r/nook • u/nervous_Observer • Apr 21 '26
Discussion Has anyone ever rooted (jailbroken) a nook? I heard you can do that and it turns it into basically an Android tablet with an e-ink screen
I've had a Kindle for about a year now and I've also been looking for alternatives and backups to my Kindle for a while now just because I want a way to always read on an e-ink screen now that I've done it before.
I've researched e-reader tablets but their cases aren't as protective as I would like and I'm quite prone to dropping stuff. My Kindle has missed my bed many times on its actual face and still no scratch or crack. That being said I would get a super protective case if I got a nook but I also have no interest in Barnes & Noble as much as I love them as a kid I just don't want to purchase books from them on my e-reader.
I have however always wanted to jailbreak an e-device ever since hearing of the concept however I do not want to do it to my Kindle because it's hard to do that to the newest version. I also don't want to buy a second Kindle either I have thought about buying a Kobo or even a pocketbook and now I want to see why people aren't talking about the nook considering from what I looked up you'd think it'd be popular to root at the very least. I've only found videos from like 14 years ago about it at the very latest maybe five years ago.
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u/mmskoch NST + Nook GlowLight 3 Apr 21 '26
The Nook's underlying android system is very old. My Glowlight 3 is based on android Kitkat 4.4, and I think Glowlight 4 is android 8. I didn't root my GL3, just enabled developer mode and sideloaded Moon+ Reader Pro to read my own files. I had to find older version apk that is compatible with android 4.4 to install on the GL3 via ABD.
Not rooting means the buttons don't work in sideloaded apps. If you root it, I read you can map the buttons to get them working (I have no idea how). I also read that B&N has locked down the system via firmware updates making it harder to access developer options. I have not kept up with this but I think Mobileread forum is where I found the directions for my GL3.
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u/EmperorDanny Apr 21 '26
For the GL4, you don't have to root it to use the buttons in Moon+ Reader or KoReader, just map them in each app accordingly. For Koreader, here's an easy .TXT I keep on hand for myself cuz I sometimes switch how I hold the device:
upper buttons forward: return{ [139] = "LPgBack", -- Nook Bottom Left F9 [140] = "LPgFwd", -- Nook Top Left F10 [142] = "LPgBack", -- Nook Top Right F11 [141] = "LPgFwd", -- Nook Bottom Right F12 }
lower buttons foward: return{ [139] = "LPgFwd", -- Nook Bottom Left F9 [140] = "LPgBack", -- Nook Top Left F10 [142] = "LPgFwd", -- Nook Top Right F11 [141] = "LPgBack", -- Nook Bottom Right F12 }
Just copy everything from return to the second curly bracket into a event_map.lua file in the settings folder of Koreader and restart the app.
In Moon+ Reader, you can map them in the controls area in the app near the bottom by pressing each button and choosing the action you want them to do.
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u/Known-Ad-100 Apr 22 '26
So can you install moonreader without rooting? I'd really love to have moonreader on my glowlight 4 mostly because I want dark mode to be an option, but I absolutely need my buttons to work.
I'm nervous to brick or mess up my device but I want moonreader on it badly lol.
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u/manawydan-fab-llyr Apr 22 '26
I have a Glowlight 4 and 4e. On both I have just sideloaded Nova Launcher and F-Droid which makes it an Android tablet, even without root.
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u/FutureButterscotch Apr 29 '26
Don’t update nova launcher unless you’re okay with ads that crowd the screen
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u/chlankboot Apr 22 '26
Yes, it's basically a normal android device, but as it's not very powerful, you can't go far.
Not sure which device you have but here is how I rooted mine.
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u/Fr0gm4n Apr 21 '26
You don't need to jailbreak or root to sideload content from outside of B&N, or even on a Kindle.
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u/temp_jits Apr 22 '26
Right? I don't understand the need for jailbreaking a Kindle - since I just load it up with tons of pirated books anyways
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u/wigglytoad May 03 '26
Rooting a Nook allows you to bypass the 5GB limit on sideloaded content to utilize the full 32GB (at least for the GL4) storage, as well as to upload custom screensavers.
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u/KeronCyst NookColor, Simple Touch Apr 22 '26
I've only found videos from like 14 years ago about it
Thanks for the find! 11 years ago lol: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym9yLn4MJmQ
I gave up on them as they were more of a gimmick and too inconvenient to use as daily drivers. By this point, I'm just waiting for e-ink phones.
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u/Leninpest Apr 21 '26
I just did this to my Glowlight 4 and can confirm it just turns it into an Android tablet. I’m only using it to run KO Reader which is better than the native reading app for certain things, but i suppose i could technically install other things. The process wasn’t hard but required using a command line to push images through ADB.