I first tried it. I'm on a limited income (disabled) so need a library app and am angry this ridiculous thing is now all they offer. I have written developers & my library with no progress. If you're lucky enough to have an option avoid Libby at all costs.

A load of difficult rubbish. The app should be shut down. Difficult to use. Must be designed and maintained by an alien.

I read all of the reviews that were available. Only 1 back in 2022 gave libby 4 stars. It is truly garbage. Overdrive was so easy and convenient to use. In Libby I am trying to add partner libraries and the instructions are just appalling. I do hate this app with a passion. I really enjoy audio books and Overdrive was great! I could see the list of chapters easily from the book I was reading I could easily go back a chapter if I forgot exactly where I left off. Libby is clunky, not user friendly. I regularly use CCleaner to remove unnecessary files on my computer. Have used it for over 10 years. Never a problem with overdrive. Libby App is crap if you are trying to use it on your computer and super slow in downloading, Whoever wrote this App should be shown the door. Go back to Overdrive!!

I absolutely hate this app, will only let me read books in its app. No longer can read books through my kindle, where all my settings work for me perfectly. This was such a bad idea. I like the convince of ebooks, but not with the frustration it takes to use the Libby app.

Libby constantly stops working, claiming there's an internet problem when there isn't any. Also, there's no interface with NaturalReader. In short, it's junk. Overdrive is so much better.

Was forced to install Libby after Overdrive refused to download books. Hate the format but have slowly adapted. Was VERY hard to set accessibility. After all, I read on a tablet because of vision problems. Shouldn't it be easier with a larger range of settings? Was easy with Overdrive but took quite a long trial and error period with Libby to finally get a font that works. I cannot begin to say how clunky this app is but my REAL problem is it eats power like crazy. I have turned off everything I can turn off. Why is it eating twice the power in the background??? I NEVER had to charge my tablet as much as I have since I started using this app in May. Same reading habits, more than twice charging times. I hate this thing.

I will it give it one star for the fact that it has the books. I hate the new format and I'm looking for a new way to listen to audio books so I don't have to use it. Layout. Hiding the series order once a book is on your shelf. Searching for books can't be sorted. It's one thing after another. It's like offering the lights and glamor of Vegas but giving us get Carson City. I'll most likely go to the full site to search for and check out books, then listen to them on the app if necessary, or listen to them in my browser. Go back to the drawing board on this, give us the original Overdrive app in the meantime, please.

I used to use Overdrive to download audio books to a USB drive to listen in my car on my daily commute. I would usually have two books on the drive, one to listen to, the other ready to go when the first ended. Libby will not let patrons download to a USB. It is extremely inflexible when it comes to availability when I need a book on the phone app. So much so, that I have given up on it and totally gone to Hoopla. For the record, after listening to a book on a USB, I would delete it for the next download. I do wonder if the main reason the much-inferior Libby app was put in place was to prevent people from downloading audio books for fear that it might be costing audio book sales? All I can say is that I doubt it was. It would be interesting to see if the death of downloading, perpetrated by Libby, results in any sales increase.

The Overdrive app that Libby replaced was easy to use, you downloaded your book from the library, read it, and returned it. Libby, on the other hand, is a time consuming clunky, nightmare that doesn't even run on the tablet I was using. I had to purchase a new tablet in order to continue getting ebooks from the library. Note newer is not necessarily better.

Not user friendly. Too cluttered and not nearly as fast and easy as Overdrive. I really dislike Libby, and am frustrated and irritated every time I have to use it. It's just bad!

Please bring Overdrive back! This app is Not user friendly. To recommend a book for your library to purchase is an exercise in futility. Already released books are ok, not great or easy to find. Upcoming releases, nope. Doesn't even recognize the title. Search functions and reading functions not near as seemless. I have a Kindle and I understand that this is a third party app but please.... Overdrive was intuitive, functioned well across platforms. I understand the same company owns both. Maybe you could take the best of both apps a d make a better app.

I can not distinguish what books I have checked out because app throws in other books. This program is very poorly written.