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If you’re in the market for an eReader, you probably assume that Kobo supports Adobe DRM, after all, it’s one of the most common ebook protection systems outside of Amazon’s ecosystem. But strangely, Kobo doesn’t go out of its way to tell you that. In fact, if you browse their website, product pages, or FAQs, you’d have a hard time finding any mention of it at all.
This is odd, considering that most ebook retailers (other than Amazon) sell books with Adobe DRM. You’d think Kobo would want to highlight the fact that their devices are compatible with these ebooks, making it easy for users to transfer past purchases. But instead, they keep it vague.
Take their FAQ page, for example. When answering a question about where to buy compatible ebooks, Kobo gives this response:
“The easiest way to buy a book that is compatible with your Kobo is to purchase the books directly from Kobo’s store. Once you have created a Kobo account (a prerequisite for using your Kobo), you can log in and browse the storefront from any device, including the Kobo eReader itself.
If you would like to buy books from a third party and read them on your Kobo, you will need to make sure that the book is in a compatible format and is free of DRM (Digital Rights Management).”
That last part is misleading. Kobo’s eReaders do support Adobe DRM, yet this makes it sound like only DRM-free books will work.
And it’s not just the FAQ, nowhere on Kobo’s main product pages do they openly state that their devices support Adobe DRM. The only confirmation comes from an old help article buried deep in their support section.
Even when it comes to library books, Kobo primarily advertises its OverDrive and Libby integration but leaves out any mention of Adobe Digital Editions, a method still widely used to borrow library books with DRM protection. Why gloss over such an important feature?
This brings up some questions. Is Kobo planning to remove Adobe DRM support soon? That would be a big change and may not be a good one. Or is this just a way to guide users to buy books directly from Kobo? Either way, it’s odd that they are not talking about a feature that could make their eReaders more attractive to more people.
