How to get eBooks on an Xteink eReader

The Xteink e-reader is relatively new on the market, but it has quickly won over bookworms thanks to its cute size. The X3 model has a 3.7″ screen, while the X4 and X4 Pro come with a 4.3″ screen. To put this into perspective, imagine this: you can attach any Xteink e-reader to the back of your iPhone, below the camera. That’s how small the device is. It’s one of those smartphone-sized e-readers that gives you the ability to literally put your books in your pocket.

But while the Xteink is undeniably adorable, it has one drawback: the lack of a built-in e-book store. This is not the case with Kindle, where you can simply go to the Kindle store, purchase your favorite titles directly from the device and find them directly in your library. Instead, you have to purchase the EPUBs elsewhere before you can get your eBooks on Xteink. We will walk you through how to do this on both stock firmware and custom firmware, Crosspoint.

To get e-books on your Xteink e-reader, you generally have two options. The first method, which works on all models, is to use the microSD card. Simply remove the microSD card, insert it into your computer using an SD card reader, and transfer EPUB files as you normally do to any external storage. When you insert the card into your e-ink gadget, the books should be ready to read.

For the Xteink X4 Pro, the latest model in the range, the process is much simpler since you only need the Xteink app. Follow these steps:

1. Turn on Bluetooth on your phone.
2. Install Xteink.
3. Configure the Xteink app by registering and granting the necessary permissions.
4. On your Xteink X4 Pro, tap the hamburger menu.
5. Go to Settings.
6. Tap Connect to link the e-reader to the app.
7. On the Xteink app, tap Link device.
8. Scan the QR code displayed on the e-reader.
9. Connect the X4 Pro to a Wi-Fi network.
10. Add a name for your e-reader.
11. Tap Done.

From here, you can now import books to your Xteink using the Import button. To access it on the eReader, go to the hamburger menu again and select Cloud Sync. The books will then be downloaded to your device. If you encounter formatting issues when opening your EPUBs, you can first try converting them to XTC (Xteink’s proprietary file format) via x4converter.rho.sh before transferring them.

For the X4 and X3 models, you can also link them to the app, but their interface is much more complicated to use. The Chinese and global versions also offer different features, so depending on the firmware you’re using, you may not be able to use the app at all.

Out of the box, Xteink firmware is not as attractive and user-friendly as the interface of other popular e-readers. This is why many users immediately upgrade to custom firmware like Crosspoint. It offers nifty customization options that you won’t find on the stock firmware, such as more font sizes, focused reading, which makes the first letters of each word bold for easier reading, and changes to the status bar. Additionally, the interface is consistent across all three Xteink models and the EPUB formatting is considerably more refined.

If you’re using Crosspoint on your Xteink e-reader, here’s how to transfer books to it from your phone or computer:

1. On your Xteink, go to File Transfer.
2. Select Create hotspot.
3. On your phone or desktop, connect to the CrossPoint-Reader hotspot.
4. Open a browser.
5. Type the URL displayed on the Xteink.
6. In the CrossPoint Reader page that opens, click File Manager.
7. Tap Download.
8. Choose your EPUBs.

Once the files have finished downloading, they should be accessible from your eReader’s Browse Files menu. If you have an Xteink X4, you can also use the Crosspoint Sync app. Its interface seems much more intuitive and it is available for Android and iOS. The downside, however, is that both devices must be connected to the same Wi-Fi, unlike the hotspot method where you don’t need any external network. The old-fashioned microSD card method also works with Crosspoint, if you prefer to use that.