Logos/Verbum on Onyx Boox Note Air 2

Mark Nolette
Mark Nolette Member Posts: 508 ✭✭
edited November 21 in English Forum

My new Onyx Boox Note Air 2 arrived today.  I started installing apps and loading ebooks and pdfs onto it.  I also attempted to install Verbum.  Verbum works beautifully on my Onyx Boox Nova 2.  Surprisingly, the Note Air 2, which runs Android 11, is a different story.  Verbum installs.  The sign-in screen comes up when I start up the app.  Once I sign in, the app crashes.  If I uninstall Verbum, reinstall it, and then skip sign-in, the app still crashes.  

I wanted the Note Air 2 for its larger display and larger storage capacity, and Verbum is a significant reason why. Some of you with Onyx devices have had challenges getting Verbum/Logos to work.  Any suggestions are most appreciated!  

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Comments

  • Mark Nolette
    Mark Nolette Member Posts: 508 ✭✭

    Well, I worked at it and I finally got Verbum to work! If anyone is having a similar problem, this may help you.  However, YMMV!!

    1) Go to Settings/Other Accounts.  Click "Manage" at System Account Settings.  Click "Add account".  Sign in to your Faithlife account here.

    2) Go to apkpure.com.  Download an older version of the Verbum/Logos app.  I used 9.02.  Install it.  If you get crashes, delete the app and install it again.  Check it out to make sure that its features are working.  

    3) Now, you will get a notification on your device that an upgrade is available.  Upgrade by clicking that notification. The upgraded app should work fine.  Note that if you upgrade through Google Play, the app will crash after the upgrade when you try to run it.   

    Getting this to work was a bit of a pain, but the payoff is significant for me.  More importantly, I hope that something I have learned will help someone else.  

  • Gordon Jones
    Gordon Jones Member Posts: 743 ✭✭

    I'm glad you got it working. I've been thinking about purchasing one of those devices just for using Logos. If you're skilled at making videos, I'd love to see a short one of Logos and/or Verbum in use.

    Happy learning! [:D]

  • Nord Zootman
    Nord Zootman Member Posts: 596 ✭✭

    Thank you for your post. I have also been toying with the idea of getting the Boox Note Air 2 and am interested in how well it runs Logos. I need to soon replace my aging Ipad mini and am debating between an Ipad and this.

  • Mark Nolette
    Mark Nolette Member Posts: 508 ✭✭

    I need to add one more thing.  When you install the older version of Verbum/Logos and find that it works, you should get a notification on your device that an upgrade is available.  Upgrade in that way.  If you upgrade through Google Play, Logos/Verbum will crash when you try to run it after the upgrade.  So, one glitch seems to be how Logos/Verbum interacts with Google Play on this device.  

    Edit: If you install an older version of Logos (or any Faithlife app) from apkpure.com, the Note Air 2 will display a notification indicating that an upgrade is available.  This upgrade will come from downloads.logos.com.  As long as it comes from here, it will work.  If the upgrade comes from Google Play, it will not work.  That's as far as I've gotten with this.  

    As to a video of Verbum working on the Note Air 2, I can't promise anything soon, but I'll see what I can do!

    Edit #2: I believe that you can avoid these problems entirely by installing the Amazon Appstore on your Onyx Boox Note 2 and then installing Logos or Verbum or any Faithlife app from that source.  

  • Mark Nolette
    Mark Nolette Member Posts: 508 ✭✭

    I contacted Onyx through the Feedback feature of my device about the issue with Verbum (and other Faithlife apps), and they responded that they would check it out.  They did, and responded again: "It needs to deploy other Google components if you install and run the app from the Play Store. We will add them in the next version."  

    Sounds promising!  

  • FrMoses
    FrMoses Member Posts: 89

    Greetings,

    This is wonderful, thank you! I had purchased the Boox Note Air 2 for the same reason and was disappointed when Verbum from the Google Play Store (GPS) did not work. I had the same issue where the GPS didn't seem to install all the necessary dependencies.

    When I downloaded Verbum 9.02 from APKPure and installed it, everything worked well and I was able to do the in-app update to the latest version. The attached screenshot shows what I am now able to do with Boox's nice split screen feature separating the Notes app with Verbum vertically.

    I should also mention that, when I thought Verbum was not going to work as an app, I turned to the web version running in a browser and was quite impressed with what Faithlife has done with it. For reading and highlighting, it is essentially the same as the mobile app, but I do think the mobile app feels more robust for other tasks.

    Also, with respect to the Boox Note Air 2 in general, I want to mention that I have an iPad Pro with Apple Pencil, which is far more polished and easy to use than the Boox tablet. However, I purchased the Boox just for daytime reading on an e-ink screen and the nice writing experience on its textured screen as opposed to the iPad's smooth screen. When it comes to software, there is no comparison between iOS and the Boox; you will have to fiddle with settings and play around a bit to get things to your liking, but once you do, it is a good experience that is made even better by Verbum running smoothly on it.

    Thanks again for figuring this out.

    I use Verbum with an 8-Core Mac Pro (2013) and a MacBook Pro (2017)

  • Mark Nolette
    Mark Nolette Member Posts: 508 ✭✭

    I'm glad it's working well for you!  

    There is a learning curve with a Boox tablet.  The user's manual could do a better job. Still, if you find that an eInk tablet is easier to look at for longer periods of time than a conventional tablet, then a Boox tablet is a great partner for Verbum or any Faithlife app!

  • Mark Nolette
    Mark Nolette Member Posts: 508 ✭✭

    This is a follow-up to one of my previous emails in this thread.  Onyx had promised to fix the glitch we found in installing Faithlife apps on the Note Air 2 in the next update.  I got an update today.  I have Verbum, so I decided to test the updated firmware by installing Logos.  It installed flawlessly! 

    This update is dates November 22.  Those of you who have a Note Air 2 - please install the Onyx update and then install a Faithlife app and see if you get good results as well.  I'd like to hear from others before I consider the problem fixed!

  • Aaron Hayworth
    Aaron Hayworth Member Posts: 55

    I wonder if anyone would be willing to record a short video of using Logos on an Onyx Boox recent product. I'd love to see what it looks like!

  • Aaron Hayworth
    Aaron Hayworth Member Posts: 55

    I wonder if anyone would be willing to record a short video of using Logos on an Onyx Boox recent product. I'd love to see what it looks like!

  • Samuel Bauer
    Samuel Bauer Member Posts: 1

    I made a Video today on the Onyx Boox Note Air Plus with the Logos 10 App :):
    https://youtu.be/9AjbAQixuuc

  • Gordon Jones
    Gordon Jones Member Posts: 743 ✭✭

    I made a Video today on the Onyx Boox Note Air Plus with the Logos 10 App :):
    https://youtu.be/9AjbAQixuuc

    Thanks Samuel, your video review is excellent. E-reader technology has improved a lot!

    I am sure that many Logos users would be interested if you were to make a review of the Ultra.

    Thanks again! [:D]

  • Joel J.
    Joel J. Member Posts: 127 ✭✭